THE road began normally enough as a stretch of cemented street, then made an abrupt turn for the unexpected as it dipped and rose through narrow trails bordered at some patches by either houses or trees and shrubbery. Signposts gave reassurance that we were on the right track, and just when we thought the road was leading nowhere, the black wrought iron gate of The Domaine finally came into view. The reward after that rather bumpy ride was a mound of warm, just-baked cheese puffs, Chef Robbie’s take on the French gougères. What to drink with it? Kir royal, absolutely.
And that was how the kir royal-and-gougères tandem came to be the signature starter at The Domaine and how I ended up doing the wine pairing for Chef Robbie’s current menu. That first trip to his restaurant was an exercise in getting to know the chef—and what his cooking was like.
Robbie Ripalda is the young, driven chef patron at The Domaine. I had met him about three years ago at a Malbec Day celebration of the Argentine Embassy, where we struck up a conversation about madeleines and macarons, pain au chocolat and Paris and other things French. He was fresh from an almost three-year stay in France, schooling at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and apprenticeships at several restaurants, including one in Reims, Champagne. I’m working on a restaurant project near Tagaytay, he had said then. We lost touch and then reconnected via Fly Ace Corp., importer and distributor of Concha y Toro wines in the Philippines. And that was how Concha y Toro’s Casillero del Diablo and Frontera figured in the pairing list.
Local produce is the core of the menu at The Domaine. For this, Chef Robbie turns to his circle of farmers, growers, the nearby markets and his own backyard. He does the marketing himself, enthused and inspired by the abundance of fresh produce. What he finds ends up in his spotless kitchen to be transformed into his seasonal menus.
Meats are smoked in-house. The dense, chewy rolls that accompany every meal are, likewise, home-baked. Sprigs of just-picked fresh herbs tied with kitchen twine are the surprises in the tea box, to be taken as infusions together with the madeleines that come in three flavors: lemon, orange and rose. The house salad is grilled watermelon with just-picked arugula and shaved fennel, napped with balsamic caramel. The current menu, to run until December features sea urchin bisque; duck ravioli with honey mustard and mango relish salad; smoked pork belly with ratatouille; bleu de Bresse with vanilla-sampaguita syrup and fresh strawberries; dark chocolate mouse and gingerbread biscuit. Chef Robbie’s style is straightforward and deceptively simple but elegant and complex, built on the best possible ingredients and the appropriate techniques to bring out the best possible flavors.
For the wine pairing, I turned to the upfront, fresh, youthful style of Concha y Toro’s Casillero del Diablo and Frontera labels. Viña Concha y Toro owns vineyards and wineries in prime locations in Chile and Argentina. Each wine has its own winemaking team ensuring quality at all levels, from the icon wines Don Melchor, a complex, long-lived Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Carmenère-based Carmin de Peumo, both critically acclaimed; to the simpler, youthful offerings of the Frontera and Sunrise labels.
The Casillero del Diablo Brut Reserva 2012 became the base for the kir royal that went with the cheese puffs. On its own, this sparkling wine’s clean, citric notes are upfront, the green apple and toasty notes riding along that bright seam of mouth-watering freshness. Poured over a measure of crème de cassis de Dijon, the resulting kir royal is just as fresh, the sweetness of the black currant liqueur tempered by the acidity of the sparkling wine. I had thought of pairing the brut reserva with the soup course, which would have worked, as well, but decided on pushing the envelope toward a wine that was as unexpected as the ingredients in the soup.
For Chef Robbie’s sea urchin bisque, I went for texture: the creaminess of the Casillero del Diablo Viognier 2012 mirroring creamy liquid. Was that lemongrass and some kind of sweet spice in the soup? Was that peaches and something floral I smell in the wine? Viognier and sea urchin became the discoveries of the evening, when Chef Robbie finally presented his menu to a small circle of friends and regular clients. After that, the pairings became discoveries, too: the smoked pork belly with the Casillero del Diablo Merlot 2012; the Frontera Moscato 2012 with sampaguita syrup-drizzled blue cheese; the Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 with that outstanding dark chocolate mousse and gingerbread biscuit. The Casillero range’s (there is also a Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot Noir) generous fruit, balanced acidity and gentle oak treatment (if there was any) make them wonderful partners with food. There will be many more discoveries at The Domaine. I had heard of the home-smoked meats—beef shank and beef short ribs gently smoked with coffee wood and herbs, served with port wine sauce and crispy potatoes. Already, the chef is experimenting with duck confit. As with all experiments, there will be hits and misses and the road can be bumpy. But good taste and passion will always prevail. Eased along by good bottles of wine.
VINOFILE
The Domaine can be found in Silang, Cavite: 0999-8832705.