Tourné

I just got home from breakfast. It’s Sunday. I love Sundays. For me, this is the day everyone is nice to each other. For some strange reason, people are kinder to other people on Sundays. I guess that’s the reason it’s associated to family.

There’s this relatively new restaurant in the Fort Strip – Tourné. It opened its doors to the public about 5 months ago and it looks like it’s doing well. Why? The food is great and let me tell you why.

I ordered their breakfast this time. Yes, this is the second time i ate there. The first time I ate there was about 4 months ago and I really enjoyed their white cheese pizza. This time I told myself I had to try their breakfast menu. Unlike their regular menu, the breakfast menu is a regular as compared to Chef Sandra’s lunch and dinner menu which changes every 2 weeks. The reason for this? Her ingredients are seasonal but she tries to keep her best sellers.

First on my list was the Hot Chocolate. This was probably the best local hot chocolate I had. A little more smoothness and I could probably compare it to belgian chocolate but belgian chocolate would be 3x the price of this one. I don’t mind settling for this one at all! Full creamy chocolatey flavor – yuummm… 🙂

Tourné's Hot Chocolate

I wanted to try 2 things today. The beef tapa and the half dried tilapia. Yes, half dried tilapia. First time you heard of half dried? Me too. Here’s the story behind half dried tilapia.

Half dried fishes are something like dried fish but there are several differences. Number 1, half dried fishes are all fresh fishes that were caught to be half dried so people could still enjoy a little meat on the fish and still enjoy that “dried fish” taste. As for dried fish, these are usually the left over fish in the market that weren’t sold. Suppliers buy them and dry them. Conclusion? I will now only eat half dried fish. It’s delicious and less “funky” smelling.

While waiting for my orders, I chanced upon Chef Sandra. I was surprised to see her on a Sunday but lucky for me, she was in the kitchen today. I was so sure I was really going to enjoy my breakfast. Oh, lucky for me, she made me sit on the chef’s table. Ha ha! 🙂

Chef Sandralyn Hataway

Chef Sandralyn is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu. She is also a dedicated member of Slow Food USA  – a movement that forwards the preservation of traditional cuisine and farming local plants, livestock and seeds, Chef Sandra aims to educate fellow Filipinos on slow food philosophy – the exact opposite of fast food – and its advantages through Tourné, and the fact that one can still enjoy simple yet sumptuous meals without taking away its underlying tradition or altering its composition.

Here’s Tourné’s Half Dried Tilapia. It was a really enjoyable experience for my taste buds. The saltiness of the fish really complimented the fried bananas that came with it. Yes, fried bananas. According to Chef Sandra, this is how they cook breakfast in their family home. I suggest you ask them to make it really crispy because it was really delicious. So good I used my hands to pick it up from my plate and bite it bit by bit. You could also eat the bones that come with it only if it’s crispy.

Tourné's Half Dried Tilapia - a must try!

While waiting for my next order, Chef Sandra showed me her latest acquisition from her latest trip to the US. She had bought a smoke machine that she uses in some of her food. She also made me try these smoked red bell pepper chips. Yes, she has a dehydrator as well so she can actually make those beef jerkies or beer sticks. Haha. Anyways, I was so surprised to find that bell pepper was sweet. In fact, I liked it and I’m craving for it now. Haha!

Chef Sandra showing me how the smoke machine works by smoking some red bell pepper chips!

The Smoke Chips Chef Sandra uses for smoking food.

Finally my orders came. Guyabano Shake and The Beef Tapa. I was really curious to find out if their beef tapa was good. You guys know very well that I am a fan of beef tapas.

I loved their Guyabano Shake! It was so refreshing. It was also the first time I tasted Guyabano shake. After eating oily food the whole week, the taste of the Guyabano plus all those ice in there made it really good!

Time for the Beef Tapa.

Batangas Beef Tapa - something I would order all the time every time I have breakfast at Tourné.

It was the Beef Tapa that I was looking for! I tasted this kind of beef tapa several years ago but the one who made the tapa lives all the way in Batangas and I couldn’t find her anymore. This tapa contained no fancy sauces or sweet sauces like how they serve it in other tapa places around the Metro.  It was salty but not that salty but the best part was they allowed to tapa to be tasted. They allowed to meat to showcase its natural flavors. Man! I really love their tapa! I will probably be raving about this tapa for the next two weeks. Suggestion? Ask for the fatty part. I am a food lover. I never mentioned I was a healthy kind of food lover. 🙂 Hahaha!

Overall, my breakfast experience at Tourné was really something I would do again. I love their food. No “unneeded” frills. The prices are affordable. Trust me, I’m a very practical person. Huge difference from thrifty. You see, practical people will only spend on something they see that  is really good and has value for money. So if you’re looking for a good breakfast place at the Fort, pass by Tourné – because serving good food is their responsibility.

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Business hours are from 7am-10am (breakfast) 11am-3pm (lunch) and dinner is from 6pm-10pm (hours are extended on weekends for your dining pleasure). We are located at The Fort Strip, (ground level) 7^th Avenue corner 26^th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

For Reservations or inquiries, please call 555 0267 or 0917 827 5685 and look for Mark Anthony de Jesus.

Facebook Official Fanpage : tourne by chef sandralyn

Website: http://www.tournerestaurant.com