Restaurante Pia Y Damaso: Subversive Filipino Cuisine- Greenbelt 5

I remember the first time I've tried Restaurante Pia Y Damaso in Greenbelt 5, I completely fell in love with their desserts. On my second visit, I was able to feast with subversive Filipino cuisine that is out of the usual Filipino dishes, like having crocodile meat on my salad. It was like incorporating a fusion of modern flavors to the classic Filipino cuisine. 

To begin our subversive feast, we were served with Filo Tarts with Pork Asado Apple Relish (P220)

These are pan fried flaky filo cakes stuffed with salty sweet pork and served with caramelized apples and vinegar. I love the salty-sweet balance of flavors from the pork asado and apple relish that greatly complements the soft and flaky texture of the filo crust.

Mixed Greens with Duck Confit, Red Onions, Apples and Oranges in Champoy and Prune Vinaigrette (P350) and Elias (P450)

The first salad was a beautiful plate of shredded duck confit with onions, apples, oranges tossed in a tangy champoy vinaigrette. I was excited try this as soon as I heard that champoy was used as its dressing. I used to love champoy as a kid and it caught my interest on how it will pull off this dish.

The other salad was another plate of colors with mixed greens, red onions, tomatoes, caramelized pineapples and crispy shallots in mango cilantro vinaigrette. The highlight of this salad is the seared crocodile meat that was very tender and chewy. 

Fried Chorizo, Potatoes, Egg and Pandesal (P475) and Kua Pao Pan De Sal (P250)

The Fried Chorizo, Potatoes, Egg and Pandesal was like a plate of breakfast and reminded me of the Huevos Cabreados we had in Cova. It's a complete order of the things you'd definitely like for a morning meal. 

An Asian-inspired dish in a Filipino bread is this sandwich called Kua Pao Pandesal- two toasted pandesal with soya, anise, garlic braised pork belly, roasted peanuts, sweet mustard leaf confit and fresh cilantro leaves. We are accustomed to having Kua Pao in soft white steamed buns, but here in Damaso, they serve it pinoy style- in pandesal.

Placido Penitente (P400)

When I first saw this dish, I thought it was the Filipino sweetened sticky rice called biko. Turned out, it was their version of paella that uses black rice with cuttlefish, fish roulade and squid pieces on top. Honestly, I was not a fan of this dish as I found it a little bland. I don't know if squeezing some lemon would help, too bad I wasn't able to try that one. 

Lengua Sevillana with Olives and Mushrooms

One of my favorite dish during our feast was this stew of  braised ox tongue with olive oil, tomatoes, mushrooms and green olives. I've always love lengua in mushroom cream sauce but this tomato based stew of my favorite lengua fared equally. The ox tongue was soft and tender with savory sauce that paired well with the garlic rice.

Ode to Heidelberg (P1500)

A tribute to the place where Jose Rizal finished writing the "Noli Me Tangere"- Heidelberg. Ode to Heidelberg is this huge serving of a German dish composed of boiled smoked pork hock, bacon and four kinds of sausages and potatoes. I tried out the different kinds of sausages before digging in the main cast of this dish. I love the smokey flavor of the pork with fresh potatoes to balance out its saltiness. This platter is so huge that a party of 5 or more could share this order. 

Now, we head on to the desserts, starting with some Filipino pastries like the Bibingka Waffle (P150) and Tsokolate Eh with Toasted Ensaymada (P150)

The Bibingka Waffle is made with Malagos' goat's cheese, quezo de bola, salted egg and served with coco jam as syrup on the side. It was the salty-sweet combination of flavors that made this dessert a hit to everyone. 

The Toasted Ensaymada and Tsokolte Eh makes a perfect pair for an afternoon snack. The ensaymada was soft and fluffy and goes perfectly well with the rich and warm tsokolate eh.

Ube Langka Sansrival and Ube Macapuno Cake (P100)

Ube Macapuno Cake is a purple yam sponge cake with macapuno "freak coconut" strips and mousseline cream topped with macapuno ball and whipped ube cream.

Ube Langka Sansrival is another ube dessert with its classic pair-langka. Of the two ube cakes, hands down I'd choose the langka over macapuno. Aside from the fact that I'm not a fan of macapuno, langka is something I'd like in Filipino sweets like turon and halo-halo. I also love the crunchy texture and nutty taste of the sansrival making it a sure winner for me.

Sisa's Dementia (P160)

One of Damaso's best-sellers, Sisa's Dementia is a truffle cake of white chocolate almond pastille, dark chocolate mousse and ganache. It was the same chocolate cake I fell in love with during my first visit. A must-try!

Restaurante Pia Y Damaso offers not only Filipino dishes with a twist but also sumptuous desserts that would make you want to try everything from their dessert display. Every item seems to be exclusively conceptualized and created by Chef Bambi Sy Gobio, to be able to come up with these exciting and one of a kind dishes and desserts. 

Restaurante Pia Y Damaso

2/F Greenbelt 5, Paseo de Roxas,

cor. Legaspi St, Ayala Center, Makati

Tel Num: 729-5511

Facebook Page:  www.facebook.com/PiaYDamaso