Dining Snippets: Providore x Yum – Milano Express x Duck and Buvette

PROVIDORE

GRILLED PEPPER AND HERB US BEEF BELLY (P550)

I always have a staple set of orders when dining in Providore: its Zucchini Pecorino Fries for starters and its Steel Plate Cooked Garlic Butter Salpicao as my main dish. However, my mom wanted to explore more of its menu so we swapped our usual Salpicao to try its Grilled Pepper and Herb US Beef Belly. The beef belly looked tough (especially when compared to the melt in your mouth belly slices served by Relish and in H Cuisine; but surprisingly had a tender and juicy bite. It’s paired with chimichurri sauce and peppercorn au jus; both equally delicious that it’s best to place a little bit of both in each bite. The dish is on the lighter side as it’s paired with mashed potatoes and some bitter greens so it’s best to pair it up with a pasta dish.

OVEN ROASTED SEAFOOD BUCATINI PASTA (P295)

We decided to order the Oven Roasted Seafood Bucatini Pasta, which came in a thick tomato cream sauce topped with shrimps, mussels, squid, and fish fillet. I usually have linguini and penne as my noodle variants, so the Bucatini was definitely something new. Personally, I found the cut of the noodles too short for my liking; and its ridge-less texture made it hard for the sauce to cling to it. Overall though, it makes for a decent bowl of pasta. Its solo serving size was a bit too small for me though.

Providore

UGF, SM Aura Premier, C5 Road corner 26th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Date of Visit: April 27, 2019 with Lily Chua

YUM-MILANO EXPRESS

I’ve tried out the express pop-up version of Yum-Milano back when it was still stationed inside Hole in the Wall. To be honest, I was really confused with its branding: it proudly boasts how it was bestowed recognition as the Best Restaurant in Italy and in Milan for the years 2018 and 2019; yet, its menu was oddly a rather too simplistic take on Filipino cuisine. Basically, they give you the option to choose your protein (Chicken, Barbecue or Sisig), your fried rice topping (Mushroom and Bamboo Shoots, Shrimp Paste, or Peanut Butter), and a drink of your choice (Calamansi, Lemon, or Cold Salabat).

CHICKEN + SHRIMP PASTE + COLD SALABAT (P264)

In the end though, since it was the only 'new' concept in Hole in the Wall at that time, I decided to try it out. I paired its Grilled Chicken with some Shrimp Paste rice; not exactly a match made in heaven; but I was pleasantly surprised with the dish I was served with. A glistening quarter leg of a barbecued chicken was served on a sizzling plate coated in a sweet glaze which paired well with some spiced vinegar. The Shrimp Paste rice was tasty and well-balanced; and had a nice crunch courtesy of its dilis topping. Unfortunately, its Cold Salabat was too watered down that the ginger flavor was reduced to a dull aftertaste; but it was still refreshingly sweet.

While writing this though, I found out that Yum-Milano serves high quality, fine-dining Filipino cuisine in Milan, Italy (which explained the awards); and that it just recently opened its first official full-blown branch right outside Hole in the Wall (where Arrozeria and Yumi used to be). Its Facebook page features glammed-up versions of classic Filipino dishes that actually look really good. I guess a visit should be in order.

Yum-Milano Express (Previously inside in Hole in the Wall)

Date of Visit: May 2, 2019 with Norman Gatdula, Philip Rutaquio and Marj Villacorte

DUCK AND BUVETTE

Duck and Buvette took a short break last April to do a little sprucing up to refresh its look, and to update its menu. To be fair, the hiatus lasted only for a month, but it’s a considerably long time for me since D&B is one of the handful of restaurants I frequent in Shangri-la Plaza mall.

CHILI PESTO BURRATA (P470)

On its first Saturday back, I immediately proceeded to grab lunch there. Its new menu thankfully still contained my table must-have’s: its Crispy Potato Pave, its Farmhouse French Bean Pasta, and of course its Crispy Duck Confit. Unfortunately, I was dining solo at that time so I had to settle in choosing from its new pasta selection. I ended up with the Chili Pesto Burrata, which came with a generous portion of fresh pasta smothered in its tasty pesto and spiced pesto sauce and topped by a luscious scoop of fresh burrata. The dish was on a thick and gooey side so it took a while for me to mix everything together. The effort was worth it though since the added layer of burrata cheese made each bite wonderfully creamy. It was a struggle to finish it on my own especially since the flavors tended to be monotonous towards the end. It’s best shared and paired with a saltier dish such as its Crispy Duck Confit.

GRILLED FRENCH HORN MUSHROOMS (P310)

I rarely post my meals immediately after having them; but I was too ecstatic about D&B’s return that I just had to post it on my Instagram feed and Facebook timeline. Because of this, my family got curious about its new offerings and wanted to have our Sunday family lunch in Duck and Buvette, immediately the day after.We decided to pair its new offerings with our all-time-favorites just so that in case the newbies disappoint, our staples will still be able to make the meal worthwhile. One new appetizer we tried was the Grilled French Horn Mushrooms; which was simply paired with brown butter hollandaise and chili rock salt. The beauty of this dish is that it relied on the natural complex and delicious flavor of the mushrooms by simply grilling them. Admittedly, the price point gets a bit too steep if you consider its serving size, but the satisfaction it gives makes it worth every penny.

USDA PRIME PALERON STEAK WITH ROASTED GARLIC MASH (P1080)

The USDA Prime Paleron Steak was also a revelation; as it seems to be directly going against Cibo’s value-for-money La Bistecca, both with its comparable price point and quality. Personally, D&B has the upper hand because it serves it with insanely delicious sautéed fresh mushrooms (that unfortunately is just a spoonful), which I won’t mind ordering on its own.

Without question, D&B definitely made the most out of its one month break as it came out better than before. Perhaps all restaurants should consider taking a breather every now and then.

Duck and Buvette

2F Main Wing, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

Dates of Visit: May 4-5, 2019 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua and Jem Chua