Degustation Dinner at Atelier 317 in Makati

Oh I just love discovering secret dining places! This is the reason why I immediately grabbed the chance to try Atelier 317 when an offer worth Php. 995 was posted at Deal Grocer. What initially was planned to be a romantic dinner date for two was happily turned into a fun dinner out with my two favorite eating companions Paul and Richard. We had to make a reservation days in advance as the place has only three table thus it has a very limited seating capacity. I've been hearing about Atelier 317 from friends and fellow food lovers, this restaurant is owned by Chef Stephanie Zubiri and is located at a private home in Makati.

Thankfully, both Paul and Richard have amazing sense of direction so I didn't have to worry on how to get to our 'secret' destination. We entered Palm Village which is very near Rockwell Center. The streets are quite narrow but following the direction given by the guard, we immediately located Atelier 317. It's a two or three storey home with a two car garage.

After handing over our Deal Grocer coupons, out came our first tasting plate that consists of Flamed Kesong Puti Caprese Salad, Spiced Pumpkin Soup Shooter and Gourmet Cheese Pimiento Tartine.When having degustation dinners, I was really expecting a little bit bigger than bite-sized portions. Atelier 317 was very generous as the Caprese Salad for instance had 5 slices of tomatoes covered with crumbled Kesong Puti and basil. It was quite refreshing and was good way to start our dinner with. I also enjoyed the Spiced Pumpkin Soup Shooter which was creamy and flavorful. The only thing that I didn't like was the Gourmet Cheese Pimiento Tartine, the bread was too hard making it difficult to bite into without making a big mess.



Our next platter was the main course -- Bicol Chicken Express, US Black Angus Balsamic Beef Adobo, Truffle Mushroom Lasagna and Portobello Mushroom Red Rice Sinangag. I'll be totally honest, the only thing that totally blew me away here was the Truffle Mushroom Lasagna. I really enjoyed every bit of it from the al dente lasagna pasta, the generous amount of chopped mushroom and the strong flavor of truffles. I'm definitely going back for more of this. The Bicol Chicken Express had zero spicy hint making us a bit confused how come it was called Bicol Express in the first place. It was good as it was a juicy piece of chicken fillet cooked in coconut milk.

The US Black Angus Balsamic Beef Adobo was okay and I must say the highlight here was the sauce. Without it, the adobo pales in comparison even to our home-cooked adobo. Lastly, the Portobello Mushroom Red Rice Sinangag wasn't very impressive and was even quite dry.  I've been having brown/red rice for two years and I know for a fact that, so far, garlic rice/fried rice goes well only with white rice. I have yet to try a really good fried rice made with colored rice. Any leads?

Dessert came shortly after with our last platter of Pumpkin and Ginger Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting, White Chocolate Black Truffle Ice Cream, and White Chocolate Green Tea Mousse. I was feeling very full already that I was only able to try the White Chocolate Black Truffle Ice Cream. The ice cream had an acquired taste that might not sit well with others but given that I love anything with truffle and truffle oil, I enjoyed this one very much. 

Our dinner was filled with a number of hits and misses. Still, I was impressed with the service and the cozy and homey ambiance. I wouldn't mind coming back especially to have more of the Truffle Mushroom Lasagna and to try the other dishes as well.

Click here to see Atelier 317's menu.

Atelier 317 is located at 317 Lirio Street, Palm Village, Makati City. Call 384-7064 /0917-8308393 for reservations and inquiries.