Kurobota night 

MILLIE: We spent a lovely weekend evening with dinner in chilly Tagaytay upon the invitation of chefs Rhea and Jayjay Sycip at their cozy restaurant The Fattened Calf to taste creative culinary dishes featuring kurobota pork, in collaboration with chefs Luis Chikiamco of Discovery Primea and Robby Goco of Elaia by Cyma.

The kurobota pork is from purebred Berkshire pigs originally from the UK and now locally raised by Esguerra Farms in Lipa, Batangas. Kurobota, a Japanese term for black pig, is known as the “Wagyu of pork” because of its marbled pink color and its juicy, tender meat and deliciously rich flavor.

KARLA: The featured chefs all have very different cooking styles, which made the collaboration so interesting and diverse. Chef Luis Chikiamco is well versed with Asian flavors, while chef Jayjay uses European techniques to highlight local produce and ingredients and, of course, chef Robby Goco cooks with a Mediterranean flair. The appetizers alone were already a sneak peek of what was in store. 

MILLIE: The all-pork dinner started with snacks of crunchy rectangular pieces of pork skin or chicharon, grilled pata tim bao and broken pasta with slivers of pink pork meat. The snacks were paired with a glass of chilled French Cotes du Roussillon blanc.

KARLA: I could not stop eating the pappardelle with kurobota by chef Robby. The sauce was very light which gave way for the kurobota pork’s natural flavor to shine. The sauce was just made of the natural jus of the kurobota pork braised in fennel, leeks celery, and tossed with extra virgin olive oil. Chef Robby explains that the pork tastes so clean and flavorful on it’s own that he added very minimal seasoning – a little salt and pepper can go a long way. The arugula added a peppery zing but also freshness to the dish. Having a bit of greens made me feel like it was a bit healthier. It was so good that I almost asked for a second serving until I realized we were only done with the appetizers and still had three main dishes to go through. With much hesitation, I held off on that second serving but kept it as a backup plan in case I was still hungry at the end of the dinner.

The first main course was by chef Luis Chikiamco, inspired by Japanese ramen. Pulled kurobota coppa and ham braised in tare, which is soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Then pulled and pressed into shape, glazed with miso marinade before finishing it off in the oven. The broth was made with 24-hour simmered pork trotters infused with garlic, ginger and leeks. It was then finished with tahini paste and topped with Asian gremolata and finally served with mushrooms and leeks on the side.

The second main course was by chef Robby Goco: braised pork hocks, finished on the salamander with toasted breadcrumbs and served with chickpeas on the side. It was a hefty portion, very gelatinous, which reminded me of Au Pied de Cochon in Paris. Others at our table were saying this dish would be so good with rice while I would have loved it with a nice crusty bread and some good French butter. (Laughs)

The final main dish was by chef Jayjay Sycip who prepared a coffee glazed coppa, seared shiitake mushrooms for added meatiness and pommes anna, which is a classic French dish of layered potatoes cooked in clarified butter. At this point, my mom was bursting and was struggling to finish her main dishes. I, on the other hand, had completely wiped out all my plates.