Master Chefs Reimagine PAL's Inflight Menu

CEBU, Philippines - As part of its re-fleeting and route expansion program, which was launched recently at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Philippine Airlines (PAL) unveils its PAL Master Chef series, a new international menu created by five guest chefs, all accomplished kitchen masters who represent different culinary specialties.

Fernando Aracama, Executive Chef of the newly opened Aracama Filipino Cuisine, the upscale restaurant that serves authentic local dishes, creates the Filipino menu for domestic and international airline services. His signature dish, manok sa tanglad with kalo kalo – grilled chicken in lemongrass with atsuete and garlic oil fried rice-and cucumber cilantro salad is inspired by his mother's home cooking. "She's a great cook, and makes the best roast chicken stuffed with tanglad. Whenever the aromatic scent would fill our house, we know that dinner is going to be awesome!" he shared.

Billy King, the former Executive Chef of Hotel InterContinental's Prince Albert Rotisserie, who revolutionized the local dining scene with Le Soufflé in Makati and Le Chef Manor in Baguio, takes charge of Western cuisine for international flights. He brings his clean, neo-classical approach to the series with a slow-cooked U.S. Angus beef with balsamic jus, horseradish cream with pureed carrot and potato, and leek confit. "The meat is cooked so slow that it melts in the mouth," described King. "It is complemented by the sweet, creamy flavors of the pureed carrot and potato and the mild fruit acid from the sauce."

With Asian routes making up over two-thirds of PAL's international network, the airline, according to an official statement, taps three Asian chefs to represent the continent's major cuisines. See Cheong Yan, formerly the Executive Chef of the Shangri-La group of hotels and currently the culinary director of Enderun Colleges, prepares the Chinese menu for China-bound services. For his braised beef short ribs with honey peppercorn sauce, he marinates U.S. beef short ribs with a soy sauce mix and cooks them for 48 hours to ensure tenderness. The sauce is prepared by combining the marinade with honey, shallots, and peppercorn. "The robust taste of the sauce matches the tender braised beef very well. I'm sure our passengers will enjoy it," he assured.

Masahiro Mizumoto, Executive Chef of Kitsho, the famed Japanese restaurant of Traders Hotel Manila, and the only professional chef in the Philippines licensed to prepare fugu, the exotic delicacy made with puffer fish, brings 27 years of mastery to the new PAL menu. For Japan-bound flights, he creates the buta kakuni or organic pork belly steeped in bonito flakes soup stock with dark and light soy sauce. "Authenticity and freshness are the secrets to this flavorful meal," quipped Miziumoto. "Every dish I prepare offers a taste of happiness to patrons of authentic Japanese cooking."

Finally, Khun Suwanna Puangdee, Executive Chef of Dusit Thani Manila Hotel's flagship restaurant Benjarong, introduces Thai cuisine to the airline menu. She promises to "mesmerize" passengers on PAL's Southeast Asian services with her pla kraqpong jean nam makham or deep-fried fish fillet in tamarind sauce. The fish is enhanced by a zesty tamarind sauce that is, all at once, sweet, sour, and spicy. "I chose this dish to bring out the uniqueness of Thai cuisine. I hope this will leave a lasting impression of Thai culture and cuisine on everyone," pointed out Puangdee.

These restyled inflight menus are part of the refurbishment of the airline. Other key innovations geared toward the renewal of Philippine Airlines include a 370-seater Boeing 777-300ER, Book and Buy Ticketing Kiosks, inflight Apple iPads, and new flights to exciting destinations like Toronto, Paris, and New York.

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