The Inauguration and Press Launch of Dinelli Gourmet happened last Tuesday evening, 18^th of November 2008.  Dinelli Gourmet is the latest addition in Manila’s gourmet and specialty foods market.

 

 

The newly opened gourmet shop is your new stop for the freshest and unique selection of gourmet foods.  More than the exclusive imported items and fresh cold cuts and wide array of cheese selection, the store also has a section for kitchen equipment from Australia, Europe and USA.  The husband and wife tandem of Anthony and Kristine Meehan, proprietors of Meehan Cellars Inc. decided to open a chain of gourmet shops in the Metro.  The Tomas Morato branch is the first of the three set to open.  The second branch is fixed to launch in December which location will be at the Fort.

 

 

The Amazing Race Asia 3 Philippine Team contestants (and hopefully winners!  We’ll find out tonight) model Geoff Rodriguez and beauty queen Tisha Silang hosted the event.  While cocktails and various wines were being served around since 630pm, the official ceremony started at 8pm with the formal ribbon cutting.

 

 

The Australian Senior Trade Commissioner Ross Bray, was the Guest of Honor and consequently presided over the ribbon cutting.  It was a well-attended event as local dignitaries, eminent businessmen, celebrities and models graced the event alongside the media cluster.  Representatives from Yummy Magazine (calling Fran Haw, where were you?) and Uno were also present. 

 

 

As the event kicked off, Geoff passed the floor to Mr. Anthony Meehan who welcomed the guest and thanked those who made the event possible, as well as the media partners.

 

I got to have a quick chat with Geoff and egged him to reveal if they won TARA 3.  It was after all, 2 nights away.  He was mum all the way.  I guess I had to wait for 48 more hours.

 

 

Whether you’re looking for a strong-tasting cheese or smooth creamy cheese, or even cheese studded with pimiento or chilies for that extra zing, Dinelli Gourmet offers a complete cheese selection.  Dinelli advises that hard cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, Manchego and Grana Padano are great for crumbling or grating texture.  Cheddar, Edam, Gruyere, Emmenthal are semi-hard cheese that have milder flavors and can melt quite easily.  For other cooking needs such as adding a height to your sandwich creations, semi-soft cheeses are available too, like Bleu d’Auvergne, Port Salut (saint Paulin), Fourme D’Ambert, Roquefort Societe, Gorgonzola Dolce, Feta.  For rich creamy variants, the popular ones are Brie and Camembert, followed by St. Nectaire, Mascarpone (usually used in desserts) and Cambozola Cheese Kaserei.

 

 

They also carry Moondarra cheese brand: ashed goat, chilli, creamy blue cheese, fruit and nut, garlic and chives, garlic and herb goat cheese, honey and pistachio, melon and mango, pear and vanilla bean, sun dried tomato (Mm-mm!) and herb, bruschetta cheese among others.

 

 

For those who have a discerning taste for the expensive, Castaing Fois Gras products are available in Dinelli Gourmet stores.

 

 

Refreshments and treats from the store’s gourmet selection and menu items were at every corner.  The food (cheese, meat, pasta, dessert) and wine were free flowing throughout the night –even at the time when we left, fresh batches were being brought out.  The treats were simple ingredients tossed together –but it definitely tasted like designer cocktails.  Seeing all the products, I had the urge to buy so many items off their racks.  A bottle of cocktail onions, brie, gorgonzola, manchego and fontina, grapes, dried apricots, walnuts, wine and I’m good to go for a cheese party.  There were Moroccan lamb stew and couscous on a microwave-able container that Bubba was interested in, plus a dish of Tortellini and cream cheese.  Whereas for me, my curiosity was more piqued with the individual ingredients I’ve only seen there.  That launch surely fired up a vanishing cooking passion in me. Getting an access to an assortment of distinctive ingredients inspired me to concoct new dishes.

 

 

Each guest also received a gift basket with a selection of gourmet foods to be able to sample the Dinelli gourmet lifestyle at home.  Dinelli Gourmet will surely change the landscape of Metro shopping and hopefully ups the ante of deli stores as well as Filipino home dining.  Get creative with Dinelli gourmet products and come up with the freshest dish ideas.  Dinelli Gourmet is located at 5 Timog Avenue, Quezon City.

 

 

Thanks to Christopher Pettersson, CEO of Kingpin Syndicate Inc. for the invitation.

 

Dinelli Gourmet Album

 

 

Friday dinner was spent at Café Leona.  No, no, we weren’t in Vigan, Ilocos Norte.  It is the Café Leona in the metro, conveniently situated along Katipunan Avenue.

It looks like a garden restaurant from the outside.  The restaurant is open and airy with large windows, beautiful woodwork and a friendly homey atmosphere.  Several paintings were displayed on the wall, some quite peculiar piece of art (the pig art was creepy according to CW), but artistic nonetheless. 

 

During this dinner, CW breaks to me that we won’t be able to go with the DEFTAC group to the Anawangin trip because he had to work over the weekend.  Too bad because I’ve bought groceries (chips, jams, 2 kilos of liempo, wheat bread, drinks) and CW ordered 3 frozen bangus from Pixies solely for this trip.  But then, as always, work comes first before leisure.

On the Table:

 

Pepperoni Pizza PHP 180

Thin crust pizza where some parts of the dough were crunchy while other parts were soft.  Better to order a Margherita pizza at Bellini’s for PHP 170.

Quesadilla PHP 100

Basic tortilla dough with cheese and cilantro inside.

Mozzarella Chicken PHP 150

The waiter said that this is one of their bestsellers.  It didn’t taste like it was a bestseller at the time we dined in.  The chicken was dry and tasteless with a pitiful layer of mozzarella on top of it.

Maria Shrimp PHP 200

Other than the melon shake, this dish is the highlight of the dinner.  White mushroom sauce on fettuccini pasta with generous helping o f fried shrimps.  I have to note though that the pasta was drowning in the sauce.

Melon Shake PHP 35

Fresh melon with milk.  CW can taste artificial melon flavoring but I disagree.  There were bits of melon flesh for this to come from a pack.  *Shrugs* Maybe they added melon powder to spike up the taste.  Overall, this was a saving grace.

Strawberry Shake PHP 35

Kool-aid strawberry added to crushed ice.

 

On our way out, we saw Tiffany and her boyfriend ordering dinner.  It was also their first time that night to dine there and asked us how the food were. 

 Café Leona is located at 137 Katipunan Avenue, St. Ignatius, QC.

 

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/435