We served balut, isol & lechon at the Lifestyle Asia anniversary gala

Yep, you read that right.

Last Wednesday, Oct. 8, we celebrated Lifestyle Asia’s 27th Anniversary Gala at the Raffles and Fairmont Makati with a five-course dinner prepared by not one — but five — very talented Filipino chefs.

When the first glossy and leading luxury magazine in the country turned 25 years old in 2012, we held a Black Swan gala, which, as the name suggests, celebrates a rare occurrence. Last year, for our 26th year, we had the Royal Gala where we had the Queen Mother of Bhutan, Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck, as our guest of honor. This year we decided to spotlight the Philippines, in partnership with Smart Infinity and Hublot. We called it “Spreading the Table” because it is a gathering of those who are giving and those receiving.

Why the Philippines? Well, first of all, we are a 100-percent-Filipino publication and we are all about supporting local talent. For the gala we wanted to spotlight our local cuisine, chefs and farmers. (While our country is fast progressing, our farmers and fishermen remain some of the poorest.) At the same time, it’s not merely a party for us but also the opportunity to give back. Spotlighting the Philippines also means remembering our brothers and sisters who were affected by the worst typhoon in the world, so we tracked the progress and rehabilitation efforts since Typhoon Haiyan/ Yolanda happened last year. They were our beneficiary this year through Caritas Manila, headed by Archbishop of Manila Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.

THE BIG FIVE

We specifically tapped these five chefs because they are staunchly championing Philippine cuisine in their restaurants or advocacies. Margarita Forés (Cibo, Lusso and Grace Park) has been advocating for Filipino cuisine globally, most recently making the front page of an Italian newspaper when she cooked adobo.

Jordy Navarra really makes it a point to use Pinoy ingredients as much as possible at his Black Sheep at the Fort; for instance, the beef they use there is Kitayama Wagyu from Bukidnon.

JP Anglo has been successful in bringing in his local Negrenese cuisine to Manila through his Sarsa; his version of sisig, for instance, uses chicken inasal, the famous Bacolod specialty.

Dedet dela Fuente has reinvented our famous lechon by infusing it with truffle rice (among many other kinds) at her Pepita’s Kitchen.

Raffles and Fairmont Makati’s Robert Bolaños is one of the few Filipino chefs to hold such an esteemed position of executive sous chef at a five-star hotel, and an international chain at that.

We like to recognize and give credit to seasoned and emerging talents — and we like spreading the good news.

SPOTLIGHTING THE PHILIPPINES

On day of the event, I wrote on my Instagram, “We are really pushing the envelope for FILIPINO cuisine, something that’s NEVER been done before in any formal/ gala/ ball. A salad isn’t just a salad; seafood isn’t just seafood; chicken isn’t just chicken; pork isn’t just pork and just wait for dessert!!!” So what was I talking about? Here goes:

Raffles and Fairmont Makati’s senior chef de cuisine Christine Zarandin wowed us with the appetizers that were passed around during cocktail hour before the actual sit-down. She and her team turned the balut into a custard. “Custard is made with eggs and balut is an egg so we simply changed the forms, but it’s all egg,” shares Zarandin. “What better way to flavor the custard than with the balut yolk? And the consommé packs all the flavors and nutrients you would get from the chick without having to deal with facing the chick itself.”

Oysters were topped with creamy laing from Bicol, while rellenong pusit were stuffed with bacalao. And what looked like sushi was actually sardines and rice, “a very common breakfast or lunch/ dinner meal turned into onigiri-style sushi,” shares Christine. “It has the exact same ingredients we usually put together at home: sardines or pickled fish, itlog na maalat, fresh-cut tomatoes, red onions, sili, radish and blanched pechay and okra added as sides.” Brilliant!

Jordy Navarra used all 18 vegetables in the song Bahay Kubo to create his vegetable garden, the most creative and playful take on a salad yet. Yes, “singkamas at talong; sigarilyas at mani; sitaw, bataw, patani” and the lot of them sat on “edible soil” made from crushed eggplants and peanuts. This was paired with Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

JP Anglo’s version of (Jollibee’s) Chicken Joy came in the form of Crispy Isol (otherwise known as chicken bum!) coated in rice flour, marinated in tuba — resulting in a delicacy that’s crispy on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside — served with Batwan gravy. This was paired with Chandon Shiraz.

Margarita Forés’ favorite ingredient — ever — is taba ng talangka. For our gala, she prepared a hot and cold version of the ravioli, which underneath had treasures from our Philippine seas like Negros blue crab, Philippine grouper, Capiz scallops, and Pangasinan baby crab coral topped with carabao butter and a kalamansi crema that added a cold factor. So wherever the guests sliced, there was a different seafood surprise — aka a different taste. Guests were also given an interactive element in plating their own dish through the taba ng talangka, which was placed in a dropper. This was paired with Terrazas Reserva Chardonnay.

Dedet dela Fuente reinvented the lechon by stuffing it with rice. At the gala, she had the crispy skin and lechon meat sitting on truffled mushroom rice with an aftertaste that was beautifully washed down with the merlot. This was paired with Lapostolle Cuvee Alexander Merlot. 

Robert Bolaños’ Lifestyle Asia halo-halo was a winner. He turned our famous dessert into solid form — a beautiful layered cake almost like a mille-feuille! — with all the elements of ube, pinipig, leche flan, kaong and red beans served with a jackfruit granita as the ice component of the dish. This was served with Hennessy VSOP.

BREAKING THE RULES

We also wanted to highlight that our local cuisine can be global by pairing it with wines from Moët Hennessy. Really, I don’t want to hear anymore that only beer goes well with our cuisine! Not true!

We also did a bold move by breaking the progression of the wines. While normally, in any five-course dinner it’s white, white, red, red, this time, we did white (salad); red (isol); white (seafood course); red (lechon). “Why not?” Margarita supported us as we cemented this decision and switched around the pairings during our food tasting. “People are now realizing how interesting and unique our cuisine is,” she added.  “We are on our way to becoming world-renowned,” said Robert. “Filipino cuisine is the best in the world,” declared Dedet. Finished Jordy, “And something to be proud of.”

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The author is the publisher and deputy editor of Lifestyle Asia (under One Mega Group). You can reach me at inbetweendeadlines@gmail.com, on my blog www.cheryltiu.com, on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/cheryltiu or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/chertiu.