Vin 55 is a gem of a restaurant tucked away near Roxas boulevard, along TM Kalaw. Coming from Roxas boulevard if you’re facing Manila Hotel, make a left at the TM Kalaw intersection after the US Embassy and you’ll see the Little Lamb restaurant. Vin 55 is on your right.

Vin55 offers the best of continental cuisine, along with some local favorites like the Crispy Adobo, which happens to be my favorite. That one melts in your mouth indeed.

I learned from chef that real Carbonara is not made with cream. It’s just eggs and cheese. The chef was nice enough to tell me how he made this Carbonara, which turned out to be fantastic. See the recipe below.

How to make Spaghetti with Carbonara Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3/4 tablespoon fresh peppercorn
• spaghetti
• salt
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed slightly
• 4 slices of bacon, if you want to take it to the next level, try using Pancetta
• 4 egg yolks
• grated fresh Parmesan cheese (can be bought from Rustan’s)

Procedure:

1. Crush peppercorns into a fine powder.
2. Boil some water and add a pinch of salt. Follow the package directions for cooking the spaghetti. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the boiling water to use later.
3. Slice the bacon into small pieces then put the bacon and the garlic clove in a frying pan over medium heat. Do not add cooking oil. Keep it in the frying pan until most of the fat has been extracted. Save the oil from the bacon to be used later. Take out the garlic as soon as it browns. When the bacon is done put it on paper towels to drain out the oil and set it aside.
4. Mix the eggs and 3/4 of the grated Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl. Save the rest of the Parmesan cheese for  seasoning. Add the pasta cooking water. This will prevent the eggs from curdling during mixing. The eggs will cook when tossed with the pasta so make sure you mix thoroughly.
5. Toss the pasta together with the egg-cheese mixture and some of the bacon oil, which works like salt to the flavor of the mixture. Add a tablespoon of bacon oil and adjust to taste. Stir together until the pasta is evenly coated with a smooth and silky film and the cheese is completely melted.  Top with the bacon pieces, the remaining grated Parmesan, and some ground pepper.

The place is ideal for casual meetings and heated discussions with your friends and colleagues. The place is not so loud, unlike other restaurants. They have a large monster TV nailed to the wall where you can watch concerts and sporting events. It strikes me as a nice place to watch a Pacquiao fight.

Not all restaurants boast of a wine and food pairing menu. Vin55’s menu suggests the best wine to pair with the food you ordered. For the non-drinker, like me, it wasn’t too intimidating because I just wanted iced tea to go with my food. The iced tea was good and refreshing.

Parking is not a problem here. There is a large parking area fronting the restaurant with people to watch over your car, for a minimal fee. Quiet and classy, Vin55 is a nice place to unwind after a hard day’s work. When you come here, be ready with a budget of 250 to 350 pesos per diner. That should give you a satisfying meal in good ambiance with great conversations among friends.

Check out some of Vin 55′s specialties.