Spiral: Stairway to food heaven

We thought we just died and went to food heaven. But our now excited taste buds told us we were not just having visions of food glorious food hot off the grill, the freshest oysters with a hint of saltwater and assorted seafoods, market-fresh salads and fruits, oven-fresh pizzas, truly al dente pastas and antipasti, freshly baked breads with a wide choice of dips, cascading chocolate fountains, and desserts galore. We were forewarned: Be very hungry when you go to Spiral, Hotel Philippine Plaza’s newly opened interactive concept restaurant and Manila’s newest dining destination.

Short of fasting the day before, we went to Spiral full of expectations and went home with more than a full belly. For there’s something assorted food lovers will love about Spiral.

Your trip to food heaven begins as you go down the grand spiral staircase (of course, you can always take the escalator) and get a panoramic glimpse of the 2,500-square-meter restaurant with a 21-foot bronze sculpture by Ed Castrillo rising from the center and the fountains flowing all around. Now, what’s the first stop on your food itinerary? The world is practically your, uh, oyster as Spiral offers six different "cooking theaters." Spiral’s open or show kitchens, which are quite in vogue these days, were designed by Creative Kitchen Planners International in the most stylish and sensory way that lets you see (and smell) what’s cooking.

Probably the biggest among hotels (it can seat 480 persons), Spiral cost Accor (the new management company of Hotel Philippine Plaza) a cool $3 million to build and bring to Manila’s discerning diners its world-famous French touch. Oui, this company is certainly not one to scrimp. At Spiral, guests eat from Rosenthal china, sip from thermo latte and cappuccino cups designed by Caroline Schafer, and drink from glassware by Schottzwiesel of Germany.

Interior designer Masakazu Koizumi of Spin Design Studio Japan describes his concept as a marriage of both the external and internal environments.

General manager Bernd Schneider says, "In Spiral, the chefs are the performers and the restaurant is their stage."

Spiral’s cast is led by executive chef Luke Dale Roberts and awardwinning Filipino executive sous chef Jojo Borlagdan, who turn in a solid performance for Spiral’s grand culinary production.

So, curtains up – it’s chowtime!

At the Japanese buffet station, Japanese master chef Yoshimi Igarashi teases the palate with his innovative appetizers served in mini Rosenthal crystals. For the main event, there are the tempura, sushi, sashimi, yakitori, and koshiage stations.

For those who like it hot (make that real hot and spicy), Indian chef Indrajit Roy will not disappoint with his refreshingly spicy Indian favorites straight from the tandoor oven, freshly baked Indian breads (naan, roti, chapati, dosa, etc.), and homemade chutneys and pickles.

Over at the Chinese corner, Hong Kong chef Siu Man Yeung dazzles with his delicious woks of art. There are oodles of your fave noodles, and now roasting in front of you are some barbecue delights. Want some more? The dim sum creations of visiting dim sum chef Chan Chun make a fulsome treat.

Of course, for Pinoy guests hankering for homecooking, Spiral has a Filipino kitchen that features the well-loved adobo, kare-kare, binagoongan, among other native favorites.

Coming soon are more Korean traditional dishes courtesy of Korean chef Cho Seung Hyun.

From the hot Mediterranean kitchen of chef Marco Legasto comes a wide range of hot and cold dishes from Europe and the Middle East. The stars of this kitchen are the fresh-from-the-oven pizzas, the antipasti, fresh pastas, Middle Eastern mezze dishes (appetizers), and risottos prepared a la minute. This section also features an organic salad bar and a fresh seafood counter.

Now, it gets even hotter as we move in on the state-of-the-art grill station for the kill, er, grill. For there, the freshest catch of the season and the most succulent steaks laid out in ice beds beckon.

Did we tell you to leave room – lots and lots of it – for dessert? Chef Mac Macatangay transports us to chocolate nirvana with his sweet (there are sugar-free desserts, too) concoctions – from French tarts and pastries to truffles, crepes and souffles. As if you hadn’t had enough chocolate to last you a lifetime, the dessert section also has two chocolate fondue fountains. Well, your diet can wait but heaven can’t.

Of course, the best food deserves only the best wines. According to French assistant food and beverage manager Helen Lauras, Spiral has a selection of over 3,000 rich and warm wines from the hilly medieval town of St. Emilion in France. Spiral also has a team of sommeliers to help guests choose their wine.

Spiral opened last March 30, offering food lovers a new twist on life. "We were expecting only 700 guests, but 1,000 came," says Chef Jojo Borlagdan. "We served 160 kilos of carving – two whole legs of beef, 200 kilos of pork, hundreds of kilos of chicken, shellfish, oysters, lobters, breads, etc. We get our supplies from all over the country and abroad – Norway, Australia, Davao, General Santos, Zamboanga, and Tagaytay’s organic farms."

With a troop of 30 expert cooks manning the kitchens and a well-trained army of young people to usher in the guests, the Spiral opening happened with near-military precision.

"There were no accidents in the kitchen (that comprises 1/3 of the restaurant)," Chef Jojo relates.

The cooks looked cool and the kitchens looked really nice. "That’s the concept of the open kitchen – you learn how to work nice and clean," notes Chef Jojo.

We egg Chef Jojo on to tell us how best to enjoy Spiral. He reveals, "You start with the Mediterranean cuisine because it’s got lots of appetizers to wake up your taste buds. From there, you can go spiral. You take the fruits at the end or in between. Don’t eat a lot of bread. And don’t drink a lot of water."

Over a dimsum dinner, executive chef Luke Roberts shares, "I prefer to eat one or two cuisines at a time. So I may have Mediterranean salad appetizers and Chinese food for main course, and the next time, I’ll have Indian food. Which means you have to come to Spiral every day."

For all this glorious food, you can kiss Spiral’s really hardworking kitchen staff.

"We’re not just after variety but quality as well," says Chef Jojo. "Accor not only brought in some of the best chefs from around the world but also the most modern equipment. Like the rotisserie, the tandoor ovens, the kosiage deep fryer and yakitori grill, and the volcanic rock griller, which other open kitchens don’t have."

"All the Filipino cooks went through an intensive training program and we’re still training," says Chef Luke. "We’re also fortunate enough to have a wide range of expatriate specialty chefs working here. We have two Hong Kong chefs, one Indian chef, one Japanese (one of the best) chef, and one Korean chef."

He adds, "We have introduced a lot of very authentic breads like the Indian breads. We want to introduce Filipinos to a whole new way of eating breads with dips. This is their food voyage; they don’t have to travel outside."

But the best is yet to come. "This is just the beginning," says Chef Luke. "There’s still the next level of open-kitchen dining. This is just the meat; all the garnishes are coming next."

As to what’s next, Chef Luke will only go as far as sharing this sweet secret: "We’re developing a whole line of green tea desserts, in addition to the green tea brulee. We’re gonna beat Japan."

Who says we can’t have more than a slice of heaven on earth?