Sofitel cooks up a feast at the all-new Spiral

Our fearless forecast is, rain or shine, the Spiral at Sofitel Philippine Plaza will be deluged with assorted foodies and its horde of habitués when it reopens next Thursday, Nov. 8 (soft opening is on Saturday, Nov. 3), a little over a year after it suffered severe flooding at the height of a killer typhoon. Surely, we welcome Spiral’s relaunch with wide open arms — and stomachs. 

So, what’s new at Spiral? Everything! And then there’s something blue — oui, the Bonnet French blue oven that costs over P1 million. Expect this pricey Michelin-star oven to churn out only the most tongue-talizing dishes (think pasta, risotto, and gnocchi).

Of course, in addition to the P500M that Sofitel spent on Spiral’s renovation, it has called in waterworks expert Veltrup and plunked down close to P210M in flood control. “We have invested in a weather station that would measure wind speed, direction, intensity; rainful, humidity, etc. to provide hotel management sufficient info during bad weather,” says Goran Aleks, Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s affable general manager and area general manager – Philippines and Indonesia. “We are likewise spending heavily on drainage — we have constructed a 100-meter-long trench canal so that water that comes in goes into the drainage and goes back into Manila Bay.”

There’s more. To be completed by early next year is the sea wall rehabilitation to dissipate the force of the incoming waves.

“We want to get the word out to people around the world that the Philippines is not just about typhoons and kidnappings,” Goran points out with a big smile. “Many people don’t know that it’s a beautiful country, an unknown gem.”

With big smiles on our faces and our big, hearty appetites, we traipsed down the spiral staircase faster than Goran Aleks could say, “Welcome to the press launch of the all-new Spiral.”

We got a sneak peek of what the new Spiral would be offering when it opens to the public a week from now.

The new Spiral boasts 21 dining ateliers. In addition, there are now six private rooms, which offer a view of what’s cooking in the stations (you can spy on the chefs as they can’t see you), and the La Veranda, an indoor lounge that opens to an outdoor terrace with four gazebos leading to Sofitel’s iconic lagoon-shaped poolside. Designed by Design Studio Spin, Japan, the new Spiral can seat 396 indoors and 56 outdoors.

“Our ateliers are workshops for our artists/artisans who produce their masterpieces right before the diners’ eyes,” explains Eric Costille, Sofitel Philippine Plaza executive chef who seamlessly wields the baton over Spiral’s kitchen orchestra.

Delivering what’s bound to be a dazzling culinary performance is Spiral’s all-star cast, led by Costille: executive sous chef Arnold Guevarra, executive pastry chef Guillaume Bonnety, executive Chinese chef Chee Wah Mok, Western chef de cuisine Anne Cecile Degenne, Indian chef Halim Ali Khan, Thai chef Romeo Malate, Japanese chef de cuisine Hiroaki Yamaguchi, and Korean chef Kyeongho Lee.

Costille went all over Asia to look for the best master chefs and fly them to the Philippines: the best Chinese chef, the best Indian chef, the best Korean chef, etc. So, they’re all 100-percent authentic, except for the Thai chef who’s Filipino (“We interviewed three Thai chefs; finally, we found a Filipino chef who cooks Thai food, he’s better than a born Thai,” says an amused Costille).

Chef Halim Ali Khan, who was plucked out of his native Mumbai, promises to titillate our taste buds with his hot tandoori creations. French chef Anne Cecile Degenne, who comes from the Bordeaux wine region, was truly excited to come to Asia and whip up some well-loved French treats like duck confit and foie gras, and other dishes that are better eaten than pronounced.

Of course, some of these chefs have worked with Costille in other countries before and followed him, but what did he say to convince them to come to the Philippines?

“I told them it’s more fun (to work) in the Philippines,” Eric replies with a mischievous grin.

And now, allow me to walk you through the 21 ateliers and more food attractions at the all-new Spiral.

• First stop, the salads and appetizers for locally grown organic vegetables tossed for you by the chefs with your choice of homemade salad dressings. Surely, your salad days are just beginning.

• L’Ecailler for freshly shucked oysters, prawns, crabs, and seafood galore prepared with fresh organic  vegetables and your choice of sauces — white wine, vinegar or zesty lemon.

• Oh-so-fresh sushi/sashimi prepared by the chefs.

• L’Epicerie for an awesome variety of charcuterie — premium aged hams, pate, terrine — and smoked fish and cured salmon. Plus an amazing variety of cheeses from France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland that can make you smile and say “Cheese!”

