Mireia Dining, located in Makati City, Philippines, offers a unique private-dining experience curated by Chef-Owner Mark Dee. The Filipino self-taught chef crafts a six-course menu that brings together nostalgic flavors and elegant formats. Some of his dishes include the Oyster Taco, Iberico Katsu Sando, and Trout Tartlet.
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TravelTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:13 I started getting into food back in 2015
00:18 after being in a government consultancy gig.
00:23 Went back to Metro Manila.
00:24 I was scrolling through social media
00:27 and decided that I wanted to try and make my own food delivery
00:33 business.
00:34 This was before the on-demand delivery apps came about.
00:37 I did that for a few years, and I
00:38 was going to transition into events catering.
00:41 But this was during 2020, so that
00:43 was the time when Taal was erupting and the pandemic.
00:49 So the project got derailed.
00:51 There were a lot of setbacks that eventually
00:53 led me to close down my commissary business.
00:57 But ironically, that was the most time
00:59 I spent cooking in this kitchen behind me.
01:03 I was just basically cooking a lot for my wife.
01:06 So I made this tomato and crab pasta.
01:10 It's a simple pasta dish, but then when
01:13 I cooked it for my wife and I to eat,
01:16 I had this idea where it's pretty good enough--
01:19 I think it's good enough to share, to share to the family,
01:22 or to share with friends, maybe.
01:25 So I think that was the dish that kind of started everything.
01:29 I got inspired by my daughter, Maria.
01:32 I named the private dining concept after her.
01:35 Us Filipinos, I think, since we're Asians,
01:37 we have the Asian palate.
01:38 We love flavorful foods.
01:40 My cooking philosophy would be a dish
01:43 should be packed with flavor, basically.
01:44 So we start with the raw ingredients.
01:47 A raw ingredient should taste very good on its own.
01:50 And at the same time, we just build
01:52 around that particular ingredient
01:55 and see what complements that particular ingredient
01:57 to further enhance the dish.
01:59 So the idea with the oyster taco is when we started May 5,
02:06 that was Cinco de Mayo, we didn't have anything
02:08 to commemorate the day.
02:10 I've always wanted to add oysters on the menu,
02:13 but at the same time, let's at the same time do a taco.
02:16 But never really knew how to do a flour or a corn tortilla.
02:21 So we used a green scallion pancake instead
02:24 with a deconstructed egg rebish.
02:26 And then on top is an oyster tempura
02:29 with fresh cilantro and XO sauce.
02:32 The next is Iberico Katsu Sando.
02:35 Both my wife and I love tonkatsu.
02:38 The inspiration of this for this dish
02:40 is to actually use a premium pork.
02:44 So that's why we use Iberico Secreto from Spain.
02:47 Then we brine it, sous vide it,
02:50 bread it, and then fry it to a crisp.
02:53 With the bread, we use Hokkaido milk loaf,
02:56 and then we toast that,
02:57 and then we spread black garlic butter on it.
02:59 We also include just a simple cabbage slaw
03:02 together with the Sando.
03:04 Then next would be a trout tartlet.
03:07 The trout tartlet, it's a spring roll tart
03:10 with cured Australian trout, ponzu sauce.
03:13 Around it are Japanese cucumbers that we pickle.
03:17 And then on top, we put ikura, lemon zest, and green onion.
03:21 So the scallops, we cure the scallops in a miso koji mix
03:26 so that it takes on a more firmer texture.
03:30 On top of the scallops, we put fermented Australian leeks
03:33 that we roast in a pan
03:34 and finish off with a little bit of vermouth.
03:36 And then the sauce is made from potatoes
03:38 that we cook down in a clam broth
03:40 together with the aromatics.
03:42 And then around it are sourdough croutons,
03:45 and then we finish the dish off with dill oil.
03:50 Crab pasta is a fresh crab and squid ink bucatini
03:54 with a tomato cream and seafood sauce.
03:57 Then on top is black caviar and yuzu kosho.
04:00 So yuzu kosho is a yuzu peel and green pepper paste.
04:04 It gives a spicy kick to the dish overall.
04:06 So, okay, for the main course,
04:10 it's a beef oxtail with a truffle pomme purée.
04:13 And then on top is fried enoki,
04:15 and below the enoki are caramelized onions.
04:18 And the sauce is made from the reduction of the beef,
04:22 finished off with a little bit of Madeira wine.
04:25 And then we top the dish with flaky porcini salt
04:28 and aged balsamic vinegar.
04:30 For dessert, we do a chocolate fondant
04:35 with a warm caramel sauce.
04:38 And on the side is a vanilla gelato with a tuile,
04:41 and we also add fresh strawberries.
04:46 The next dessert is actually milk and cookies.
04:48 So this is actually my wife's cookie recipe.
04:52 So we do a mix of dark and semi-sweet chocolate
04:55 to make the cookies.
04:56 And then at the same time,
04:58 we pair it with our homemade horchata, basically,
05:01 to end the tasting menu.
05:03 Hi, I'm Mark D. of Mireya Dining.
05:06 You can follow us on Instagram @mireyadining.
05:11 (upbeat music)
05:13 (upbeat music)
05:16 (bell dings)