Thursday, November 22, 2007 Magsaysay: Tasty plate By Jo Magsaysay Whatever
My mom is still on her sabbatical and turns over her column to me again for another assignment, this time the International Culinary Arts Academy (ICAAC), two-year Culinary Arts Chefs final culminating dinner event “An Evening of Brasserie.”
Indeed, it was an evening of lively and friendly French eatery that offers robust food with maximum flavor and minimum fuss.
Filled with bustling crowds, brasseries are more fun than bistros; food more substantial than of cafes. As chefs, they have learned to cater to rich and poor, early birds and night owls. Everybody knows the ICAAC is still about the best thing that happened to young boys and girls who are taught everything from marketing, service, food preparation and presentation.
Presentation is “the thing.” It is not everything, but the thing. If your presentation is good the food must be good. Jeremy Young and his bride Fatima of one year give their heart and soul to this endeavor.
The langoustine (cray fish) salad looked and tasted terrific and so did the simple, ordinary poached egg and warm bacon vinaigrette. French onion soup highlighted the hot appetizer plate with crab cakes and mustard dipping sauce, mussels mariniere with saffron and toast foie gras with cranberry relish.
Exceptional was the seafood plate of seared divers scallop, grilled salmon and poached halibut. The poultry plate had magret de canard with peppercorn sauce and pan roasted organic chicken and hunter sauce. A delicious trio of tenderloin had beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, Bobby veal tenderloin with sauce foyot and lamb tenderloin with Boursin cheese sauce.
The hot dessert plate warmed the cold night: wild passion fruit escapade, suchard decadence topped with crème Anglaise, golden peach frangipane, deep fried mango mascarpone ravioli cold dessert plate served nutty bombe glacee, quenelles of cobnuts, espresso almond dacquoise.
Arnold, maitre’d saw to it the traffic of food going and coming to the kitchen to salle de manger was in perfect tempo.
Incidentally lovely couple Jeffrey and Sheila Chua supply the best cuts of steaks and roasts in town. Waterfront chefs Anderson and Gabriel Garcia graced the affair.
The 12 graduating students of ICAA two-year Culinary Arts chef program are: Monica Bianca Lim, Michael Kurt Yniesta, Jodama Paula Arce, Aaron Monsanto, Janice Jane Chiong, Kristine Gadot, Aries Sy, Michael Jim Velasco, Gino Ortiz, Jin Ho Yoo, Sharlyn Abila, Aisha Iryll Quintana. Congratulations to the graduates! ICAAC your parents are very proud of you.
