‘Dinner with the Stars’

It was, indeed, a dining experience to remember.

As part of the recent Madrid Fusion Manila, New World Manila Bay Hotel presented a sold-out, two-night “Dinner with the Stars” with two-Michelin-star chef Dani Garcia at the hotel’s grand ballroom. This was the first dinner prepared by a chef featured in Madrid Fusion Manila 2016 even before the congress began. 

New World Manila Bay Hotel general manager Mark Heywood, in partnership with Department of Tourism-New Markets OIC Verna Buensuceso and Spanish Tourism Board director Eva Riesgo, spearheaded the unique Michelin-star dining experience.

We first entered a room that led to Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince landscape, which was the theme of chef Dani’s 10-course menu.  Guests were transported to a contemporary recreation of the Sahara desert and a mountain area with a showcase of Impy Pilapil’s pieces of modern abstract sculpture representing nature. Screens showed scenes from the famous novel.  Guests enjoyed freshly-sliced Iberico ham, sweetened olives hanging like fruits from Impy’s modern artwork and white gazpacho with red pepper gel and lychee puree.

Groups of 10 were then brought inside an audio-visual room called the “sublimation room.” Guests entered a dark room that was transformed into an underwater virtual reality through the wall-to-wall LED screen that showed the deep blue ocean and its rich marine life. We were greeted by the very shy yet amiable chef Dani in front of a high table with flat screen table top that showed a glimpse of the ocean of innovative culinary techniques. The dish in front of us was tuna tartar with a slab of Iberico fat hanging above it.  He then torched the suspended fat as the table display turned into fire and the oil dripped down the tuna tartar.  He garnished this with nitro-popcorn of Yuzu (Japanese lemon). 

The culinary voyage continued at the third room (the main banquet reception) where the other dishes were served.  The menu was printed on individual cards written in both English and Spanish and was presented in a small box that contained a chocolate bar.  The 10-course menu included Moai potatoes, crispy chicken canapé with uni, yellow gazpacho with nitro-tomato (my favorite with that tomato puree oozing out of a metallic-red looking tomato), shrimp carpaccio with apple and truffle honey, seasoned tuna tartar, fried sea bass, black rice of octopus and calamari and oxtail ravioli with sherry-flavored consome.

The most fascinating dish would be “Sharpening Our Pencil,” which was basically shaved eel that resembled pencil shavings on top of foie gras and eel mousse.  The dessert “We Froze Our Lemons” was actually lemons from Spain frozen and encased in a “lemon peel” that was actually made of colored sugar.

The Philippine Wine Merchants provided the sherry, white and red wine that accompanied the cocktails and 10-course dinner.

The entire table agreed that this was one memorable and delicious dinner.  We had our menu boxes signed by the extremely talented and innovative chef after the dinner.

(This ultimate gastronomic experience was supported by media partners including ABS-CBN News Channel, CNN Philippines, Chinoy TV, 2nd Avenue, The Philippine Star, Business World, Easy Rock 96.3, Crossover 105.1 and RJ100.  For dining inquiries at New World Hotel Manila Bay, call 252-6888 or visit newworldhotels.com.)

East meets West at Madrid Fusion Manila 2016

Michelin-star chefs, culinary figures and food enthusiasts from the East and West recently converged at the world’s most important international gastronomy congress — the Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM) 2016 at the SMX Convention Center.

Organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the MFM 2016, with the theme “The Manila Galleon: East Meets West,” highlighted how the Galleon Trade linked Asia to the Western World. MFM 2016 also emphasized the Philippines as a culinary center of excellence in Asia by providing a unique opportunity to chefs, food aficionados and food-and-beverage company professionals to come together to learn new culinary techniques from the most acclaimed Michelin-star chefs from across the globe.

Focusing on the influences made by the two diverse parts of the world, MFM featured esteemed chefs such as Joan Roca, Dan? Garcia, Jordi Butr?n and Ricard Camarena of Spain; Nurdin Topham of Hong Kong; Yoshihiro Narisawa of Japan; Virgilio Martinez of Peru; David Thompson of Thailand; Kevin Cherkas of Indonesia; Jungsik Yim of Korea; Enrique Olvera and Jorge Vallejo of Mexico; Leah Cohen, Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa of the US; and Tatung Sarthou and Michael Aspiras of the Philippines. 

I must have stalked most of these chefs for a photo or to sign my recipe books. (Please check #stalkingchefsatmadridfusionmanila on Instagram)

Making MFM 2016 another success were Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. and director Verna Buensuceso, TPB COO Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III, Spanish Ambassador Luis Calvo, Secretary of State for Trade of Spain Jaime Garcia-Legaz, Agriculture Undersecretary Berna Romulo-Puyat, Arum Estrategias de Internacionalización director Iñigo Cañedo, Foro De Debate’s Lourdes Plana and Asia’s Best Female Chef Margarita Fores.

More dinners and parties from MFM 2016 on my May 3 column next week!

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)