A lovely welcome dinner

CEBU, Philippines – Traffic jam is the new reality in big cities like Cebu. There is an overall sense of relief when prices of fuel go down but there's another side to it - cars long mothballed for being gas guzzling monsters get back on the road, which adds to the problem of our narrow streets. And the fact that banks are offering enticing car loans all the more adds more vehicles in the streets each month.

December 18 was particularly stressful for me because of the traffic. Compounding the already tense road scenario was the day being the last Friday before Christmas; many companies including many bank branches were celebrating their office parties. The result was horrendous traffic.

Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa had sent invitations for dinner on that day, to welcome its new General Manager, René D. Egle. Pick-up shuttle service at my residence in Lahug was supposed to at 4:30 p.m. It came two hours late, with Jaime Picornell on board, and we were still to pick up Cookie Newman. After another hour, we were still in Mandaue City. I was just ready to call it quits, if not for the thought that I would have to endure the same traffic going back home.

After a stressfully indeterminable time, we finally reached Shangri-La. At the Cowrie Cove, the first dish served - at 8:30 p.m. - was Sautéed King Prawn, Orange Salad and Roasted Carrot, paired with a white wine, Pebble Lane, Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc 2014. The prawn was super fresh and Executive Sous Chef Paolo Pelosi meticulously prepared it by removing the black vein (actually intestine) at the back of the prawn. It had to be removed; you'd want to eat the prawn, not what the prawn ate!

Shangri-La's Mactan Director of Communications introduced GM René D. Egle, who hails from Loeffingen in Germany's Black Forest and has been in the hospitality business for 20 years so far. He graduated with degrees in Economics and Hotel Management and has had worked with cruise liners and various five-star hotels before joining the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in 2003.

The soup was delicious - Pan Seared Scallop, Truffle Scented Polenta Soup and Parmesan Tips. Polenta is ground corn minus the bran and we call it "maize numero dieciocho," number 18. It is historically considered peasant food in Europe, but the addition of truffles that's worth a small fortune raises its status to royalty and hence fit, excuse me, for the media people in attendance to appreciated it.

The second wine was poured, Montes Alpha, Pinot Noir 2014, served with the Surf and Turf; Roasted Beef Tenderloin Rossini and Rock Lobster, Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar. The elements of a Rossini, real tender beef, plus pan-frying it in butter and topping it with fatty liver (foie gras) all contributed in a crescendo to the deliciousness of the dish. I forgot the sequence of which to eat first and it should have been the lobster first, otherwise its delicate taste would be overwhelmed by the rich taste of the beef.

At this juncture, Shangri-La's Mactan GM René D. Egle revealed that he would put an emphasis on Filipino talent in many aspects of the resort, from culinary to entertainment, in 2016 and the resort would continuously provide Asian hospitality from the heart.

Closing the wonderful dinner was the Oven Roasted Apple, Raisin and Vanilla Ice Cream paired with a dessert wine, Beringer Moscato.

The traffic problem in Cebu came back to mind. A friend mentioned that there were places in the Visayas where there was no traffic, like Siquijor, for instance… but there would also be no lovely dinners like the one we had.