East Meets East In A Kaiseki Dinner

“East meets East” was the theme of a Kaiseki Dinner held at the Marco Polo Plaza (phone 253-111, www.marcopoloplaza.com), prepared under the supervision of the Philippine renowned tandem of father and son chefs, Gene and Gino Gonzalez, hosted by my good friend, Marco Polo Plaza GM Hans Hauri.

My loyal followers know that Kaiseki Dinner is the Japanese equivalent of a Chinese Lauriat or the Haute Cuisine in the West. Ingredients came from China, Japan, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam and the chefs applied the principles of kaiseki, “a type of art form that balances the taste, textured appearances and the color of food” to create delicious dishes.

With the pouring of the Spy Valley Gewürztraminer, New Zealand, we began this culinary adventure with an appetizer, Tom Yum Stuffed Mushrooms. Now that is a bit strange because the “Tom Yum” that I know is a soup from Thailand and Laos. My taste sensation was on red alert because this was one dinner you expected the unforeseen.

The second appetizer was the Lobster Sashimi with Leek Panacotta, Infused Oil, Wasabi Foam. I have tasted lobster sashimi before, but not with a wasabi foam and the soy sauce took a new appearance, some sort of small ice cube (maybe with gelatine, very nice presentation). Take a piece of the lobster, dip it into the soy and follow this with the leek panacotta and all the flavors will dance in your palate. What a wonderful dish!

Appetizer number three was the Chawanmushi of Crab Meat and Crab Fat Perfumed with Xiao Xing Wine topped with Uni. It looked like a kind of egg custard (Japanese use ginko nuts) with toppings of crab and uni (sea urchin eggs). The texture was provided by the accompanying “prawn cracker,” the rice wine cut the fishy taste and I just loved the superb taste.

This was followed by a Salad, the Sarsaparilla Chicken Goi Ga Style Salad with Grilled Papadums. Years ago, I remember sarsaparilla as root beer sold as SARSI and Goi Ga is chicken salad popular in Vietnam. Soup was then served, Green Soup of Mixed Shellfish in Hopia Crust, very tasty with more flakes than the regular pastry crust. Delicious!

The appearance of the Laurus Viognier from Rhone Valley indicated seafood delights, this time the Vermicelli Crusted Prawns in Plum sauce. This is one dish that is difficult to manage; if served three minutes late, it loses its crunchiness. Luckily the kitchen was mere 15 meters away and I simply prized the luxuriant taste of the prawn mellowed by the sweet and tart taste of plum.

This was quickly followed by the Baked Scallops with Hotee River Moss and Seared Tuna in a Bed of Pickled Vietnamese Vegetables. I was then ready for the sorbet for its cleansing effects on the palate made from Dried Green Mango (sometimes used as a spice in Indian Cuisine).

Ready na my digestive system for the main dish, the Okiam Marinated Angus Beef with 3 kinds of Mushrooms, Nata and Fresh Asparagus. Wine served was the Crios de Sussana Balbo from Argentina. One of the mushrooms, abalone, was deep-fried and was crispy. Very nice! The other two, straw and golden mushrooms were combined with the asparagus and stir-fried. The beef was doused in okiam or red fermented bean curd and wrapped with bacon which kept the beef moist and tasty. You can eat both, but after eight dishes, I had to, excuse me, set aside the bacon and enjoyed the tender juicy and tasty Angus.

All nice dinners end with a dessert and this magnificent dinner closed with a trio… Ginger Crème Brûlé, Mango Soup with Red Bean Bilo Bilo and Maja Blanca Stuffed Siopao, Caramel Sauce.

This was one of those times I wish I could invite all my readers to such a fabulous dinner but guest ra gyud ta, courtesy of the only five-star hotel in Cebu City, the Marco Polo Plaza.