Heavenly food on offer to celebrate Pope Francis’ visit

Old favorites never fail to impress.

IT SEEMS the entire country has caught the Pope Francis fever! Even lawyers, businessmen, tycoons have booked themselves at hotels on Roxas Boulevard today to catch the mass to be celebrated by Pope Francis at Luneta.
In the spirit of the holy, we have found a Catholic-themed restaurant located just across  the San Agustin Church in Intramuros.

Monstrance on display

The restaurant has a mannequin dressed as a bishop over at a corner, with a collection of bishops’ hats alongside it. These belonged to three Filipino priests being evaluated for beatification: Bishop Alfredo Versoza from the Archdiocese of Lipa, Batangas, Bishop Alfredo Obviar from the Archdiocese of Lucena and Bishop Teofilo Camomot from the Archdiocese of Cebu.
The windows are made of stained glass, a signature in the design of Catholic churches. On the walls, in place of sculptures, is a display of a monstrance collection. The monstrance holds the Holy Sacrament during mass.
“But here, there is no host in it and it is not blessed, so it is all right to use,” the owner explained.
The owner is Elvira Go, who is very close to priests and bishops. She shares that when she visited the Vatican, she and several friends thought of putting up a restaurant with a Catholic theme in Manila. And they made it happen.

Catholic foodies

Much research was put into the restaurant, but not in terms of cooking technique or latest culinary trends. The restaurant serves simple Filipino favorites like adobo and kare-kare. The difference is that the menu is comprised of the favorite food of known priests and bishops.
The menu offers Carding’s Crispy Pata, which is the favorite of His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu. There is also Lolo Dency’s pastas, which refer to the favorites of His Eminence Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, former Archbishop of Manila: pasta with shrimp in garlic sauce, penne with shrimp and kesong puti, tomato pasta and spaghetti with pesto sauce. The adobo has been claimed by Archbishop Lagdameo. And the mother of Monsignor Teodoro is also given special mention with the lumpia with peanut and garlic sauce.

Pope Francis’ favorites

When Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle became Archbishop of Manila, they added his favorite to the menu: silvanas. They haven’t named anything after Pope Francis yet. Although they might be able to pick up His Holiness’ favorites from a cookbook entitled “Buon Appetito, Swiss Guard,” which features recipes of dishes close to the Pope’s heart: dulce de leche, spicy empanadas and colita de cuadril or sirloin steak, a classic Argentine dish.

Churches becoming restaurants

The enthusiasm of Filipinos for all things Catholic, as displayed in Ristorante delle Mitre, is unique in Asia. The global trend is in fact one of diminution in the faith. The proof is in the restaurants: in more developed countries like Singapore, old churches are being converted into restaurants. One example is The White Rabbit in Singapore.
The White Rabbit off Dempsey Road is a multi-awarded restaurant. But what makes it interesting is that it was a chapel that was built in the 1940s The faithful had left but the church was resurrected as a very stylish modern restaurant.
The glory of the old institution continues to be appreciated, however, in terms of design. The stained glass windows were kept intact and the beautiful architecture of the church cannot be missed.
However, there have been a few controversial twists: the altar, where priests once said, “Drink this wine,” is now literally the restaurant’s bar, where signature cocktails are made. The confession room is now the restaurant’s wine cellar. And the secret they are keeping in the closet is that they have over 100 labels of wine. (Sounds like the Miracle at Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine!)
The food at this restaurant, though, is blessed in the sense that it is truly exquisite. At a dinner here for last year’s World Gourmet Summit, a guest chef, Belgium-based Korean chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre, prepared foie gras pasta, which was foie gras that was presented in the image of pasta; and a tagliatelle that is made not of pasta but of squid. On  a regular day, you might fancy their Burrata de Artigiana or Wagyu carpaccio to start; then move on to a tagliatelle with Alaskan king crab or short ribs that were cooked for 36 hours before being doused in a truffle miso glaze. These are heavenly.

Joy of eating

In this new world of hyper-Instagramming food photos, Pope Francis has reminded us that there are joys far greater than gustatory pleasures, specifically mentioning “the joy of your love for Christ and the Church,” which we must share.

But this does not mean an end to appreciating good food. After all, as it was so beautifully stated in the brilliant movie Babette’s Feast: while “man eats to live instead of perpetrating sin,” there is a point where “righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another.” That point includes appreciating art on a plate, whether it be at the fanciest restaurants for executive dining or just at home.
Even Pope Francis would find it hard to resist a great dulce de leche. Just don’t forget to share!

Ristorante delle Mitre. CBCP Building, 470 General Luna St. corner Real St., Intramuros, Manila (across San Agustin Church). Tel. no. 5595220. Open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last call at 8:30) Breakfast menu available. Major credit cards accepted. Reservations recommended. Wheelchair accessible.

White Rabbit. 39 C Harding Road. Details at thewhiterabbit.com.sg

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