F*#%^! Word
Tamaraw Wings
Oops, it’s not profanity guys. It’s just the name of this new restaurant in Makati owned by film director, Eric Matti. He’s not only a film lover, but he’s also a food lover as he’s also one of the owners of Mogwai in Cubao X.
A week ago, we were invited to a food tasting event at F Word, it was attended of course by online food enthusiasts (like us 
). It was actually Karla and I’s first ‘babuyan fest’ after the holidays and for this year too (wow, diet fail. lol). We were introduced to Chef Francis who didn’t hesitate to answer our questions. The menu for the night was shown to us and much to our surprise, it was A LOT. The good thing about it is that they gave us small proportions so that we could at least finish until dessert. So let me give you a run down of the dishes that we tasted that night:
Starters: Black Calamares, Hassle Free Gambas and Tamaraw Wings
Soup: Pakbet Soup, Potato Leek Arroz Caldo and F Soup
Pasta: Chicken Liver with Thai Daing, Hipon Labong Ravioli on Basil Gata Sauce and Tuna Tilapia
Main Course: Lamb Menudo, Isla de Maji-Maji, Lechon Kawali and Sole Fillet with Seafood Paella Risotto
Dessert: Durian Cheesecake, Kasuy Tart and Banana Turtle Pie
****Note, the photos here are not the actual presentation of the dishes ****
Hassle Free Gambas
Ok, so we were first served with their home made iced tea. It actually tasted different and it made us wonder what was added that made it so different. Chef Francis won’t tell us but my wild guess would be vanilla ( am I correct? 
)
We were already given a warning that we will not be expecting the usual Filipino dishes that we’re used to. They wouldn’t want to label their cuisine as Filipino fusion cuisine, it’s actually “Filipino Cuisine with a Twist” kind of cuisine according to Chef Francis.
Then the starters were served: Black Calamares, Hassle Free Gambas and Tamaraw Wings. All of them tasted good but my favorite is the Hassle Free Gambas. The Black Calamares served just like your normal calamares but with this one, the squid’s ink covered the whole thing. It doesn’t taste yucky, believe me. It’s actually tender and tasty as it is. The Tamaraw Wings is a bit spicy, but you can always request your friendly waiter to make it milder for your own palatte. The Hassle Free Gambas is called as such because you don’t need to take off the shell of the shrimp. It’s actually ground and shaped into balls then deep fried and covered with sweet and sour sauce. It’s a must try, really.
Black Calamares
Next on our menu are the soups: Pakbet Soup, Potato Leek Arroz Caldo and F Soup. The common things about the soups that were served is that it’s actually heavy in the stomach and nutritious too. The Pakbet Soup is of composed of vegetables present in the normal Pinakbet dish: ampalaya, sitaw, squash, etc. It’s creamy and actually has a small amount of bagoong at the bottom of the bowl so make sure to stir it before eating it so that you would taste the saltiness of the bagoong. It’s like getting the “surprise inside” goodie below the cereal boxes. The soup is colored yellow because of squash of course.
Pakbet Soup
Potato Leek Arroz Caldo
The Potato Leek Arroz Caldo is just like your normal Arroz Caldo (or chicken porridge/congee) however the different is that it has potatoes in the soup base itself. It also tastes gingery ( if there is such a word ), which is good.
F Soup
The F Soup is made of cow’s balls. Actually this soup is popularly known as “Soup No. 5″. For those of you guys who don’t know what this is for, it’s actually a soup that is known to make men much stronger in the *ehem* aspect (you know what i mean ). This is only served 11 pm onwards and was at first served only to men customers but since sexes are equal therefore women can already taste this local delicacy.
Tuna Tinapa Pasta
Hipon Labong Ravioli on Basil Gata Sauce
Now the Carbo overload group: Chicken Liver with Thai Daing, Hipon Labong Ravioli on Basil Gata Sauce and Tuna Tilapia. My favorite among the group is Hipon Labong Ravioli on Basil Gata Sauce because I am really a Basil and Gata (coconut milk) addict. The sauce complimented the shrimp; it did not overpower the taste of shrimp but the labong (bamboo shoots) didn’t really stand out. I’m not sure if the ravioli is a bit undercooked ( because it’s somewhat hard on the edges) or it’s really like that. Next favorite of mine is the Tuna Tilapia ( or what they call the Tuti). It’s not common to see tuna and tinapa (smoked fish) topped in pasta right? The 2 main ingredients are common to Filipino cuisine and have made the marriage of the 2 click with this pasta dish.
