Dining among stars
Guests experienced dining among the stars (chefs and actual stars high up in a tall building) during “The Grand Master Chef Series: A Two-Star Michelin Restaurant Takeover” at the Penthouse at The Peak of Grand Hyatt Manila.
A pair of two-Michelin-star, Singapore-based chefs — Rishi Naleendra of Cloudstreet and Mano Thevar of Thevar — showcased the innovative flavors of their concepts during two exclusive evenings. Guests had the option of solely enjoying the signature dishes alone or with a wine-pairing list.
I attended the opening dinner by Rishi Naleendra, a very talented and amiable chef I met in Singapore pre-pandemic. He had talked to me about the soon-to-open Cloudstreet when I was having his exemplary dishes at his old restaurant, Cheek by Jowl.
Naleendra was born and raised in a family of food professionals. Sri Lanka’s first Michelin-starred chef immersed himself in the culinary arts and moved to Singapore, where he earned his first Michelin star. He then decided to open several concepts in the country. Cloudstreet showcases a delightful marriage of Sri Lankan and Australian cuisines, highly inspired by his heritage and working years in Australia. Aside from earning Michelin stars, Cloudstreet also placed in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023.
Naleendra showcased his innate creativity, whipping up excerpts of Cloudstreet’s beloved specials for his Filipino diners that night. He began the evening with Porcini Custard, accompanied by onion consommé and Baeri caviar. I loved the Red Sicilian Prawns with fermented tomato and lemon granita.
Standout dishes included grilled sea bass bathed in crab fat, spiced raisin and Oscietra caviar; roasted quail in shiitake and chestnut puree and a melt-in-your-mouth A4 Wagyu striploin with bell pepper and fermented soy sauce. He specifically used crab fat for the sea bass since he said Filipinos often give him a bottle of crab fat as a gift, a condiment he learned to use and like.
Guests ended the evening with three desserts: black olive panna cotta, Jerusalem artichoke ice cream, and a ragi (a type of grain) financier with hazelnut Chantilly.
Two days later, chef Mano Thevar closed out the spectacular, two-night experience as he shared signatures from Thevar.
Grand Hyatt Manila’s assistant vice president and general manager Gottfried Bogensperger said, “It was truly a night to remember, both for our guests and our colleagues as well. A gastronomic two-night experience celebrating and honoring the diversity of the Asian palate with two multi-talented Michelin-honored chefs sharing their heritage with us here. We look forward to more events like this.”
This dinner was part of the Asian Culinary Exchange (ACE), which is designed to showcase Singapore through a series of cross-cultural collaborations between Singaporean and Filipino chefs. The ACE is part of “Serve It, Singapore,” a project by the Singapore Tourism Board with food writer, author and restaurateur Angelo Comsti (read about his new ice cream below) that brings a series of dining experiences straight from the culinary capital of Singapore to the tables of Manila.
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Kurimo X Angelo
When indie rock band Taken by Cars recorded their first album, drummer Bryan Kong met audio engineer Shinji Tanaka, who owns the recording studio and was a former ramen cook in Tokyo. Bryan liked Tanaka’s home-cooked food, which led to a restaurant that now has four branches and a spin-off brand called Crazy Ramen in Marikina.
In line with the Japanese principle of doing simple things really well, Kong and his wife Maxine decided to make ice cream and came up with a creamy and luscious ice cream product under the brand Kurmu.
Maxine says, “Those who have tried our ice cream have noted its creaminess, silkiness and how each pint is true to its authentic Japanese flavor.”
The couple says it took them months of research to produce an ice cream base they were happy with. The Kongs don’t rely on a pre-made black sesame paste; they roast their own seeds until it reaches an intense degree of nuttiness and potency. They also offer Matcha (green tea), Shoyu (soy sauce) Caramel, Malted Milkshake with Furikake Popcorn, Shio (salt) Mint Chip, Tarochata, plant-based Nama (raw) Chocolate, Kohi (coffee) Cream, and Miso Mascarpone with Passion Fruit Almond Praline.
A collaboration with chef Angelo Comsti started with a Yuzu Toasted Rice ice cream and now they’ve come up with a new flavor: Japanese Sweet Corn with Miso-Cured Smoked Bacon. Bryan and Angelo steeped the boiled corn in milk then blitzed the liquid with the kernels. To add a layer of flavor and texture, they candied the smoked bacon and added it in the ice cream. The Japanese Sweet Corn with Miso-Cured Smoked Bacon ice cream of Kur?mu is a limited-edition variant.
Kur?mu Ice Cream is freshly churned daily and contains no preservatives. You can order through their Instagram account @kurimu.ph but do visit their boutiques located at Mitsukoshi Mall, BGC; SM Aura; SM Mall of Asia; SM Megamall; Robinsons Magnolia; Uptown BGC; and Glorietta 4, Makati. Try Angelo’s delicious new collaboration with them in their cone infused with black sesame and nori (seaweed).
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Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.
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