A night of culinary craftsmanship
Hotel Okura Manila’s “A Night of Culinary Craftsmanship” was a two-night dinner at the hotels’ Yawaragi restaurant inside Newport World Resorts that featured the culinary prowess of chef Gerard Villaret Horcajo, Chef de Cuisine of Elements, inspired by Ciel Bleu of Okura Prestige Bangkok along with the hotel’s executive chef Sebastiaan Hoogewerf and his colleagues from Hotel Okura Manila, Fujino Keiichiro, Japanese executive chef of Yamazato and pastry chef Vi Serrano.
The seven-course dinner with sake pairing done by Philippine Wine Merchants was a testament to culinary mastery. Highlights included two dishes made by Fujino — Zuwai Kani Salad with snow crab, maitake mushroom, chrysanthemum, caviar, crab vinegar, sudachi (a Japanese fruit similar to calamansi) citrus and Blessings from the Sea comprising bluefin tuna otoro, striped jack, spiny lobster, and red lapu lapu. Villaret Horcajo served the next three dishes starting with Smoked Dutch Eel with kureson (watercress), crème fraiche, Oscietra caviar, and champagne ice cream. He also served Hirame — mussels and artichoke in vadouvan (French curry) sauce. His Morel Mushrooms dish was a hit made with brown butter, miso béchamel, and freshly shaved black truffles. FGujino served the sixth course — Yamazato Chirashi Sushi and Dobin Mushi with tender Saga beef, sea urchin, ikura (salmon roe), salmon, pike conger, and matsutake mushrooms. Serrano is a Philippine Culinary Cup Bronze winner and produced two desserts too beautiful to eat — Autumn Flame was sweet potato, chestnuts, mochi, and cotton candy; and Petit Fours made of genmaicha (Japanese brown rice and green tea), raspberry, yuzu (Japanese citrus), and chocolate.
The event provided a unique opportunity to witness all the chefs in action: Villaret Horcajo at the Robatayaki area, Fujino at the Yawaragi sushi bar, and Serrano at the Sakura function space. The chefs engaged with guests and explained the dishes personally.
All guests were even given a small Kozaemon sake bottle as a token from HSBC after the event.
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Yawaragi is a one of two Japanese restaurants in Hotel Okura Manila located at Newport World Resorts, 2 Portwood Street, Pasay City. Call (0917) 8429067 for reservations or inquiries.
A storied wine dinner
Cork Elite Private Membership Club hosted a wine-pairing dinner highlighting the exceptional wines of Clos Apalta. The wine-pairing dinner was graced by the CEO and president of Clos Apalta Charles-Henri de Bournet, who has been at the top of Domaine Bournet Lapostolle since 2013.
His family’s wine story began in 1827, when Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle founded a fruit liqueur distillery in Neauphle-le-château, near Versailles, France. Fifty-three years later, Lapostolle’s granddaughter’s husband, Louis-Alexandre Marnier (who created the liqueur Grand Marnier), from a family of wine merchants, was captivated by the Cognac region and its brandy and the Lapostolle dynasty began. In 1994, Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, great-granddaughter of the creator, embarked on a new adventure in Chile. She wanted to produce exceptional wine and pave the way for the qualitative development of the country’s wines. In just a few years, she succeeded in making Clos Apalta an iconic wine.
Clos Apalta has a micro-climate which is significantly distinct from the general climate of Chile. It could be called semi-Mediterranean, with winter rains and a long, dry summer; weather conditions that allow the grapes to reach optimum maturity. The oldest plots were planted between 1915 and 1920; the stocks were imported from France at the end of the 19th century.
Chef of Te’kila Jose Rodriguez prepared the first two courses of the dinner followed by a dish made by the executive chef of Cork Elite, Henessy Dy. The dessert was created by pastry chef Patricia Anne Lopez.
De Bournet explained what wines were paired with each dish starting with Betabel Tortellini —pasta stuffed with a blend of Shiitake mushrooms, chèvre, chive cream sauce complemented by the 2014 Lapostolle, La Parcelle 8. Served next was the Empanada De Pollo braised chicken and cilantro-mint chimichuri. The main course prepared by Dy was a seared ribeye, chimichuri butter, chipotle/roasted red pepper sauce, lime-marinated carrots, charred corn, and onion petals. These two dishes were both paired with the 2015 & 2017 Clos Apalta.
Lopez presented a wonderful dessert paired with the 2018 Clos Apalta. “Chocolate and Cheese” incorporated fig bark, Gouda cookie, milk chocolate cremeux, dark chocolate whipped ganache, fig jam, and Gouda tuille to cap a great wine-pairing dinner.
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Cork Elite is located at Roof Deck Floor, The W Fifth Avenue, 32nd Street, 5th Ave, Taguig City. Call (0996) 8968888 for inquiries.
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