They say the best way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. The same could be said about food and family bonding. Food has a way of bringing people together- in good times and bad - and creating special moments, even if it’s just morning rituals like eating cereal with your child, weekly Sunday lunches at a grandparent’s house, or regular coffee dates with a best friend to catch up on gossip.
Who’s your ClawDaddy? The men behind the restaurant Raymund Magdalayo, Jr., (left) and Murray Hertz (right) with Raymund Magdalayo, Sr. (center)
It’s that same feeling of camaraderie that people can expect at ClawDaddy Crabhouse & American Grill, Manila’s newest hotspot at Shangri-La Plaza Mall’s restaurant row, The Ledge. Better yet, forget about getting dressed up for lunch or dinner, ClawDaddy is a place where diners can feel right at home, dressed down and ready to dig in - and yes, eating with your fingers is an absolute must! – to some of the best American regional cuisine found in this part of the world.
American Regional Cooking
“What we’ve tried to do is bring back New Orleans cuisine but in a way that’s not labeled as just a Creole or Cajun place. We want to bring back American regional cooking, in general, featuring different regions, like California cuisine, as well as New Orleans,” says ClawDaddy executive chef Peter Ayson. “I want diners to recognize regional American cuisine so that if they want to eat crabs or if they want to eat ribs, they’ll think of ClawDaddy right away."
Executive Chef Peter Ayson
Bringing together the soulful flavors of Cajun and Creole cuisine and the casual, family-style atmosphere of a New England seafood shack is easy when you have two of the industry’s greats joining forces, or in this case the group behind Red Crab and New Orleans restaurant.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years you’ll know that the Red Crab group has a chain of seafood restaurants such as The Red Crab, The Seafood Club by Red Crab, Crustasia, Blackbeard’s Seafood Island (in addition to other restaurants such as Cocorama, SumoSam and Heaven N’ Eggs). For ClawDaddy, Raymund Magdaluyo, the enterprising man behind the big red crab and a restaurateur with a Midas touch, teamed up with longtime family friend, What’s On & Expat’s Murray Hertz, the man behind New Orleans restaurant – a popular expat hangout in the 80s and 90s known for its gumbo, jambalaya, chowders, and of course, ribs.
ClawDaddy Menu
This winning combination is evident in ClawDaddy’s menu, which is awash with seafood dishes, some even inspired by Red Crab’s popular items such as Fidel’s Pepper Crab, Butter-Ginger Crab and Crab Singapura. Nostalgic for some New Orleans cuisine? Then look no further. ClawDaddy is bringing back the good ol’ days and to help out are some of New Orleans’ former chefs, now back in the kitchen and whipping up old favorites and bestsellers such as jambalaya, the classic gumbo, New Orleans Clam Chowder, Navy Bean Soup, Shrimp Etouffee, Riverboat Shrimps in Creole spices, Cajun Popcorn Shrimp, and more.
Says chef Peter: “We’ve tried to bring back old recipes and we’ve upgraded a few to creating something new. So, there’s something old and something new.” He adds, “I’m working with New Orleans’ old chefs and together we’re coming up with some new items.”
Diners will be hard-pressed to choose from such a wide selection, including nine different types of crab (deep-fried, in gumbo, butter-ginger, to name a few), seven shrimp, lobster and scampi dishes (prawn rhapsody, lobster bbq, lobster and salpicao duet, to name a few), not to mention seafood extravaganzas like Crab and Lobster Boil (a feast chock-full of Pacific lobsters, fresh water prawns, shrimps, New Zealand mussels, clams mixed with sausages, corn on the cob, baby potatoes and simmered for hours in a flavorful seafood broth).
“The Crab Boil is like a clambake. It’s served in a big platter full of seafood - lobsters, crayfish, shrimps, prawns, clams, mussels - boiled in a flavored seafood stock with a lot of spices and corn and potatoes. We put newspapers on the tables so that it’s almost like a picnic,” says chef Peter.
And then there are the ribs, which chef Peter describes as “fall-of the-bone” tender, juicy and flavorful. The secret, he says, is in the cooking technique (cooked for at least four to six hours) and in the sauces. “There a bounty of flavors and textures to be savored,” explains chef Peter. Try the ClawDaddy King Sampler, an All American barbeque feast with Baby Back Ribs, hickory-smoked chicken and black and spicy crabs.
