A wine and cheese food trip in Silang
The concept, as chef Robbie Ripalda explained, was to do a food, cheese, and wine buffet that would satisfy even the most discerning gourmands in the country.
IT TAKES less than an hour from Makati City on a good day to go to Silang Cavite, but on the usual rainy days of this time of the year, the trip may stretch from two hours to excruciating levels depending on the traffic. So any drive to Silang — or nearby Tagaytay for that matter — better be worthwhile. And just like how foodies travel to eat at Sonya’s Garden or Antonio’s, there is another restaurant worthy of the driving endeavor, this one being owned and managed by a young French Le Cordon Bleu alumnus in Silang, called The Domaine.
Chef Robbie Ripalda is the chef-proprietor of The Domaine, a French-themed restaurant in Silang which opened in early 2014. A graduate of BS Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management, major in culinary arts at the College of St. Benilde, Robbie went on further studies by completing the Le Grand Diplôme program from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. The Le Grand Diplôme program is the ultimate Le Cordon Bleu course and included the Diplôme de Cuisine (French Cuisine) and the Diplôme de Pâtisserie (pastry making). Robbie’s impressive internships in France, including stints in L’Obe restaurant in the historic Hotel de Crillon in Paris, the Le Parc restaurant in Champagne’s most luxurious hotel Chateau Les Crayeres under Michelin star chef Phillip Mille, groomed him well on his foray into the fine dining business. The Domaine is still going strong on its third year and chef Robbie is just 27 years old.
The Domaine was built from scratch on a 2,300-square meter property in Silang, away from hustle and bustle of Metro Manila. Robbie ensured that his restaurant would conform to the standards he had been accustomed to in his time in France. The Silang-Tagaytay area was chosen because of Robbie’s access to the freshest local produce needed for his style of cooking, as well as its friendly distance to and from the National Capital Region. The Domaine literally and figuratively stand out in the Barangay Malabag area, amidst vacant lots, grass fields, and ongoing construction sites. The Domaine has a huge gate, a large parking area, a beautiful picnic ground (which is also perfect for al fresco dining), and a lovely restaurant façade that looks like those restaurants I see in Australia’s Hunter Valley. The inside is as remarkable too, with super generous spaces in between wooden tables and chairs. The theme is more of simple elegance, with black, white, and wood color motifs. The kitchen is huge and modern, and could, in fact, easily be used for a cooking reality TV show because of its size and modern equipments.
‘NIGHTS OF WINE’
What makes The Domaine different from the other fine-dining destinations in the Silang-Tagaytay area is chef Robbie’s wellthought out wine-friendly menu, and his genuine personal attachment to food, cheese, and wine pairing appreciation. When Robbie heard of the visit of South Africa’s Silkbush Mountain Vineyards Managing Director Dave Jefferson to the country, the chef decided to launch his vision of “Nights of Wine” to feature Silkbush’s premium wines Silkbush Viognier and Lion’s Drift Pinotage. The concept, as chef Robbie explained, was to do a food, cheese, and wine buffet that would satisfy even the most discerning gourmands in the country. The wines, to start with, are not your typical entry level Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but very terroir influenced wines from the higher altitude Breedekloof region in the Western Cape.
For the cheese selection, Robbie went with local supplier La Latteria d’Ischia of husband and wife team Marshall and Ruth Mays. The Mays make artisan Italian-style cheeses in their Bulacan factory from fresh milk of water buffalos, or what we locally call carabaos. I sampled their cheeses, from their main specialty, the mozzarella di bufala (or buffalo mozzarella), the bufalino (a strong and creamy cheese which comes in either paprika or herb enhanced flavors), and the caciotta (a semi-aged cheese with soft texture and milder taste). All these cheeses went very well with the versatile Viognier. And, of course, The Domaine is known for its freshly baked breads and unique array of herb-infused olive oil dips. Aside from the wines, cheeses and breads, the buffet also has the staple salads and main courses. The avocado with basil pesto and mint is absolutely my favorite salad — not only extremely nutritious but really very palatable as well, and this coming from a non-salad guy like myself.
The “Nights of Wine” food, cheese, and wine buffet is sold at a reasonable price of P2,788 net per head. The wines alone should easily be at P400++ a glass, and this is unlimited. “Nights of Wine” is only available on select dates. Please contact The Domaine for your reservation or inquiry at (0977) 821-9852, (0998) 989-9083 or write to them at thedomaine.restaurant@gmail.com.
TASTING NOTES
Here are my customary tasting notes on the two premium pouring wines at The Domaine:
• — “nicely fragrant with notes of peach, pears, violets and minerals, dry with soft lemony acids, and crisp on the finish.” This is one versatile white wine that can complement creamy cheeses and various seafood dishes
• — “nice cinnamon nose, prunes, vanilla, violets, medium-bodied, with very nice juicy acids, very flavorful in the palate, and a lovely round finish.” This is an excellent food wine given its friendly tannin structure and right acid backbone
Filipinos are among the biggest patrons of dinner buffets in the world, and the best kept buffet secret in any restaurant may well be located slightly farther out from Metro Manila. With a stylish menu, artisan cheeses, and premium wines, plus the picturesque restaurant and a hyper-affable young French-trained chef- owner, there is no way one should pass up a few hours of driving
for this dining experience.
The author has been a member of the Federation Internationale des Journalists et Ecrivains du Vin et des Spiritueux or FIJEV since 2010. For comments, inquiries, wine event coverage, and other wine- related concerns, e-mail the author at protegeinc@yahoo.com. He is also on Twitter at www.twitter.