Upgrading the Cebu Dining Scene

CEBU, Philippines - Culinary enthusiasts beam with anticipation when a Michelin-starred restaurant group is set to open in their city. A Michelin is a guide book which uses an internationally accepted method of evaluating restaurants. It uses a 'stars' system for rating exemplary establishments: 1-star for a very good restaurant, 2-star for excellent cooking, and 3-star for exceptional cooking.

The restaurant group, The Social Company, owned by British Chef Jason Atherton and his wife Irha Atherton, has 15 restaurants (all with three Michelin stars) operating in London, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Dubai. It has opened its 16th restaurant in Cebu City recently. The Pig and Palm, at the MSY Tower in Cebu Business Park, is a collaboration among the Athertons, Chris and Carla McKowen, and architect Lyndon Neri, with the aim of bringing in modern Spanish gastronomy in a casual and cozy ambiance.

Chef Jason Atherton and Filipino head chef Tim dela Cruz prioritize the use of the best local produce for the restaurant's menu of tapas-style sharing dishes. Group bar executive Jaime Jones has developed a drinks menu that blends local fruits and flavors with British cocktail recipes. The restaurant seats 57 and has a 25-cover stand-alone bar.

During the media luncheon, the appetizers were Squid Crackers, Potato Aioli & Black Onion, Chicken Karaage & Shriracha Mayonnaise, Kinilaw of Shrimp served on ice, Calamansi & Pickled Papaya and Old Fashioned Pork Terrine with Pistachio.

The Squid Crackers was colored black and reminded me of seaweed crackers from a temple in Kyoto, Japan. The seaweed crackers had beautiful packaging and cooking instructions in English: "Fry in hot oil, about 3 seconds". It had a deep green color when raw but turned really black when cooked, and had a strong iodine smell of the sea.

Chicken Karaage is Japanese fried chicken, marinated in soy sauce, coated with potato starch (for a longer crispiness) and deep fried. Shriracha is a type of Thai chili sauce and the mayo-mix tempers the chili while adding a new layer of flavor.

The Sashimi of Tuna, Ponzu, Radish, Black Sesame was a Japanese classic. The Kinilaw of Shrimp served on ice, Calamansi, Pickled Papaya was plated beautifully with flavors that were distinctly Filipino and must have been inspired by the frequent visits of Chef Jason and Irha Atherton to the Philippines (particularly to Cebu and Bantayan Island).

Drink was a chilled glass of "Dill or No Dill," a concoction of gin, dill, lemon juice etc., smelt nice but, again, I adhered to my self-imposed liquor ban before 6 p.m. Instead I brought back to the office my share of "Coff'Medicine," a cocktail made with Don Papa Rum, Kahlua & Coffee and, excuse me, the smell again was pleasing and my officemates love it.

Main Entrees were the Roasted Suckling Pig, Soya Onion Gravy, Apple and the Char-grilled Miso Carrots, Baba Ganoush (eggplant with onions and tomatoes) with Walnut Pesto. The pig's meat was tasty and very tender while the skin was crisp to the satisfaction of everyone, while the char-grilled vegetables were something new to my palate but I loved the taste. (It's quite difficult to judge which one was the better dish!)

Desserts were the 60% Chocolate Moelleux, Sea Salt and Almond Ice Cream and the Coconut Rice Pudding, Coconut Ice Cream and Mango.

All these lovely dishes are sure to titillate the discerning taste of the Cebuanos.