Chicken Liver with Thai Daing
My least favorite was the Chicken Liver with Thai Daing. It was good but I am not really a fan of liver. It’s also another creative effort to combine chicken liver with daing. The cranberry sauce underneath the ravioli lessens the taste of chicken liver (you’ll only feel it’s texture).
Isla de Maji-Maji
Sole Fillet with Seafood Paella Risotto
The main attraction: Lamb Menudo, Isla de Maji-Maji, Lechon Kawali and Sole Fillet with Seafood Paella Risotto. Isla de Maji-Maji is actually their version of Sinigang. Weird eh? I actually asked Chef Francis how it is being served and he said that it’s served in a plate. The sauce that you see in the picture is made of sinigang (but it’s much cremier); there’s no need to put it in a bowl as it will destroy the fish. Therefore, don’t expect this Sinigang to be your normal sinigang. The Maji-Maji is very tender and it compliments the sinigang taste of the sauce. The Sole Fillet with Seafood Paella Risotto is also good. It’s topped with crab fat (aligue) so better be careful with this high cholesterol dish!
Lamb Menudo
Now this dish would be one of my favorites. The distinct taste of lamb is so evident to this common Filipino dish. Bravo. Also, the lamb meat was cooked just right.
Lechon Kawali
The Lechon Kawali is superbly done also. The pork is very tender; it’s not hard to chew. Also the sauce is not your usual Mang Tomas (eww I hate the taste of Mang Tomas) but it’s actually made of Cranberry sauce.
Durian Cheesecake
Kasuy Tart
For our sweet tooth: Durian Cheesecake, Kasuy Tart and Banana Turtle Pie. Ohhh, I am such a fan of sweets! Wee! Everything was so delicious but my favorite would be the Kasuy Tart. It’s topped with vanilla ice cream (a la mode). It’s not too sweet like panocha. The Durian Cheesecake is also good. Under the cheesecake is cranberry sauce. (It makes me wonder, the F Word loves Cranberry sauce huh? ) The Banana Turtle Pie is also a must try.
Banana Turtle Pie
It was really a long list of dishes to try but we survived! It was a good meal, most of the dishes are really good. Now regarding the price range, it’s quite expensive. The price starts from Php 160 to Php 500 per meal so probably bring more than Php 500 just to be sure. Well the reason for this is that it’s quality food and this is not your usual Filipino dishes.
As for the ambiance, it’s very cozy. The place is open-aired and the walls are filled with artistic objects. On the left wall there’s the F Word sculpture while on the right side are paintings.
It actually made me realize this this place is not for traditional food lovers because they will only be disappointed. This place is for adventurous foodtrippers who are willing to shell out more dough and try something different from what they’re used to.
F Word
G/F 109 F&M Lopez Bldg C
Palanca St. Legaspi Village,
Makati City
contact numbers: +63928 8130475 and +63922 7775142
http://fwordresto.multiply.com
open from 12 noon-1 am (Mon-Fri), 6 pm-1 am (Saturdays)
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2 comments ↓
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just last night (february 12, 2009), my two indian friends and another friend of mine went to this F*#%^! Word to eat dinner and have 2 bottles of beer before going home. since one of them is a vegetarian, we requested to have our food customized. i asked to remove the dried pusit on the spicy veggie salad and the other indian asked for a tuna sandwich. the tuna sandwich came out with just the patty so we were quite confused why. my friend called the waiter and asked were the bun is. i think the two had a misunderstanding with regards to the ordering. the servers are not quite good in conversing in english. i still have to translate what they have said in tagalog.
the next thing that happen really got into my nerves. one of the kitchen crew went to our table and complain (in a very loud voice and with gestures na sobrang angas) that he did what we have ordered. so i told him, it’s not really a big deal and maybe they just had a misunderstanding and to just give him the bun. and then the waiter told me that they already gave us the special favor of customizing my salad (so that my friend could also have some of it). i was really pissed off because i asked them if it’s okay not to include the dried pusit in my salad and they said yes. and what the heck, it is really alright to request to have your food customized. other restos are alright with it because it is a kind of respect to your customers.
in the end they gave my friend the bun… but they let him wait for almost 30 minutes… my indian friends were both patient, while me and my other friend was not. i mean, put yourself in my shoes… it’s just a bun. something they don’t need to cook. all they have to do is just to place it in a plate and bring it in our table. my friend is not even asking to have it redone. he’s just asking for the bun. but the kitchen crew is making a big deal about it, like i want chicken in a beef casserole.
what else? they’ve got wooden tables with bed mites (surot) in it. i have to put tissue on the edge of the table because i can’t help resting my arms on the edge… i’ve got several bites on my arms…
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