Bite-Size: A whole day dedicated to all things beef...Australian grass-fed beef

I must’ve heard the following phrase a dozen times during Day 5 of the Australian Embassy’s Grass-fed Beef Culinary Trail: “In Australia, one hectare (roughly) equates to one cow.” A quick Internet search revealed that the land area of this Oceana state-continent is a figure of more or less 769 million hectares.

That’s a daunting figure compared to the Philippines’ land mass of only 3 million hectares and should give everyone an idea of how many cows exist in the Land Down Under.

While there are true “Australian” local dishes, Aussies are proud of the quality of their ingredients such as oranges, lamb and of course their beef. Partnering in this five-day, 35 restaurant marathon are some of the Metro Manila’s best restaurants who were already using Australian grass-fed beef for quite a number of years already.

Having chosen to join the last day of the event, the first leg of Day/Trail 5 took our group 34 stories above the busy Friday Makati traffic to one of the highest restaurants in the country: Chef Jessie Sincioco’s Top of the Citi by Chef Jessie. The bite-sized portions were hardly enough to get a good taste of each dish but I sensed what Chef Jessie wanted us to experience: most of the major global cuisines incorporate great cuts of beef in their menus.

The Striploin and Mushroom roulade (dish made of rolled meat or pastry) and Striploin in Morel sauce are definitely French-inspired, the Top Blade Slider (small hamburger) and Roast Beef sandwich are American classics while the Top Blade Salpicao, featuring a good amount of garlic, is a staple in Filipino and Spanish restaurants.

Of the five petite-size dishes, instant winners were the French dishes. Both the roulade and Striploin in Morel sauce were seasoned perfectly, were complimented by great sauces and were a delight to eat. With stomachs full but not yet that full, a quick 10-15 minute trip south of the metro via the Skyway saw our group heading for the next destination, A Steakhouse at the Acacia Hotel in Alabang.

The year-old restaurant features a P950++, three-course menu highlighted with a choice of a 150g Tenderloin with roasted pumpkin, sautéd Brussels sprouts and roasted fig dolcetto or 160g Ribeye with grilled asparagus, roasted potatoes and Chianti sauce. Half portions of each cut were offered to our group to taste and while must I admit finishing both steaks, I enjoyed the ribeye more than the tenderloin.

Both steaks had medium doneness but I like the way the sauce was left out from the ribeye cut compared to the tenderloin that had the Sherry Vinegar Steak Sauce slathered all over it. The ribeye was seasoned perfectly and one can easily enjoy the beefy taste even without any sauce.

Weirdly though, I had a harder time cutting, chewing and tasting the tenderloin, the beef taste was masked by a strong raisin/grape-like flavor from the roasted fig dolcetto sauce. Mooing our way back to the central district of Makati, Lucia Ristorante in Hotel Celeste served as the third leg of the day.

Upon arrival, we consciously stood or paced for a few minutes to give our digestive systems time to work and sort of defragmenting our stomachs for more Australian grass-fed beef dishes. The items served at Lucia Ristorante could be treated a an early afternoon snack/merienda. The Paglia E Fieno (Bi-colored Paglia Pasta with Beef Ragout) has a rich, homey and hearty flavor; perfect for Manila’s afternoon gloomy weather.

I wasn’t that thrilled with the Bistecca con Salsa Tartufa (Beef brisket with Cream Truffle Sauce). Brisket is usually cooked low and slow; familiar dishes include corned beef, stews and soups like nilaga. It wasn’t that the beef tasted weird or bad, but the use of a better cut or area of the beef would have made this dish better.

The idea of taking a 5-minute walk to our next destination was a unanimous decision for our group. The catchphrase “saving the best for last” is an apt one for the Sala Bistro in Greenbelt 3. It was hardly our group’s fault when, with almost full stomachs, the baskets of assorted, complimentary bread were ignored before the first of two dishes were presented, Beef Tenderloin Tartare.

Instead of eating the raw meat by itself, what I did was to grab a piece of bread (probably a baguette) and put a good amount of tartare on top of it. Texture and taste-wise, the combination worked; so much so that my colleague sitting beside me mentioned that what I did was a great idea and did the same thing.

The concept of the Rigatoni with Short Rib Ragout was similar to the one from Lucia Ristorante but executed on a higher level. The Rigatoni is made fresh and the short ribs ragout was still chunky and had a nice bite into it. Pieces of bitter arugula balances the rich ragout while shaved cheese gives the dish a touch of saltiness. For the whole trail, it’s the one dish worth coming back and paying for.

Day 5 was actually planned to be a five-restaurant affair, but the fifth participant, Urban Farm in BF Parañaque, had to beg off due to the high demand of their beef items. Eating at four establishments instead of five was actually a good thing for our full-to-the-brim stomachs as not one participant ended the event asking, “Where’s the beef?”

From June 25 to August 23, 2015, 25 diners who order items under the Australian Grass-Fed Beef promotion get a chance to win P5000 dining privileges while one lucky winner gets to win round-trip tickets for two to Australia via Qantas Airlines. Participating restaurants beside the five mentioned above are: Arya, Blackbird, Carpaccio, Casa Roses, Chef Jessie’s Revolving 100 and Rockwell Club, Chesa Bianca, Cravings, Cyma, Epicurious, Ilustrado, Kitchen 1B, One Way, People’s Palace, Prime 101, Sala, The Blackboard, The Breakfast Table, The True Grill and the Wholesome Table. — BM, GMA News