Hail to the new chief!

CEBU, Philippines – It was an afternoon of fun and cocktails, a grand welcome for Nicholas Smith as the new general manager of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa, Cebu. The event, dubbed “Tour of Mactan,” was just fitting for the British national, who is himself an avid cyclist.

The bicycling “tradition” at Shangri-La began in 2013, when eleven hotels of the Shangri-La’s family in China organized a charity cycling event called the “Ride for Hope.” The starting point of the 2,000 kilometer marathon to Shanghai was at Futian Shangri-La. Six riders, including Nicholas Smith who was then GM at Futian Shangri-La, pedaled for 22 days. The event raised funds for three projects: potable water for a village in Guangxi, Ocean Conservation initiative in Shenzen and an orphan-care endeavor headed by the Will Foundation.

This time around, as the China event was replicated in Cebu, the new Shangri-La’s Mactan GM Nicolas Smith was again a participant, together with eight other cyclists in the 800-kilometer, seven-day ride. By the way, there is no truth to the rumor that guests were required to ride a bicycle to the welcome cocktail party; otherwise I myself would not have reached the Ocean Pavilion because I cannot ride a two-wheel vehicle!

At the welcome party, appetizers were served: Gravlax Salmon, Cucumber & Mascarpone, Brie and Turkey in Cranberry Ciabatta, Buffalo Mozarella & Orange Scented Tomato Confit and Prawn Salad with Mango & Bamboo Shooters. As usual, I tried to taste a small bite of all the dishes because I had to do a culinary accounting. Many dishes are not what they appear to be. Take, for example, “confit”; whenever I hear the word “confit,” what comes to my mind is “duck confit,” duck preserved by salting it and cooking it with fat, so “tomato confit” takes a bit more time to register.

Main dishes were the Chicken Breast Stuffed with Kesong Puti, Pork Ribs, Parmesan Wheel Risotto, Beef Wellington and the Tuna Carpaccio on Grilled Garlic Bruschetta with Condiments. Beef Wellington has lately made a comeback in many parties – it is beef fillet coated with duck liver paste and minced mushroom wrapped in puff pastry and baked. I consider it as one of the top three tastiest dishes at the welcome cocktails.

At the grilling station, skewered seafood like prawns and squid were emitting lots of smoke to spoil camera shots; so I focused instead on the raw Lamb Chops Marinated in Fresh Rosemary, because the marbling was quite conspicuous and fat makes the meat tender and delicious and, indeed, it was tender. The only problem was that many guests heard about it, making it disappear quickly.

Desserts included Mini Chocolate Brownies, English Fruit Cake, Pineapple Cannoli, Coconut Mousse, Coffee Jelly and local delicacies like Ginataang Bilo Bilo and Linusak na Saging. Bilo-bilo is made with glutinous rice balls while linusak – or nilupak – refers to pounded saging na saba; both use sugar and coconut cream.

Much later, with a glass of wonderful cognac on hand, excuse me – compliments from a lovely guest – I pondered on what GM Nicolas Smith said, “Shangri-La’s Mactan will conceptualize unique and tailor-made events and adventures as the spotlight for customer service.” Hmmm… I got excited about what’s to come.

Hail to the new chief!