I know less than nothing about whisky except for some foreign sounding names likes Yamazaki, Glenlivet and what not. So I had no idea what I was in for when I had a sneak preview of Rye Tasting Room at Il Ponticello. It occupies what used to be the lounge area of Il Ponticello. Rye Tasting Room is geared towards single malt whisky, a passion for it’s partners but other spirits will also be featured.
We started the night off with some of their bar chow like this sexy Skillet Fries. French fries topped with meat chili, spicy hot jalapeño peppers and a heap of cheese sauce.
For a lighter but equally enticing appetizer, Seared Spice Tuna Loin (P490). Perfectly pink tuna with a thin, lightly seared and crusted outside.
The Gambas (P460) at Rye are not your ordinary sweet morsels, they are big and plump pieces of prawns.
The appetizer that drew the most raves was of no surprise at all, the Dry Cured Bacon Slab (P420). The slab had the perfect ration of fat to meat and is served with mustard and caramelized onions on the side.
We went through a little whisky appreciation class led by Single Malt Enthusiast Aids Tecson. I gained some knowledge on whisky and the different tastes and flavors that might be derived from them like notes and finish which sounded very similar to coffee to me.
Photo credit – Spanky Enriquez
We were given this tasting board with 4 shots of Glenlivet Whisky in different ages from young to old (12, 15, 18, 21). I tried a little of each and except for the color, I could hardly taste the difference. Irene who is more inclined to alcohol loved the 21 year old Glenlivet.
Rye Tasting Room will be holding more whisky tasting with different themes in the future from novice to expert level.
After the whisky tasting intermission, we proceeded to have more food. The Porchetta Cubano Sandwich was the clear cut winner. This was the sandwiched that debuted at Dessert Comes First’s recently held food fair. Crispy buttered bread sandwich generous slices of their house special porchetta and salsa verde.
Four Cheese Wagyu Burger was a little over cooked for me, although the beef flavor was really evident.
The Rye Tasting Room is a great, novice friendly addition to Il Ponticello and the spirit appreciation scene in Manila. It’s a great place to learn and enjoy new things.
Rye Tasting Room at Il Ponticello
2/F Antel 2000 Bldg. 121 Valero St. Salcedo VillageMakati City, Philippines Contact No.: (632) 553 9971/ (63949) 760-8731 Operating Hours: Mon- Thurs – 11:30 am to 2:30pm, 6 pm to 12 am Fri – 11:30 am to 2:30pm, 6 pm to 2 am Sat. – 6 pm to 2 amFacebook Page: Il Ponticello
Facebook Page: Rye Tasting Room
Instagram: @RyeTastingRoom
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I’ve never gone wine tasting before. Gotta try this. Thanks! :)
Eleigh
Go and check Rye out. I’m sure you’ll enjoy.
How much was whiskey tasting? I actually wanna try my first whiskey in this bar.
Not sure about the price, I think it was 1.7k. The Rye Room is also currently transferring locations.