It’s my silver year as a woman! To welcome my day, mom and dad knocked on my door to greet me. Not just any other greeting, mom and dad sang while holding the chocolate cake with a musical candle holder on top singing “Happy Birthday”. Haha! It was earlier than my alarm clock. I was groggy and my eyes were still half open. Thank God nobody thought of taking my drowsy face photos. Hahaha! So they asked me to go down and eat breakfast with the family. It was a typical Saturday, with more festive food on the table like spaghetti, pastries, etc. I found it so thoughtful and sweet of my family. And that’s when I realized, it’s my last year waking up to that house and celebrating with them first thing in the morning as a single woman. What I will miss is the excitement of my family every time there’s someone celebrating his/her birthday. We make it to a point to have a surprise greeting with a cake and props, either midnight or early in the morning. 🙂

Before lunch time, when I was completely awake, mom told me to dress up to pick-up my sister Reine in DLSU. Without them telling me anything, I knew we were going somewhere for my birthday. Haha! After passing by Taft, we headed straight to BGC and my family took me to Vask Modern Tapas & Gastronomic Cuisine. Vask is a dynamic culinary destination that features 3 innovative dining concepts under 1 establishment. The little surprise here was that O went ahead of us. He had to trick me through text that he was somewhere else that time. Oh, very old trick of O! Hahaha!

Mom didn’t know Vask closes in the afternoon, a short break between lunch and dinner. And traffic caused us to arrive really late. Even though O arrived an hour before us, he couldn’t order ahead since he wasn’t sure what the family prefers to eat. He only chose the appetizers, just to make sure there’s already food when we arrive. The staff of Vask were very accommodating, despite us being extremely late. Meaning, the restaurant was just minutes away from closing. Yayks! We hurried up, chose our main dishes and desserts. Whew! We were forced to be quickly decisive. Hahaha! Sorry but thank you Vask! 🙂

We thought of it as leftover callos. The stew-like complimentary soup calmed our tastebuds, preparing us for what’s next to come, a busier eating session.

A signature recipe of Chef Chele Gonzalez, Foie Gras on Mango Toast. The first time my palate encountered this appetizer was at Fever Lounge, back when Chef Chele was with Sofitel. I couldn’t forget him from that first meeting because of his brilliant recipes, including this foie gras appetizer. Today, he continues to wow his customers and consistently serve rave-worthy dishes.

In english, it’s Fried Bacalao with garlic, onion, bell pepper and Vask aioli. Thin and crisp from outside, surprising with oozing flavors inside.

The best risotto in Manila, Scallops and Black Ink Risotto. At first, the black ink scares a messy aftermath. That didn’t matter anymore as we carefully indulged into the complementing scallops and black ink risotto. Everyone in the family agrees how beautiful this black dish is.

Since I was celebrating my birthday, I had the veto power in ordering most dishes. Haha! Without hesitations, I ordered what I’m sure to satisfy everyone, 900g of US Certified Angus Beef High Choice. Medium-cooked, the way majority of us prefer our steak to be done. Almost equally sliced for everyone, it was easier for us to just fork our way to the heavenly pinkish grilled steak.

Balancing our lunch with Salteado de Portobello y Trugeros con Aceite de Trufa or fresh vegetables and portobello mushrooms sautéed in truffle oil.

I’m vulnerable to sweet with sour notes as an ender to my meal. Tarta de Calamansi Deconstruida gained mine and mom’s attention as we were both captivated by the combination of custard, ice cream, calamansi, oatmeal crumbs and macarons.

Quesos y Texturas is a cheesy plate of dessert. We were all fascinated by the plate of warm Coeur de Lion cheese, cream cheese ice cream, crumbs and honey.

Seriously chocolatey! Pastel Caliente de Chocolate Valrhona, hot chocolate valrhona cake with orange and vanilla ice cream, was like lying down on a bed of premium chocolate. The formula of blending and hot and cold inside the mouth never gets old.

Vask is divided into four areas – Gallery Vask, Vask Tapas Room, Curve and Deck at Vask. Its modern, artistic and relaxing interiors inspired my sister Reine to have a home similar to it. We all love the unpredicted details and textures. In every corner, eyes are filled with impressive art in different forms. Our table was situated in the tapas room, a long table by the couch facing the deck.
Outside, the afternoon light supplemented our quick family photoshoot. I felt like we rented the entire place for a private occasion, with nobody else there except our family.

Gallery Vask Artwork

My parents made the right choice for my silver birthday lunch!

Thank you Vask team for accommodating us, despite our tardiness. 🙂

What do you think of Vask Modern Tapas & Gastronomic Cuisine?

Share with me your thoughts! 🙂

Cheers,

Food	9/10
Ambiance	9/10
Service	9/10
Cost	9/10
Overall	9/10