Crisp white tablecloths. Waiters in tuxedos. Sparkling crystal glasses. A full array of cutlery embracing transparent fine bone china. An executive chef with celebrity status. Exquisitely designed plates with culinary masterpieces that resemble art sculptures. You can expect all of these scenes at fine dining restaurants. You arrive in your best cocktail attire; a posh and charming maître d’ greets you at the door and takes your reservation; your plate contains food so beautifully decorated that you have no idea where to start eating; you shake hands with a temperamental and famous chef. Although Chef’s Table, of Asian Food Channel celebrity chef Bruce Lim, is a fine dining restaurant, you won’t feel any of this gravitas.
The entire place is a complete juxtaposition, from the food to the ambience to the philosophy behind the restaurant. It absolutely reflects the personality of the celebrity chef, who is in his own right a bundle of philosophical juxtapositions.
Called such in honor of the VIP table within the kitchen, characteristic of most fine dining establishments, Chef’s Table brings the VIP culinary experience to all its guests. Whether you have booked for one of Bruce’s specially cooked meals for you and your party, or you arrive unannounced to sample the a la carte menu, you will sit at a chef’s table. Similar to the VIP experience, every table has a clear view of the kitchen, which is wide open without partitions dividing it from the main dining area. It’s almost as if you have access to your own, personal, live cooking show
Most patrons have described the fare as Filipino-with-a-twist, but in truth the food is Filipino-with-a-soul. Bruce dares us: “Eat the food, experience my personality.” The food at Chef’s Table is a salute to Bruce’s grandmother, and therefore to the Philippines. The tribute that he pays her is mannerly, reverent and sweetly old-fashioned: “As I learn, I tend to take it in, and by me creating something that people like, it gives honor to people I learned it from.” And yet all the food at Chef’s Table is Filipino fare the way you have never had it before. Bruce explains his process: he learned Filipino cooking in its purest form, and understood then why the recipes never changed. The innocence of our cuisine has remained throughout the years. Being a philosopher and a historian however, Bruce began to wonder: why did our ancestors make bagoong, kilawin, and even kare-kare? The preservatives were necessary to keep the food, as refrigeration techniques were primitive. The cuisine matched the need of the day. Therefore, the food you’ll experience at Chef’s Table is not the run-of-the-mill Filipino food, as he has felt the need to tweak the meal to match the day.
Take for instance his Hot Rock Pusit, a scrumptious take on our favorite squid dishes. The squid is marinated in Cervesa Negra and seared with a hot rock, creating a texture that is so smooth and soft that it well-nigh melts on your tongue. Bruce describes the dish as “soft, succulent, sexy” – the perfect date fare. Another example would be the Beefsteak Pasta, which takes the Filipino favorite Bifstek Filipino and mixes it in with an Italian nonchalance. The combination is yet another juxtaposition – surprising and comforting at the same time. Another definite must-try is a play on the Pinoy’s love affair with fried chicken. The Cebuano Chicken Chili Wings are a labor of love – and the dish dedicated to Bruce’s love, his wife, Michelle. Coated in rice flour and a batter that contains local beer, sili labuyo, Palawan honey and muscovado sugar, the end result is a unique take on Buffalo Wings with unique neighborhood ingredients. As a matter of fact, this philosophy continues throughout the menu: fine dining and popular recipes translated into a local flavor using ingredients found in Filipino kitchens, wet markets and tables.
This little bit of architecture – in addition to the school desk-inspired tables, pencils and drawing paper available for little sketches and notes –
provide a funny “casual VIP” feel, as you are invited to observe the preparation of your food the way VIP’s would at an authentic chef’s table, but casual enough to see the busy activity in the kitchen.
This risky move is proof of Bruce’s skill as a culinary choreographer. He says about the openness of the kitchen: “People can see what you’re doing. You’re putting on a show for everyone who comes.” His number one rule in dealing with the high risk? “Always do it with a smile. If you’re freaking out and going crazy, people will know something’s wrong.” This same attitude extends to Bruce’s easy camaraderie with his guests. He travels around the restaurant, meeting and greeting each guest personally, completely confident and effortless in his own skin. The owner and executive chef of the restaurant has nothing to hide; therefore, neither does Chef’s Table.
This theme runs even throughout the drinks list. Containing signature cocktails prepared with Bruce’s distinct good humor, expect the cocktail of your choice to perfectly complement the dish that you order in ingredients, philosophy and taste. At Chef’s Table, the drinks were chosen specifically with this purpose in mind. To quote Bruce: “(Patrons) appreciate the drink, (patrons) appreciate the food, (they) end up complementing each other for an overall dining experience.” For instance: The NCR (No one Can Run) contains brandy, lambanog, tequila and gin with traydor kick to bring a smile to the moist lips of any Filipino alcohol connoisseur. Similarly containing roasted garlic, salt, mango and orange juice, there is a slight spicy kick to this meal-in-a-glass. The Tomato Cozy is a “nice and cozy” filipinized version of the Bloody Mary with garlic, roasted shallots, ginger and lemongrass to replace the celery, and more popular ingredients, which are all puréed together to provide a sensual experience. Perhaps the most juxtaposed drink on the menu is the Pepino Cooler, a Valentine’s Day drink that is not red or pink. Bruce tells the story of the cooler, which is soft, smooth, cooling and refreshing: “It’s like that body lotion from the mid-nineties. I want dudes to drink it and remember that girl who wore that cucumber body lotion that smelled so good!”
In spite of all the philosophies that thread throughout the menu, ambience and his personality, Bruce brings his #1 philosophy to Chef’s Table: “Have fun with what you’re doing, give your customers the best they have had. Never stop learning!” His focus on a beautifully-choreographed kitchen, technique and consummate dishes is what makes Chef’s Table great: the concretization of the amicable and brilliant chef that we see on Tablescapes. The complexity of Bruce’s ideas made into a beautiful dining experience – this is the defining factor of Chef’s Table.
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