Festa del Vino Stop #1: Sauceria

I am no wine connoisseur but I am always fascinated by the elegance this drink adds to any meal. I normally have a glass or two of red wine whenever I indulge in a succulent piece of steak. But McKinley Hill’s Festa del Vino (Wine Festival) exposed me to other pairings and I loved it!

Hello, McKinley Hill!

This bustling area of Taguig is another gem waiting to be explored by foodies. With its numerous establishments offering mouthwatering dishes, you’ll never run out of options. I have to admit though, I am stuck with Nihonkai Tsukiji whenever I visit this place. But thanks to Megaworld Lifestlyle Malls team, I got to explore the other lovely restaurants around the area. 

Our first Festa del Vino food crawl stop was Sauceria, a quaint restaurant that serves comfort dishes such as chicken wings, sandwiches and pizza. During my visit, I was able to try its Char Siu or Roast Pork Pizza (PHP405) along with a glass of Barefoot Merlot’s Dark Berries. We were also given some pork and chicken skewers in classic and chipotle sauces.

The wine served to us came from California and I actually liked that it had light tones of berries and that it wasn’t very strong. It was odd though that I let out some sweat beads while gulping down my share of wine. Then again, it could be because the place was packed with bloggers trying to capture a nice shot of the wine and food served.

I enjoyed the flavorful char siu pizza which went really well with the wine we sampled. It was a beautiful blend of sweet mangoes and salty roast pork. 

First Bite: El Corazon

It has been a long while since the last time I dined in Corazon. I remember that it was a family gathering and that we had a scallop fare for lunch. Named as El Corazon in the new Uptown Mall, the homey place still offers Corazon's staple favorites. 

Hello, El Corazon! 

The Hispanic vibe is very evident as soon as you step foot inside the restaurant. Arches, warm hues, adorable wall decors and bricks (washed white for an illusion of bigger space) are the first things you'll notice. 

We arrived around 4 pm for an early dinner and we managed to get a table right away. 

For this meal, we tried Málaga (PHP375), Chorizo Filipino with Egg (PHP345), Gaudi (PHP1,600, whole | PHP850, half | PHP450, quarter) and Paella Valenciana (PHP695). 

First served were the appetizers.

The Chorizo Filipino was served on a small clay pot and came with some warm pandesal. I liked the meatiness of each chorizo slice and how it complemented the potato cubes and fluffy pandesal. 

The egg made the dish thicker and richer.

Málaga was served next and it was my favorite dish from the set. The anchovies were delectably soft and undeniably fresh! I loved the tanginess of the lemon olive oil. It was not overwhelming and was just right to whet the appetite for the mains. (Tip: It is best enjoyed with the toasted crostini for crunch.)

The mains were up next and both were definitely filling! 

The paella was topped with fresh seafood such as prawns, squid and mussels. There were also chunks of chicken, pork and chorizo along with veggies, eggs and lemon wedges. It was served super hot making us very cautious to scoop one or two servings. 

First Bite: Salvatore Cuomo

Salvatore Cuomo is probably one of the most awaited restaurants this year. Celebrities, high society and foodies alike cannot help but go crazy over this well-known food establishment owned by restauranteur and celebrity chef Salvatore Shigeta or more popularly known as Salvatore Cuomo. I wanted to visit it on its first days of operation but I was eying another restaurant at the same time and went with the latter. I told myself that I will visit it when there’s an occasion given its relatively steep prices for its mouthwatering dishes but with all the positive reviews I read here and there, I just have to visit it ASAP. And I finally did just a few hours ago.

Hello, Salvatore Cuomo!

We were greeted by a black, white and red facade and a small waterfall-like fountain by the entrance. It further established that I was about to enter a not so casual restaurant. 

The inside interior design is more of elegant industrial with the restaurant's leather upholstered wooden furniture pieces and bare ceiling with exposed pipes. There are some lovely drop lights which made the ambiance classy. 

We went for lunch and it sure was packed! We were asked by the host if we made reservations. We didn’t. I didn’t know that it would be this packed given that it is fairly new. But never underestimate the pull of Salvatore Cuomo’s name. We were lucky though that there were two vacant seats by the bar. Since we were already there, we settled with those high stools. 

Given that Salvatore Cuomo is known in Japan as “The Pizza Man”, it just makes sense if we order pizza. We got Margherita (PHP680). We also ordered Zuppa di Funghi e Gamberetti (PHP390) and Tiramisu with Pistachio Gelato (PHP380). I wanted to try its reasonably priced steaks (prices range at PHP800-1,500) but we decided to stick with a few dishes as we weren’t that hungry. 

It was expected that service wouldn’t be at its peak as the place was very busy. All servers were on the move. But our soup arrived within the 15 minute mark. I had to ask for the noteworthy complimentary bread basket though as they didn’t serve any before our soup. (It arrived after serving the pizza and after following up thrice.)

The soup may be expensive but they sure did not scrimp on the ingredients. The soup was thick and the mushroom taste was strong. I loved that there were bits of mushroom to bite on instead of it being too grainy causing my throat to itch. The sautéed shrimps were good too. It was fresh and complemented the thick soup. I also liked the drops of sour cream giving the dish a tinge of tanginess.