The carnivore’s trail

MANILA, Philippines - There have been numerous efforts – all futile – to get me to give up meat, especially beef, and go vegetarian. The stock answer to that is since cows eat grass, and I eat the cow, I am, in effect, eating grass. That usually ends the discussion. So nothing quite excited a carnivore like me more than the thought of an all-day beef tasting trail.

Enter Australian Grass-fed Beef on the Menu, a culinary experience started in 2015 to promote Australia’s beef and cattle industry through a dégustation of high-quality beef prepared a myriad of ways. In only its second hosting, this carnivorous trail has expanded to 58 outlets and 35 brands – and counting, clearly attesting to the marketability of Australian Grass-fed Beef. Unfortunately, I did not have the time – and the digestive capacity – to do the whole trail, but our three stops were more than enough to showcase what the buzz on the beef was about.

True Grill, the first restaurant on our trail, is tucked away in a non-descript part of Makati – the makings of a hidden gem everyone is excited to discover. They serve up “homey” Australian fanfare – steaks, burgers, shepherd’s pie – along with Pinoy favorites like tapa and salpicao, and all for a price that won’t burn a hole in your pocket or give you indigestion. True Grill imports the Australian beef themselves so the restaurant also doubles as a delicatessen.

Our next stop was the swanky City of Dreams on the other side of town, amidst the gleaming new towers of Pagcor’s Entertainment City in Parañaque. Red Ginger, a restaurant in the City of Dreams complex that specializes in Southeast Asian cuisine created by Malaysian chef Sam Kin Hue, may not come to mind when speaking of Australian beef, but we got a pleasant and tasty surprise – make that surprises – here.

We were treated to mouth watering dishes of Char-Grilled Mulwarra Beef Tenderloin Steaks, Beef Luc Lac, Beef Satay and Beef Massaman Curry. I have to give credit to the chef for the impeccable balance of flavors in each dish and for preparing them in a way that allowed the natural flavor of the Australian Grass-fed Beef to come through. It was truly a culinary delight.

In addition to the beef, we were served an excellent green papaya salad with palm sugar caramel, salt and pepper tofu and a delicious dessert of red roasted peanuts in vanilla ice cream, lime meringue and salted caramel peanut butter that rounded out the meal quite perfectly.

Our final stop for the day was the fabled Blackbird at the old airport tower in the heart of the Makati central business district. We were served three dishes: Beef Tartare with Asian Pear, Miso and Nori Crisp; Potato Gnocchi with Beef Shortrib and Porcini Ragout; and Beef Tenderlion with Fine Beans and Horseradish Gratin. As expected everything was excellent, but I have to give a special shout out to the tartare – this dish is impossible to prepare and absolutely unpalatable if the beef is not of the best quality.

What impresses me most about the carnivorous trail is the diverse choices of restaurants. Australian Grass-fed Beef was used in dishes from your run of the mill café to Asian cooking to fine dining. This wide range of tastes is a testament to the quality and versatility of the beef. With more and more dining establishments around town cooking up more and more possibilities, expect Australian Grass-fed Beef imports to take off from the A$130 million registered last year. Now that’s a trail definitely worth pursuing!