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January 14, 2011 by Janey

Chef Mike Sarthou a.k.a Chef Tatung has opened his abode to the public for private dining every day except Wednesdays. On Chef Tatung’s first official night, the Foodie Club was there to break bread and check out what can be expected of this newly opened private dining. This by-reservation-only private dining has a prie fixe menu that changes on a weekly basis.

Head charge for the prie fixe menu is P500/head and that’s what each of us paid for the 4-course dinner of appetizer, soup, entrée and dessert. The house can accommodate a limited number of guests that’s why it’s best to make your reservations in advance.

Foodie Club with Anton of OAP 🙂

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Our group composed of Richard, Irene, Franny, Paul, Rowena, Peter, Bubba and I was seated outside near Chef Tatung’s garden. This is where he gets most of his herbs.

On the Table

Freshly Baked Bread – Free

We were served freshly baked bread as we wait for the meal to begin and it came with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, grated Parmesan cheese dip. It was such an appetizing starter since the bread was warm, light and soft with a good crusty edge. I could easily eat 3 baskets of this and not get a fill of any other starch for the night. I simply loved the bread.

1^st Course – Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta Cheese, Olives and Slice of Ham

The small salad consisted of grilled zucchinis, onions, tomatoes and olives tossed in a simple vinaigrette dressing and placed on a bed of Romaine lettuce. Two slices of Salami accompanied the salad which added the salty aspect of this starter. It was a lovely salad on my palate.

2^nd Course – Zucchini Cream Soup

The cream soup was quite thin but it was okay since it wasn’t too heavy. I just found it rather too thin.

3^rd Course – Osso Bucco Milanese with Truffled Penne Pasta

The truffle penne pasta was fragrant but I found it tad bit dry and somewhat lacking in flavor, which I guess was intended to make the Osso Bucco shine since this beef dish is strong in flavor. The Osso Bucco Milanese itself was quite tasty, despite a few tough parts.

The sauce was incredible and I would have loved more of the bread to dip into the sauce. The soft and chewy texture of the bread would have been a better complement to the Osso Bucco than the al dente albeit dry pasta.

The other main course option was the Red Snapper Fillet with Marinara Sauce and Linguini. This was really enjoyed by the three others who ordered it. Bubba and I committed the mistake of ordering Osso Bucco Milanese for both our entrées when one of us could have tried the fish entrée.

4^th Course – Mango Semifredo

It was like having an ice cream cake for dessert that had nuts and ripe flavor of mango. It was perfect to cap the meal off.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and if you’re eyeing the not-so-usual and off-the-beaten-path dining places, Chef Tatung’s Private Dining is worth that reservation.