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My fiance and I are always on the lookout for new restaurants to try, so since he’s coming to Manila for the holidays, I did my homework and researched places for us to try. One of my finds is the newly opened Foo’d By Chef Davide Oldani at Shangri-La The Fort, BGC.

From halfway across the globe, Foo’d (apparently pronounced “foo-doh”) brings the culinary expertise and the same exciting dishes, flavors, and aromas that have made Michelin Star Chef Davide Oldani a renowned name in the culinary world.

Oldani apprenticed under some of the best chefs in Italy, including mentor Gualtiero Marchesi, the first chef in Italy to earn three stars from Michelin. Oldani opened his first restaurant, D’O, in 2003 in Comaredo, near Milan. His distinctive Cucina Pop style—“Pop Cuisine,” which involves masterfully weaving together incredible flavors to make humble dishes beautiful, simple yet surprising, and make luxury gastronomy more accessible—made him recognized as one of the greatest chefs of contemporary Italian cuisine.

And now gourmands of Manila will finally have the opportunity to experience and taste the true mastery of Chef Davide through Foo’d. This new restaurant is brought here by Foodee Global Concepts, the same group that introduced Food Hall by Todd English, Pound by Todd English, Hook by Todd English, Tim Ho Wan, MESA Filipino Moderne, and Sunnies Café to Filipino diners.

Eric Dee, Managing Director Foodee Global Concepts, and three of his chefs went to Italy for training under Chef Davide himself. They brought 25 items from the Milan menu to the Philippines, and they’re starting with 18 dishes; the rest will be introduced later on. The menu follows the seasons.

(L-R) Eric Dee with partners Niccolo Pizzocheri and Nico Bolzico (yes, that’s Solenn Heussaff’s husband)

Foo’d is currently on soft opening, but it will have its grand opening in January, when Chef Oldani flies in to cook some dishes himself. The posh 50-seater restaurant offers Michelin Star-quality three-course and four-course meals at affordable prices: A set three-course meal starts at P800, and a set four-course meal starts at P1,200, then you can upgrade if you want to change any item from the set menu.

These will include Chef Oldani’s signature dish Cipolla Caramelata—a delicious appetizer made of caramelized onion, basically, but is nothing like you’ve ever experienced before. It’s my favorite dish from Foo’d, and I’d return just to have this again. Read on for my review of each dish I tried at the food tasting event.

Cipolla Caramellata (Caramelized Onion, 24 Months Aged Grana Padano Gelato, Grana Padano Hot Cream). I don’t know which of the four elements of this antipasto I liked the most—all are delicious even on their own—but you’re supposed to have a bit of everything in every bite to completely enjoy this dish. It has an interesting texture and feel in your mouth when you combine all in every bite: sweet, salty, cold, hot. It’s so delicious and tastes like warm dessert, but it’s a starter. The hot cream around it and the gelato on top are both salty yet delectably creamy—this is the first time I’ve tried savory gelato and I like it. The tart base is crusty and sweet, and has that sticky texture. Even if you don’t like onions, this will make you change your mind—at least for the sake of this dish; when onion is not in season, they use eggplant. I can gush on and on, but you really have to try this to have the same indulgent experience I had about, of all things, onion.

Iberico Pork Ribs (Compressed Iberico Pork Rib, Porcini Sauce, Liquorice). At the tasting, we had to choose between two proteins: this and Chicken and Prawn. Of course, I chose the pork, haha. And I’m glad I did. There’s a chicharon/lechon taste to it for some reason—perhaps from the way it was cooked. The meat itself is flavorful, but sweet-sour porcini sauce makes it even more delicious. It’s sprinkled with muscovado bread crumbs and has purple (purple!) carrots. It’s a straight-to-the-point dish. I need carbs to go with it, so I’m definitely getting the four-course meal next time, to get pasta along with the protein and dessert I want without having to upgrade the basic set.

Chicken and Prawn (Free-range Spring Chicken, Val Jus, Raisins, Scent of Thyme). This is the other protein I didn’t pick during the tasting, but my tablemate graciously shared her dish with us so I had a bite of both the chicken and the prawn. The fresh taste of the pan-seared chicken and prawn is definitely there, but what made the dish interesting was the kick from the spicy raisins thrown in.

Lemon Curd (Dehydrated Meringue, Cacao Crumble, Curry Almonds, Lettuce Gelato). We also had a choice between two desserts, and I went for the fruitier option, primarily because I love lemon meringue and because I am curious about the taste of Lettuce Gelato. This dessert certainly wins in presentation, and the baby meringue dotted all over the lemon curd made me happy I picked this dessert. The lemon curd is so good—rich, acidic, and has a well-balanced sweetness to it. As with the Cipolla Caramellata, it is recommended to have every element of the dessert in every bite, so you get all the different flavors and textures: sweet, tangy, bitter, cold, and grainy—the latter c/o the cacao crumble. The bitterness comes from the cacao and the lettuce gelato, which is not exactly my cup of tea, but the lemon curd and meringue more than make up for it. Lemon Curd is Foo’d’s signature dessert, apparently, and I’m not surprised.

Dark Chocolate Mousse (Cacao Crumble, Framboise, Dark Chocolate Gelato, Maldon Salt). This was the other dessert option, which I didn’t pick because I’m not exactly a chocolate lover, but my tablemate also let us try her dessert. I must say it is delicious! It’s rich and bittersweet, and you can really taste the kick of dark chocolate and cacao struggling for dominance in your palate. Plus, I find it comes in a more generous portion than the Lemon Curd.

Foo’d by Davide Oldani is open for lunch (12NN) and dinner (6-9PM) from Monday to Sunday, but they might extend their hours eventually.

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