ciabatta – Jellybeans in the City

It’s been quite some time since I enjoyed a sojourn at the posh Rockwell area in Makati. With all the upheaval in the metro caused by the pandemic and the recent elections, I have not been able to re-explore a lot of my favorite haunts.

That’s such a shame as one of benchmarks for a fine-dining experience remains to be Chef Jessie Rockwell Club.

Having re-opened after pausing its operations due to the lockdown measures in the city, Chef Jessie Rockwell Club is all set to provide the metro’s foodies with well-crafted gourmet dishes and a luxurious environment in which to enjoy their meal.

Chef Jessie Rockwell Club is helmed by Chef Jessie Sincioco, a pioneer in the locak culinary scene. Having won the baking category grand prize winner in The Great Maya Cookfest in 1983 and becoming the very first Filipina Pastry Chef in 1990, she furthered her illustrious career by managing upscale restaurants through her own company JCS Gastronomie, Inc. In 2015, she received the distinction of being hand-picked to cook for His Holiness Pope Francis during the Pontiff’s visit to the Philippines.

I was happy that during our recent trip to the Rockwell area, my fellow unnies Jen of Sand Under My Feet and Nix of IEatAndIWander, were able have a sit-down meal at Chef Jessie Rockwell Club to enjoy Chef Jessie’s celebrated culinary creations.

We started with Chef Jessie’s Ciabatta, a long, flat and rustic-looking loaf that’s sets the tone for a great meal, especially since it’s accompanied by Chef Jessie’s Special Dip made with finely chopped red and green bell peppers, pimiento and grated parmesan in herbed olive oil, along with bread rolls and butter.

We had our taste of fresh produce thanks to the Salad ala Judy Ann, composed mixed greens tossed with bits of fruits in season along with slivers of brie and bleu-cheese in a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

To further whet our appetites, we had our serving of Cream of Carrot and Pumpkin Soup, a thick and creamy bisque made with wholesome ingredients with a final seasoning of freshly ground black pepper upon serving.

One of our main dishes was a serving of US Beef Tenderloin Tips Salpicao, made with the nicely trimmed and flavorful ends of US beef tenderloin, stir-fried in Worcestershire sauce, butter, garlic, and other spices, and served with creamy mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables in season.

We also enjoyed another tasty viand: the Pan-Fried Salmon in Mariner Sauce, a succulent fillet of Norwegian Salmon on a bed of creamy, herb-infused sauce, garnished with chopped parsley, and served along with creamy mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables in season.

To cap off our sumptuous meal, we enjoyed a decadent serving of fluffy Chocolate Souffle drenched in vanilla sauce.

We also accompanied our meal with both cold drinks – Freshly Brewed Iced Tea and Fresh Lemongrass Tea – and hot beverages – Freshly Brewed Coffee and Basilur Tea from Sri Lanka.

For this group of unnies, our sit-down dinner at Chef Jessie Rockwell remains one for the books!

Chef Jessie Rockwell Club is located at Ground Floor, Rockwell Club, Amorsolo Square, Rockwell Center, Makati, open daily from 11am to 11pm. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 88906543 or +63 2 98907630.

Know more about Chef Jessie through her website or follow Chef Jessie on Facebook and Instagram for more details about her restaurants’ latest offerings.

Check out my previous posts about Chef Jessie.

Chef Jessie’s Place, Makati — Chef Jessie’s Place in Makati soon to open

Chef Jessie’s Place for delivery — Chef Jessie’s creations are now available for delivery and pickup!

Chef Jessie Light Summer Berry Cake — Chef Jessie unveils newest creation: the Summer Berries Light Cheesecake!05

Fans of Chef Jessie Sincioco will surely be glad that her well-lauded creations will be easily accessible to them as we all enter the New Normal.

From her memorable beginnings as the baking category grand prize winner in The Great Maya Cookfest in 1983, becoming the very first Filipina Pastry Chef in 1990, her hands-on management of upscale restaurants through own company JCS Gastronomie, Inc, to being hand-picked to cook for His Holiness Pope Francis during the Pontiff’s 2015 visit to the Philippines, Chef Jessie has shown time and again that she can adapt to the changing needs of her clientele while maintaining the quality and craftsmanship her food creations have become known for.

With the metro now under a general community quarantine, with some restrictions still being applied to people’s movement, especially when dining out, Chef Jessie has made many of her celebrated culinary ouvres available via pick up and delivery, some of which were sent to me to sample and enjoy with my family.

Ciabatta Bread (Php100/loaf). Italy’s response to the French baguettes, this long, flat and rustic-looking loaf of bread (named after the slippers it resembled, apparently) was only invented in 1989 by Arnaldo Cavallari, but has the look and taste of old-fashioned breads. It’s perfect as an accompaniment to pastas and other savory dishes or as an appetizer when slathered with butter or dipped in to oil and balsamic vinegar.

Chef Jessie’s Special Dip for Bread (Php450 for 220g bottle). Speaking of dips, I also received a bottle of finely chopped red and green bell peppers, pimiento and grated parmesan in herbed olive oil, which went so well with the ciabatta bread. I liked the dip as is but Hubby preferred adding more grated parmesan to the dipped bread. Aside from snacking on the bread and dip while binge-watching on Netflix, we also included this combo to our meal when I cooked up some Creamy Pesto Chicken for the fam’s dinner.

Chocolate Gateau ala Teddy Keng (Php1,000 for 6-in | Php1,500 for 8-in). Chef Jessie’s version of the decadent chocolate cake, this confection is made of alternating layers of light chocolate cake and rich chocolate cream filling all covered with a rich, shiny ganache and decorated with an unfurling flower fashioned from chocolate.

As you can see from the description, this gateau is a chocoholic’s delight! Named after one of Chef Jessie’s friends, The Landmark founder Teddy Keng, the cake is said to be a rich, generous and subtly sweet as he is. Well, high praise indeed!

These culinary delights and more are available at Chef Jessie’s Place, the newly-built building which houses Chef Jessie’s pattiserie, restaurant and corporate offices. You can read more about it here.

Chef Jessie’s Place is located at 1997 Pililla corner Obrero and Tanay Streets, Valenzuela, Makati City, open daily from 9am to 4pm for pick up and delivery. To order, text or call +63 917 8967880, +63 917 8330797 or +63 977 0976649 or email chefjessiesplace@chefjessie.com.

Missing the experience of fine dining? Well, here’s some good news: Chef Jessie Rockwell Club is now open everyday from 10am to 5pm for dine-in. Prior reservations are required at +63 2 88906543, +63 2 88907630, +63 2 77290122 or +63 917 8967880. Read about my fine dining experience at Chef Jessie Rockwell Club here.
Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.