• Hot Japanese for good old grilled seafood, meat, and veggies cooked at the robata or the teppanyaki.

• French Stove, tailor-made for Sofitel, for those luscious meat carvings, grilled food, and regional French cooking.

The chefs at this atelier will also regale you with their baked lobsters, which go splendidly well with either garlic and cheese butter sauce, or cheese or creamy béchamel sauce; grilled salmon wrapped in bacon with grilled bell pepper and red onion; shrimp skewers marinated in curry, lime, garlic with pineapple and leeks; ratatouille loaded with succulent Mediterranean veggies. Just don’t forget to say “Merci beaucoup!” to your chefs.

• In the same area as the French Stove is the rotisserie with its roasted chicken blended with assorted marinades and herbs picked fresh from Sofitel’s herb garden.

• Wood fired oven that turns out traditional Italian pizza and flamenkush (like a very thin pizza or hard crepe).

• Churrasco, which is Brazilian in origin, for real juicy skewered steaks — prime rib, lamb leg or rack, French pork chop, pork rib or pork belly, German sausages with matching hot sauces, and your choice of herbs.

• North Indian for lavish homemade tandoori-spiced meats, enjoyed with Asian breads and sauces.

• Asian noodle atelier for hand-pulled Asian noodles with a variety of broths, sauces, and an extensive selection of condiments and soup stocks. Have some steamed and fried dim sum, too, from different parts of China.

• Peking duck oven for Peking duck that’s roasted to perfection and Chinese barbecue.

• Chinese Wok for those delectable woks of art.

• Steam baskets for steaming hot/fried dim sums from all over China.

• Filipino for all-time Pinoy favorites like adobo, kare-kare, crispy pata, kaldereta, and bulalo.

• Thai for those zesty curry-hot dishes that will get you tongue Thai-ed.

• Korean for barbecue, kimchi, bulgogi, and bibimbap that you probably love as much as those soupy Korean telenovelas or will perk you up and make you dance Gangnam Style.

• La Boulangerie for freshly baked baguettes, ciabattas, croissants, even gluten-free and rye breads. It’s always breadtime here!

• La Patisserie for freshly baked mini French pastries, lemon tarts, eclairs. There are also to-diet-for Filipino desserts like bibingka and puto bumbong. And hear ye, fellow cookie lovers, this is where you’ll find Spiral’s famous chocolate chip cookies (and other cookies). That is, if those Ziploc-bearing and hoarding guests have not beaten you to those most coveted cookies. Actually, they’re the fastest disappearing items on the dessert counter so hurry!

• Three (take double note) chocolate fountains — dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate with different fruits for dipping as well as jellies, marshmallows and all those sweet treats that are on everyone’s lips — and hips!

• At La Patisserie, you’ll also find the hot desserts like crepes and Mediterranean apple tarts.

• French classics that are probably as absorbing as Les Miserables — orange ginger and cinnamon crème brulee, light dark chocolate mousse with saffron jelly and crumble, vanilla and raspberry panna cotta, coconut sago with mango relish.

• Chocolaterie for those intricate artisanal chocolates, truffles, and pralines fashioned out of the best cocoa in the world and prepared fresh before your eyes.

• Creamery for those dreamy homemade ice creams and sorbets with your choice of garnishings/toppings.

As you probably noticed, the French Stove, the enclosed charcuterie room, the chocolatier, the patisserie, and the churrasco are the new offerings not found in the old Spiral and some more reasons to go back to Spiral, and keep coming back.

Even when it closed down and was relocated to Le Bar, Goran did not notice a drop in membership. When Spiral reopens, Le Bar becomes a music lounge serving cocktails, wine, and light bistro food, spiced up with live music four times a week.

If there’s something old about the new Spiral it is that everything is still prepared a la minute for guests in this concept resto that boasts multi-cuisine interactive cooking stations serving dishes from around the world. Yes, Spiral inarguably still has the biggest buffet offerings in town.

There’s just one word to describe these 21 ateliers: Spiralicious!

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Enjoy the all-new Spiral buffet for breakfast Monday-Friday at P1,719.55, Saturday-Sunday at P1,965.20; Monday-Saturday lunch at P2,431.94; Sunday brunch at P3,046.06; Sunday-Thursday dinner at P2,800.41; and Friday-Saturday dinner at P3,046.06. To avail of dining discounts at Spiral and room discounts, call the Accor Advantage Plus Member Services at 551-5555 extension 7038/6948 or e-mail manila@advantageplus.com.au.