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Saturday, April 29, 2006
De gustacion
By Leticia Suarez-Orendain
Menu de gustacion is a dining parlance referring to a meal that allows a diner to sample some of the best dishes on offer.
In addition, it also means that the day is calculated to leave you feeling like a Roman emperor, gratified, pampered, and even decadent.
Chef Wolfgang Uebler, Cebu Crown Regency Residences corporate F&B and kitchen director, used the word to describe the surprise he had in store for a party of six. They drove to Guadalupe, Cebu City, where the Crown is located, to dine at its Sarimanok Coffee Shop and Restaurant.
The hotel is in the midst of undertaking a major facelift and a decisive renewal of its soul—from being the Metropolis, with its motel service, to being the Crown and its variety of services. With the rebirth comes a new dining focus to go with the new look: dimsum snacks (with take-out service), all day dining, cocktails and long drinks, breakfast and ala carte menu.
Wolfgang, who has been in Asia since 1979 and, therefore, knows the regional flavors, designed a Filipino-International standard menu with a team of Filipino chefs under his baton, or more like a soupspoon.
Someone in the party asked whether the hotel’s restaurant, the Courtyard, was a fine dining affair, to which Wolfgang said no, although the entries go by names, like Classic Shrimp Cocktail (appetizer), and Pork Schnitzel (main fare), among others.
What’s de gustacion without starting off with an appetizer—ox tongue sisig, a departure from the classic using the tender parts of a pig’s head. It was tamely hot, unlike the original that scalds even the lungs. This was an excellent introduction.
Another appetizer was the gambas: succulent shrimps simmered in piquant tomato-bell pepper sauce, and accented with cucumber slivers. Wolfgang likes using fresh tomatoes, the local type known as cherry tomatoes, tart and perfect for salads.
Dodong Morallo, SuperBalita features editor, and Ruel Rosillo, who took the photos on this page, pronounced both appetizers great and so did I. Unfortunately, we did not take the gambas with any alcoholic drink, not even a sip of Bordeux, a dry white wine that complements seafood. We had to go back to the office to do some unfinished daily grind.
The salad was, well, a mixed greens medley with some pinkish dressing, perhaps Thousand Island; and it was followed by Chicken Cordon Bleu with red wine sauce. It is very popular even in hamburger joints.
This one had a notable salty taste owing to the ham and cheese filling perhaps. Tita Caballes, AVP for Marketing, and her team, liked this meat course but they pleaded defeat as they could hardly finish the big portions. More was coming, though.
What’s de gustacion without trying out the fish fillet with sliced boiled potatoes. The fresh lapu-lapu slabs were steeped in a lemon-based marinade before it was fried and topped with minced scallions for added a peppery tang.
Pork was featured as steak with mushroom cream sauce, and mashed potato with parsley. The other ladies in the group had almost given up, but Dodong, Ruel and I braved the delicious ordeal.
Can beef be far behind? This one was memorable. It had lots of fresh tomatoes and garlic butter sauce.
Of all the dishes that graced the blessed table, Wolfgang did well with the appetizers, particularly in handling fresh tomato. He was excellent with the beef, and that’s one way beef can go: tender, juicy and made healthy with the fresh offerings from the earth.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 29, 2006 issue)
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