And with such a young innovative chef behind the scenes, it’s no surprise there are some unusual ingredients thrown into the mix, with sauces made of espresso and even watermelon. “I have a watermelon barbeque sauce. It adds a little freshness, something to cool down (the spices),” he says.
Chef Peter brings a bit of fresh California cuisine to the menu with giant-size portioned salads, including: cold fusili pasta salad with soft shell crabs, seared tuna and calamansi (Philippine lime) salad and a Santa Fe salad.
ClawDaddy offers soul food flavored with Southern charm. Perhaps chef Peter summed it up best: “Soul food is more of comfort food. It’s very hearty. And here at ClawDaddy, we try to cook from the heart. We try to satisfy our customers so that they will keep coming back.” And with great food at a good value served up in a family-friendly atmosphere, diners are sure to keep coming back for more!
ClawDaddy Crabhouse & American Grill is located at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, 6th level, Mandaluyong City. For inquiries, call: (02 )636-5679.
|
Perhaps only a few things could be as poetic as floating on a gondola ferrying the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Passing under the picturesquely famous Rialto Bridge, one could see the magnificent palazzos and churches straddling the riverbank, displaying Italian architecture at its grandest.
Chef-owner Nono Bernas (rightmost) with his two chefs inside the Casa Rialto kitchen
In Casa Susana at the Alabang Town Center, this prominent European landmark is replicated as Casa Rialto, an Italian restaurant refined with all the trimmings of the Venetian stone bridge. Located at the upper ground floor of the complex, its exterior and interior are crafted and designed by a local artist, capitalizing on the Rialto’s subdued elegance and romantic charm.
Parts of the walls have murals of the Grand Canal and the Ponte di Rialto, while paintings of the same scenery hang on the brick walls. Rattan-framed cushioned chairs, tiled floors, piped-in Italian music serenading the diners and a wooden display of fine wines from Australia, South Africa and Italy—all make for a rich old world ambiance.
Opened in early December of last year, Casa Rialto is a welcome addition to Nono Bernas’ neighborhood bistro La Grotta in Makati. Although also Italian in cuisine—“I love Italian food! Besides, it’s healthy and for all ages,” he quips—Casa Rialto plates up pastas and entrees that could only be found exclusively in this quiet metropolis south of town.
For antipasti, I had the Insalata del Carabiniere Oca. It’s not for the cholesterol-conscious as pieces of seared goose liver and toasted bacon are tossed in with mixed greens and Italian dressing. But the way the foie gras delicately flavors the crisp lettuce and how the bacon bits lend a strong smoky taste make up for an excuse to indulge, just this time. For soup, I was served the Zuppa di Zucca, a perfectly chunky—the way I like it—pumpkin soup. It’s neither creamy nor runny and there’s obviously more of the squash in it than the cream, which is how pumpkin soups are supposed to be. The light earthy flavor of the vegetable, often masked by an over-seasoning of herbs in some restaurants, is highlighted in this delicate dish.
For the entrees, it’s seafood fare with Fusili con Gamberetti e Mascarpone or pasta with shrimp and zucchini in mascarpone cheese sauce and Lavarello di Marsala, Chilean seabass cooked in marsala wine sauce on a bed of potato slices and mixed veggies. The dishes are filling and very rich in flavor. To cap the rich meals off, there was the tangy sweet Sorbetto di Ananas, ice-cold pineapple sherbet served in half a pineapple peel. Straight from the freezer and into my full stomach!
Other specialties include the Scamorza alla Caprese, grilled fresh tomato, eggplant and basil topped with smoked mozzarella cheese; Tortellini Alfredo, three colors of pasta stuffed with meat and served in cream sauce; Guazzetto di Cozze, New Zealand mussels sautéed in saffron and other spices and Ravioli di Antra, duck-filled ravioli in truffle cream sauce.
Passion is the sole reason why Bernas opened another Italian restaurant. He could have been content with the successful high rate of turnover in his La Grotta, but there’s no stopping his drive to continually reinvent the potential of Italian ingredients and seasonings. Soon, he plans to put up the same good food, fine service restaurant in the Ortigas area, adding more entries in his original menu and catering to more diners from the East. “Running a restaurant requires commitment,” he relates, “and it encompasses every aspect of your life.”
|
