The Naked Lunch
Dining with Christian Mark Jacobs, aka the Naked Foodie
It’s not every day you get invited to lunch by a famous chef, and in his own house, no less. So I guess I was fortunate to have been among the six people invited as guests by Christian Mark Jacobs, who goes by the more popular nom-de-cuisine, so to speak, as the Naked Foodie. And no, before you think anything, nobody was naked during that lunch.
Except the food, which as Christian explained, is how he usually likes them. Naked, he says, means you prepare and serve the food in all its pureness—no additives, no artificial flavoring, just the natural flavor of every single ingredient mixing to produce wonderful tastes.
It was a little before noontime when I arrived at his house, or rather the house he shares with partner Francis Libiran, somewhere in Poblacion, Makati. Their lovely fourstory home—with a garden up top where he’s kept some calamansi trees, among others, Christian tells me later—was already filled with the delightful aromas of the lunch Christian was preparing for us, the smell of meat mixing with the unmistakable essence of cheese, which wafted in the air as soon as I entered the house.
While waiting, we helped ourselves to some nuts and juice, with an alcoholic option for those of us who didn’t mind a drop of midday gin. Christian explains that he didn’t want the appetizers to be heavy and leave no room for the lunch he was preparing. By the time he called us to the dining room, we understood why he insisted on light appetizers. On the kitchen counter was the buffet spread, with dishes that reflected Christian’s southern US upbringing. Growing up in Florida, he learned how to cook at a very young age, mostly from his mom, who learned it from her own mom. It’s this kind of family, home-cook tradition that Christian wanted us to have a taste of that afternoon, so he prepared some of the dishes he’s learned from his mom, adding a bit of a twist to them to make each of them his own. Growing up in Florida, he learned how to cook at a very young age, mostly from his mom, who learned it from her mom. It’s this kind of family, home-cook tradition that Christian wanted us to have a taste of that afternoon.
First came the biscuits—and I don’t mean biscuit like crackers, which many Filipinos consider to be synonymous. No, the biscuits were proper southern biscuits, which Christian baked with apple honey butter and served with, well, more butter. Apparently, they love butter in Florida, or at least Christian and his family do.
When we had our fill of the biscuits, we were given spinach salad, paired with bacon dressing. Yes, bacon. And, as if that wasn’t enough bacon, there were also bits of them on the salad itself. I’m not much of a bacon fan, but I found this combination perfect. And the dressing did wonders, with the bacon’s umami mixing well with the spinach’s bitterness.
Then it was time to try the main dishes. It was a buffet, so we all stood up to get for ourselves servings of creamy mashed potato, baked mac & cheese, sweet and sour green beans, and breaded pork chop with brown gravy. They love their pork in Florida, Christian says, so when he moved to the Philippines to be with Francis, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Filipinos love it, too.
All of these dishes were fantastic. I loved the macaroni baked with four cheeses and topped with brie. Talk
about cheese overload, but it worked. The breaded pork chop was deliciously soft and crunchy, and the brown gravy—if I remember it correctly—also had some bacon mixed in it. It was a perfect match for the mashed potato, too. But the dish that stood out the most for me, surprisingly, was the unassuming sweet and sour green beans, which I think were really meant to be some sort of a palate cleanser. But it did more than just that. It had an interesting mix of greens and a bit of bacon, and the taste was just amazing.
To make the already fantastic lunch even better, Christian served wines We had a wonderful glass or two of Bianco Chardonnay, which he says is his favorite. The wine came from Monteroni di Lécce, a commune located in the province of Lécce, in Apulia, southern Italy. This wine complemented the dishes well, with its fruity flavor and texture.
For dessert, Christian outdid himself. He served us a sampler of lemon cheesecake, strawberries and cream cake, and chocolate truffle cake from The Naked Patisserie, his bespoke weddings and events cake shop located in Mandaluyong. Christian has already had numerous clients who’ve asked him to make wedding cakes, and he has three in the pipeline, including that of Christian Bautista and fiancée Kat Ramnani. And it’s no surprise why. His cakes are excellent, as I realized with the samplers. Of the three cakes we tried, I loved the strawberries and cream for that unique berry sweetness, but I also enjoyed the lemon cheesecake for its fluffy, soft, and almost cool kind of sweetness. Then the chocolate truffle was just irresistible, with a tinge of dark chocolate.
I think it’s quite obvious that I had a wonderful time that lunch. Christian was a gracious and gregarious host, who regaled us with tales of his exploration of Poblacion and his recent balut (mis)adventure. You can check out all of that on his YouTube Vlog. If you’re also interested in trying out the bacon dressing and the Bianco Chardonnay, well you’re in luck. The Naked Patisserie will soon have them available, with other Naked Sauces and Naked Foodie wines including the Rosato Negro Amaro, Terranoglo Negro Amaro, and the Muller-Thurgau Brut, just in time for the holidays, the perfect Christmas gifts to family, friends, and colleagues.