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I’ve always belabored the fact that there are hardly any pies to
be found in Manila. Cakes are constant, but sometimes there’s
nothing like the cover of crust protecting its precious treasure
within. Whether sweet or savory—and no, I hardly think empanadas
count—pies are my idea of what to eat whatever my mood, whatever
the weather.
Chad Davis, my good friend and the food and
beverage manager at Enderun, gives me the heads up on the pie craze
that’s ongoing at the school. It’s a pie festival of sorts
happening at Restaurant 101, the school’s private dining
establishment where the food is cooked and served by Enderun
students. I’ve eaten there a few times and there’s almost always
something new on the menu. I’ve always been impressed with the
level of service.
“The pie festival came about because of one
dish that we had on the menu,” Chad tells me as we settle down to
lunch. “The lamb pie. It was practically selling itself so we
decided to offer other pies.” Because we’re throwing ourselves
into—as the promotion is being called—a “pie craze,” we
order all the pies on the menu: vegetable pie, seafood pie, and of
course, the lamb pie.
What is it about a pie that moves me the way no
cake can? First, I adore crust, a confluence of flour, butter, water
and salt, a simple alchemy that—when made well—transforms into a
flakiness that falls apart on the fork and then melts on the tongue.
Then there’s the filling of a pie, which, depending on whether it
be a sweet or savory pie, is a calendar of changing seasons or
one’s whims.
Enderun’s pies are largely savory. The ones we
order arrive at table with puffed tops, and when pierced, the
escaping steam is visible. These pies have only one crust, grand
domes of puff pastry that in the heat of the oven, “puff” up
more than three times their original height. They’re ethereal in
texture and when pierced with a fork, there’s a slight crackle.
The lamb pie is indeed excellent. I can see
myself inhaling it. Unfortunately, it’s Chad’s favorite among
the three so it’s a race to the finish between us to see who gets
the last serving. (He wins.) The tender lamb cubes have a hint of
cinnamon and is redolent of red wine, similar to the fruitiness of
the wine I’m accompanying it with.
I’m not as happy however with the seafood pie.
For one, the seafood filling is sparse, and secondly, it’s overly
coated in cream. I tell Chad that its flavor would pop with a good
lashing of nutmeg and definitely more filling.
It’s the vegetable pie captures my heart.
Unassuming grilled vegetables become superstars with the thick
balsamic glaze. Anointing it with its tangy-sweet flavor, it’s a
pie dish that renders itself unforgettable to me. I can still taste
it on my mind’s tongue.
Unfortunately, the one and only sweet pie is an
apple pie tart. Baked in a small fluted mould, the crust is tough, a
sign of being over-handled during mixing. And the apples in the
filling are dry and limp. Why don’t they have more sweet pies?
Thank goodness for Enderun chef-instructor Thomas Wenger who gives
me and Chad a tasting trio of crème brûlées: coffee, ginger and
vanilla. The restaurant’s flourless chocolate cake is satisfying
too; not as dense as the usual, with a pleasing milk chocolate
taste.
Restaurant 101’s Pie Craze runs until July 31.
Pies cost P420 per piece. Restaurant 101 is at Enderun Colleges, 2/F
Wynsum Corporate Plaza, 22nd floor Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center,
Pasig. Open for lunch Monday to Friday, 12 to 2 p.m., dinner from 6
to 9 p.m. For details, call 638-5555, local 101.
Lori Baltazar can be reached via her website
www.dessertcomesfirst.com or through her e-mail, lori_baltazar@yahoo.com.
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