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Good Food and Company
By Jaqueline L. Ong
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When the Nuit
en Provence (A Night in Provence) was recently
held at the Chelsea Market & Café in the hip
lifestyle complex Serendra, Fort Bonifacio,
Taguig, it seemed like all the best restaurants
had closed down for the night.
The stellar cast of the best chefs in the metro,
wine connoisseurs, gourmet food suppliers,
foodies and food writers gathered for a night of
food and wine as Les Toques Blanches Philippines
celebrated its Chef’s Table Dinner, a reception
wherein |
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members of
this highly-esteemed culinary organization visit
and taste a newly-opened establishment.
At the country-charm setup of Chelsea, large
platters of cheese varieties, crispy arugula
salads, grilled seafood, poached asparagus
spears with hollandaise sauce, baked seabass
with fennel, salmon cakes, tomato goat cheese
risotto, lamb shank with ratatouille, brie
frittata, fresh oysters, duck confit, French
sausage casserole, an onion and anchovy pizza
called Pissaladiere Nicoise and roasted |
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US beef
tenderloin with porcini & truffle sauce were
passed around the long tables where culinary
luminaries like Annabel and Tom Wisniewski, Cito
Sen of Pazzo, Rolando and Jackie Laudico of
Bistro Filipino, Fernando Aracama of Embassy, JL
Cang, Chef Robert Bolanos of Tagaytay Highlands,
Chef Henry Cheung of Good Earth, Sonja Ocampo of
Cupcakes, Thomas Wenger of Mandarin Oriental,
Cyrile Soenen of Crowne Plaza, David Pardo de |
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Ayala of
Discovery Suites were gourmandizing every bite
of executive chef Sau del Rosario’s
French-inspired menu.
It was indeed a night of gastronomic
pleasures—great food and fine wines from Happy
Living…Good company, too, as there’s no doubting
that chefs can make interesting table guests
just as they are masters in their own kitchen
counters. |
Wine 101
By Katrina N. Cabanos
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Good
wine, said Shakespeare, is a good
familiar creature if it be well used.
Sadly, it’s not a “well used” in the
Philippines as it is in other countries.
In most European countries, for
instance, good wine is a staple in
special meals and get-togethers.
Wine-making is also a thriving industry
in the Americas, what with the famed
Chilean and California wines, to name a
few. California has twelve wine
producing regions, the most famous of
which is Napa. For Michael V. Reyes,
managing director of The Wine Club, it
is his pursuit of his passion for these
fine Napa Valley wines that led him to
his would-be business partner, Albert
Villa-Real.
The Wine Club is an exclusive importer,
marketer and distributor of an extensive
rage of premium and ultra-premium wines
primarily from, but not limited to,
California and Oregon. The company also
carries labels from France, Italy, Spain
and South Australia. In the country,
they are the sole distributor of a
number of first-rate labels that are
also being carried by luxurious hotels
all over the world including the Burj Al
Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in
Dubai. Locally, they supply wines to
leading establishments like the Makati
Shangri-La Hotel, Tagaytay Highlands,
Lemuria and Gaster Deli, to name a few.
That aside, they also opened The Wine
Club wine bar in Aguirre Street, Makati
City. According to Reyes, the bar is
frequented by young professionals
and–what else–expats! |
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They
offer a selection of cheeses, sausages
and other treats to compliment the wines
served. The bar also doubles as a retail
outlet.
They aim to increase wine appreciation
among Filipinos, thereby cultivating a
more sophisticated market. Reyes says
that wine-drinking need not be
intimidating. His own interest in wine
began not too long ago. After some time,
one may also develop a personal taste
and greater expertise. For that reason,
in The Wine Bar, they also serve by the
glass, making perfect for wine novices
who cannot decide among The Wine Bar’s
multitude of options.
Being one of those wine novices
aforementioned, I wordlessly accepted a
glass of wine handed to me during a
wine-tasting there recently.
Unceremoniously, I took a small sip,
holding my breath to dull the bitter
taste of alcohol.
In a show of urbane expertise, Reyes
made a tiny swirl of his glass and took
a whiff of the rich red liquid of the
wine before taking a slow sip. He spoke
about how a single sip is a burst of
varied flavors in the mouth, each
fighting for dominance. A connoisseur
will be able to distinguish each one.
In clumsy imitation, I swirled the wine
glass. I took a slow sip, acutely aware
of the trail of warmth it made. It left
me with a warm and tingly feeling and a
pleasantly bittersweet taste in my
mouth. I took another sip, paying close
attention to the flavors. It tasted
deliciously of... red wine. Needless to
say, I have a lot to learn. |
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Chelsea’s owner Annabel Wisniewski is
flanked by son Martin and chef Sau del
Rosario |
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Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in
Cebu was recently given a Presidential
Certificate of Recognition for its
active involvement in the 12th Asean
Summit. In photo is President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo (second from right)
with Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa
general manager Timothy Wright, Director
of Diplomatic Relations and now Resident
Manager of Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort
and Spa Maggie Garcia and Asean event
manager Jing Fadriga |
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