Falling in love with lamb

When people dine on lamb, dishes made from rack of lamb are the preferred choice. That is expected because rack of lamb is a prime cut, according to Mandarin Oriental Manila’s The Tivoli chef Norbert Gandler. Other lamb cuts, however, can be just as appetizing, he adds.

For The Tivoli, the talented chef conceptualized four exquisite entrées from different cuts of lamb. Quite surprisingly, these are among the restaurant’s bestsellers.

"Lamb lends itself well to a host of flavors. It’s so versatile. You can practically do anything with it, hence its popularity," says chef Gandler.

The four lamb dishes he conceived for The Tivoli prove this point.

First on the list is Honey-Paprika Dipped-Roasted Double Rib of Australian Spring Lamb. Honey and paprika provide an interplay of flavors that gives this dish its delicious taste. Caramelized onions subtly reinforce honey’s sweet flavor, while pine nuts provide that bit of crunch that punctuates the meat’s tender flesh. The whole preparation sits on tangy horseradish jus and is served with sidings of asparagus tips and carrot slices.

Another dish prepared by chef Gandler makes use of lamb loin. Two pieces of pot-roasted suckling Australian lamb loin are served on a casoulet of marrow beans and sweet garlic mashed potatoes. These are topped with organic tomato marmalade and mint-infused canola oil.

The shoulder and shank are less preferred cuts of lamb meat owing to a common perception that these are tougher. In the hands of chef Gandler, not only did these become very tender, they also turned into wonderfully tasty food creations.

For the lamb shoulder, chef Gandler slow-braised the cut and had it served with wild mushroom risotto, hazelnut, dusted vegetables and chili-mango salsa. The whole thing hinted fusion, yet it was very restrained and did not go the way some fusion dishes had gone to confusion.

The lamb shank was braised in orange, then set by chef on minted-whipped potatoes, glazed baby veggies and lemon myrtle jus.

Chef Gandler was superbly innovative in concocting these four dishes. Each was one tender to the bite and had none of that gamey taste.

The four dishes on Tivoli’s menu were special creations for "Lamb is a Many Splendored Thing," a food festival ongoing until Feb. 28, that highlights Australian lamb meat, organized by Meat and Livestock Australia, in cooperation with some 20 hotels, restaurants and retail outlets. MLA is the national marketing arm of the Australian lamb industry.

Aside from lending itself well to different flavors and recipes, Australian prime lamb meat is a rich source of essential nutrients. In addition to protein, lamb is also a good source of iron and other minerals, vitamins like niacin, thiamine and riboflavin.

When trimmed of visible fat, its fat content is just 6.3 percent. It also has fewer calories than peanuts, toasted muesli and a number of cheeses.

The other establishments that have created their own special dishes using Australian prime lamb are Aqua, Azzurro, Hyatt Regency Manila, La Primavera, Via Mare, Cirkulo, Blue Frog, Bianca’s, Carpaccio’s, Sala, Santi’s, The Peninsula Manila, Raj, ñ, Gold Ranch, La Tienda, People’s Palace, Cafe Havana, S&R, El Comedor, National Sports Grill and Mil Novecientos.