'Food Buddha's new restaurant dazzles scribes
ROME - Me Geisha, a Japanese fusion restaurant, opened its doors to journalists and food critics for its inaugural evening. The restaurant, interiorly decorated in an Asian chic style, with a wooden ceiling and an open bar to watch sushi being prepared, is tucked away on Via dei Filippini, 4, on the corner of Piazza Orologio, and only a few steps from Campo De’ Fiori. It is the masterpiece of Rodelio Aglibot, "The Food Buddha", an exceptionally talented chef, who created the wonderful menu for the restaurant's first evening.
The guests were offered an array of beautifully-presented cocktails, including Mojitos and ones incorporating the Japanese wine, sake, and canapés, such as spicy tuna on rice were circulated before we sat down to our meal. The meal itself cannot be described as anything else but exquisite. My colleague and I both agreed it is the best food we have eaten in a very long time. It managed to find the balance of being very simple, with not too many flavours, but they all worked perfectly in balance with one another. Highlights from the menu included Tataki beef with wasabi butter, brussels sprouts and mushrooms, and rice pudding with ginger and fruits of the day.
However, it is very rare to find that the service in a restaurant is completely on par with the high standard of food, but here was an example of it before our very eyes. The waiters were incredibly friendly, and also keen to explain what ingredients went into every dish, but the head chef stood out a head above the others, sitting down with guests and trying to gauge their honest opinions about the food that he had prepared.
Born in the Philippines and raised in Hawaii, Rodelio Aglibot, the head chef, was set on a culinary path, crediting his parents as his culinary mentors from a very young age. After achieving an undergraduate degree from UCLA, he relocated to San Francisco to pursue his culinary aspirations at the City College’s Hotel and Restaurant Program, one of America’s longest running culinary school programs.
His ascent into celebrity chefdom came in 2001,when he became the opening executive chef of the celebrity studded Koi Restaurant in Los Angeles, where he earned his stars for creating an innovative menu of Asian dishes, blending bright flavours with an array of textures and temperatures. Within two years of being at the helm at Koi, Rodelio was presented with an opportunity to develop his own concept, leading to the creation of the restaurant Yi Cuisine, which was named one of the “Best New Asian Restaurants” by Food & Wine magazine.
Eager to continue his education through real world experience, he traveled throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, Asia and Southeast Asia on a multitude of projects. When asked why he chose Italy for his newest restaurant, he noted that he won a cookery competition five years ago, the prize for which was a trip to Italy, which included hiking in Tuscany for a week. He fell in love with the country from that moment. This new restaurant has been set up with his Italian friend, Giuseppe, whom he has known for 10 years, and who lit the spark of this new Japanese restaurant in the centre of Rome.
Known worldwide as “The Food Buddha” because of his dedication to his heritage and his approach to creative menu development, Aglibot has been featured on many national television programs for his New Asian cuisine, as well as Italian and American cooking. In the summer of 2011, his show “Food Buddha” premiered on The Learning Channel (“TLC”). He has also appeared on a number of national and local television shows including; “TODAY Show”, CBS Morning Show, and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
He lives his life by his own philosophy: “A tragedy in life is not to find oneself and one’s passion...an even greater tragedy is to know one’s passion and deny oneself of its treasures.”
He owes his success to the fact that “my food style hasn’t changed in 20 years. I understand what people want to eat.”
This experience was undeniably one of the best I have had since being in Italy. It was very refreshing to find a Japanese restaurant which doesn’t offer “all you can eat” for €20. To find delicious, clean food, and friendly staff, is a rarity and Chef Rodelio Aglibot should be highly commended for the brilliant evening.
Via dei Filippini 4
ROMA
T. +(39) 089 23 5380
