The best of Canada on one plate

The Test Kitchen, in partnership with the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines and Canada Beef, hosted a small get-together:  a Chef’s Table Dinner featuring chef Josh Boutwood at The Test Kitchen Restaurant at Rockwell in Makati City. This was a preview for the Canadian Steakhouse Pop-up Promotion last month.

It was nice to get out for a short dinner after being cooped up for a while.  The last (socially distanced) dinner hosted by the Canadian Embassy was in 2020 and everyone had a great time.

The amazing dinner chef Josh prepared used Canadian beef, seafood, and wines.  Guests were welcomed with Canadian Ungava Gin or Fireball Whiskey (a Canadian cinnamon whiskey) cocktail. I had both.

A series of appetizers were served paired with Gewürztraminer Riesling Carreto VQA (or Vintners Quality Alliance, the independent body that monitors British Columbia’s appellation of origin system).  These small dishes were Raw Beef, Egg, Maple Soy, an excellent beef tartar sweetened with Canadian maple syrup; Canadian Mussel and Lobster Adlai Porridge; and my favorite dish that night, a light Canadian Scallop Mousseline bursting with the flavors of the sea.

Paired with Pillitteri Exclamation Merlot VQA were two beef dishes: Braised Short Rib, Pineapple, Scotch Bonnet (a spicy Caribbean pepper mixed with pineapple puree, which was a great accompaniment for the short rib), and Josh’s perfectly grilled Angus Ribeye, Red Potato, Sunchoke.

Dessert was a sumptuous Ice Wine, Blueberry, Maple Honeycomb paired with a Pillitteri Vidal Ice Wine Carreto VQA.

Everyone arrived on time so the dinner started promptly, with ample time to enjoy and leave before the imposed curfew.  Food lovers, writers, restaurateurs, and suppliers attended, presumably because of two reasons: Canadian produce and chef Josh’s cooking, both renowned for their excellence.

I look forward to more dinners like this when this lockdown ends.

Stay safe, everyone!

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