Learning from the likes of Chef Chele Gonzalez of VASK Tapas Room and Bruce Rickets of Mecha Uma fame, Chef AJ Reyes found his culinary influences in Filipino, Spanish and Japanese cuisine.
Chef AJ’s love for home-grown flavors and desire to uplift Filipinos in the culinary industry gave birth to a private catering business, which eventually turned into Radical Culinary Inc. — capturing is experimential approach to his cuisine.
Radical Culinary Inc. hosts private dining experiences in clients’ homes, but on Nov 2016, Reyes and his business partner and mixologist Mark Marquez opened PRIVATUS, the newest addition to the culinary scene in Pasig City.
Privatus boasts of industrial chic interiors, a beautiful combination of rustic concrete with wooden accents and furniture, decorated with pots of real herbs and warm lighting. According to the owners, Privatus is a “premium fine dining restaurant in a casual setting.”
At Privatus’ media night on Jan 28, we were treated to a sumptuous dinner courtesy of Chef AJ Reyes and drinks by Mark Marquez. Here’s what we enjoyed.
SISIG CROQUETAS
Filipino and Spanish influences shine in Chef AJ Reyes’ Sisig Croquetas. Tangy and creamy with just the right amout of heat from the chili mayo. This appetizer is dangerous because once you have one, you just gotta have more. (I think I had eight).
SQUASH BLOSSOMS
Just take a look at these Squash Blossoms, filled with luscious seafood mousse and creamy uni mayo. The vinegar (center) cuts into the creaminess and gives it a nice acidity.
SHRIMP & SINGKAMAS
You tell me something has aligue (crab fat) and I am instantly sold. This is Chef AJ Reyes’ SHRIMP & SINGAKAMAS dish, which has cabbage-wrapped shrimp and sinful aligue sauce. It’s a light yet satisfying dish. The (I wanna say) pickled radish and singkamas (jicama) gives it a nice contrast of texture and acidity.
LOCAL WAGYU
Every chef worth his/her salt knows how to treat meat with the respect it deserves—especially a cut as exquisite as this Kitayama Wagyu. Chef AJ Reyes nailed this medium rare local wagyu steak—perfectly seared outside and still pinkish and tender inside. It yielded to our knife like butter. While it isunnecessary for a steak this awesome, the glazed onions and sautéed mushrooms added a new layer of flavor to the dish, rounding it up and making it one of pur favorite dishes of the evening.
INASAL STEW
Chef AJ Reyes’ Inasal Stew was definitely a hit at Privatus Manila’s media night. The chicken was smoked and slow-cooked using the sous vide method and the inasal broth itself was a beautiful marriage of Visayan flavors: sweet and savory with a touch of sourness and just a hint of bitterness in the end. This dish hit all the right spots and we just couldn’t get over it. Chef AJ also torched some (I wanna say) lemongrass (tanglad) to bring the flavors home.
FRIED GARLIC RISOTTO
This Fried Garlic Risotto stands alone very well, but also becomes an effective wingman for any main dish to shine.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Tangy, sweet, and definitely irresistible. Privatus Manila’s Strawberry Shortcake is for chocoholics, fruit lovers, and ice cream fanatics. The chocolate dome is filled with strawberry mousse with a spongecake base and finished with strawberry sorbet on the side.
FRIED ICE CREAM
Underneath this beautiful chaos of fried shoestring sweet potato is fried home-made mango ice cream. Yes, Chef AJ Reyes and his team made everything from scratch. This salty-sweet combo is a personal favorite.
Privatus Test Kitchen is located at 8 F.Legaspi Street, Barangay Maybunga, Pasig City. Open daily, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. For reservations and inquiries, call 0998-590-0996 or email reservations-privatus@radicalculinaryinc.com. For more info, visit www.radicalculinaryinc.com. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
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