Livin' la vida healthy at Marco Polo Cebu

Next to sleeping, eating is probably the activity that consumes most of our time.  If done in the company of family, friends or associates it adds great value and satisfaction to life. Consequently, food is one of the biggest aspects of any culture.

Even Aristotle, considered the Father of Medicine, in one of his famous quotes says, “Let medicine be thy food, and food be thy medicine.” This highlights the critical nature of food in our life.

Marco  Polo Plaza Hotel,  recognizing the great significance of the culinary art in our lives, periodically  showcases traditional national cuisines  and exotic original creations through its  culinary journeys at its Café Marco.

Recently the hotel featured the father and son chefs Gene and Gino Gonzalez as they masterfully created a unique “East Meets East Kaiseki” dinner, which is analogous to western haute cuisine.

Kaiseki is an art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance and colors of food, where only fresh seasonal ingredients are used and prepared in ways that aim to enhance flavor.

The delectable appetizers consisted of tom yum stuffed mushrooms, lobster sashimi with leek pana cotta, infused oil and wasabi foam and chawan mushi of crab meat and crab fat perfumed with xiao xing wine topped with uni.

The salad which consisted of sarsaparilla chicken goi ga with grilled papadum and green soup of mixed shellfish in hopia crust were served. Other dishes included vermicelli crusted prawns in plum sauce, baked scallops with hotee river moss and seared tuna in a bed of pickled Vietnamese vegetables. The main course was the cooked-to-perfection okiam marinated Angus beef with three kinds of mushrooms and fresh asparagus on the side.

The carefully selected  trio desserts of ginger crème brulé, mango soup with red bean and maja blanca stuffed siopao with caramel sauce was a  perfect finale to  a relaxed and interesting evening with good company experiencing unique flavors and  blends of tastes. 

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A fortnight later, Marco Polo Plaza took another culinary journey, this time showcasing Spain with its undeniably flavorful  cuisine.

Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Luis Arias Romero and his charming wife Doña Soledad together with Honorary Consul Jaime Picornell graced the opening of the festival.

Gema Luisa Pido, Cebu’s foremost authority on Spanish gourmet traditions shared her treasured family recipes with the hotel’s executive chef Luke Gagnon and together they prepared  authentic all-time Spanish favorites such as tortillas, gambas,  paella, lengua,  ensaladas and a lot more.

The evening culminated with the superb performance of soprano guest performer Lissa Romero who rendered several classic Spanish songs to the delight of the guests.

With the outstanding success of these events Marco Polo Plaza continues the culinary experience with enthusiasm and flair as they prepare for the much-anticipated Swiss Festival.