Thursday, June 07, 2007 Magsaysay: Ohmmm, hmmm, yummm By Jo Magsaysay Whatever
FROM A to Z at the ICAAC Dinner Event. A is for the Ayurvedic cuisine, according to the research done by Fatima Tan Young who is as keen as cuisine as Jeremy, having graduated in a culinary school in Manila.
Ayurveda, a Sanskrit word to do with life, a Hindu system of medication combining herbs, purgatives, rubbing oils to treat diseases. Z is for Zen, which is more familiar with those of us who desire to illumine the mind and spirit with meditation. So the Buddhists would moan ohmm to the background tinkling of bells and little cymbals so did we hmmm to the delights of friendly conversation, mumbling hmmm as we meditated on the exotic ingredients and drooling in ecstatic contemplation of the food in our mouths. Yumyummm.
The 10-course degustation started with small potatoes, roasted, stuffed with ricotta cheese topped with a dollop of caviar; seared scallops, sealing the flavor and citrus salad enhancing the flavor; ravioli stuffed with fresh crab meat swabbed with crab bisque and a small slice of papaya bread freshly baked with its seeds; an influence from their wedding and honeymoon in Thailand, Jeremy and Fatima came up with coconut lemon grass soup with seared prawns.
A superb guava sorbet to rinse the palate for the vegetable course of mushroom medley laid on a bed of water spinach (kangkong); the fish course of Balinese steamed salmon minced with all kinds of aromatic herbs and spices wrapped in banana leaf and bedded with baby bok choy served with steamed rice and caramelized shredded shallots; Angus beef tenderloin, poached to seal in the juices served with cherry tomatoes, sweet corn kernels and cabbage rag-out for a fat-free meat course; once more, with a refreshing feeling, a spoonful of passion fruit sorbet. A trio sampler dessert of chocolate cheesecake with black cherries, fresh blueberries, fresh blackberries, iced pineapple and aniseed mousse and strawberry yoghurt panna cotta. Light and fat-free.
Sugar free with only the natural sweetness of the fruits for sweeteners, organic honey with lemon grass tea. So, who’s dieting? The health conscious, the calorie counters and the weight-watchers who will appreciate all these nutritious and delicious food to keep them trim and thin.
***** Degustibus non disputandum est, or so my dearly beloved used to say when he wanted to flaunt his schoolboy Latin. Right! I don’t know about you sweetie, but there really should be no dispute about tastes. Particularly food tastes. For my gusto and perhaps your disgusto these are a few of my favorite tastes:
……….baudnon fish cakes, fried crisp and baudnon fish paksiw (inun-unan) wrapped in kulis leaves or cooked in coconut milk with long spear peppers and ginger ……….my sister-in-law Coleta’s fresh lumpia and binangkal ……….Teresina Mendezona’s cassava biko topped with a thick layer of latik ……….My daughter Myra’s food for the gods and crunchy green apple pie ……….Tina Ebrada’s baked scallops or baked mussels imitated but unequalled ……….Olio’s oysters, plump and juicy, with just a squeeze of lemon to enhance the tang of the sea ………..Big Mao’s taro puffs and spicy fish lip soup ………..Grand Con Center’s Peking duck and tofu casserole with creamy sauce topped with bits of buwad ……….Millie’s Sembrano’s Parmesan peanuts and green mango salad with sweet heart of palm (ubod) and hipon, a recipe guarded by a Manila Hotel Chef ……….Eddie’s original fresh corned beef and cabbage ……….Black Angus’ fillet of beef, charcoal broiled crisp black on the outside tender pink on the inside ……….Azon Mercado’s sinudlan from her mother’s old-fashioned recipe of lubot (pardon the crude term but that’s how it was best known all over Cebu) stuffing of minced pork, no overpowering spices and the casing, original membranous pork entrail, nothing ersatz about it ……….Merto’s roast beef plain tender and juicy and hash browns, golden brown crisp ……….Chez Lucie’s lamb chops, pan fried with just a thin film of fat oozing down the lean meat and minty sauce in lieu of mint jelly ………..Junjun and Malou’s chicken barbecue and AA’s fresh crisp fried hito ………..Manong’s (at Redemptorist Site on Wednesdays and Sundays) pure budbud kabug ………..Gloria’s quesong puti; the soft, spreadable quesillo (or quesiyo kuno) and the fat, firm queso for frying… ………...Beehives sensational salad; Nena Montenegro’s silvanas and La Marea’s hot fudge topped with ice cream; Nena Garcia’s very hot, very spicy chorizos …………Chikaan’s crispy pata, Garden Laguna’and Golden Cowrie’s sizzling boneless bangus and pinakbet …………Idea Italia’s minestrone, La Tegola’s pizzas, La Buona Forchetta’s arabiata pasta ..............Tinder Box’s fillet mignon medium rare and crisp wraparound bacon; Bluewater’s smoked salmon.
*****
What about the hotel food over at Waterfront, Marco Polo Plaza, Marriott, Shangri-La Resort and Spa? Each one a class of its own.
