Waterfront’s new Chefs
Elections 2013 is all but over and what remains is to be officially proclaimed by the Electoral Body. To all those who have won elective positions, your constituents are praying that you will fulfill your promises and those who were unfortunate to lose the elections, remember an ordinary American who had lost eight electoral battles but eventually won the war, the election for the Presidency of the U.S.A., Abraham Lincoln. In other words, start preparing for Elections 2016!
In the midst of the political campaign, we, media workers in the Lifestyle section were invited to preview the luncheon at the Uno Restaurant prepared by the new chefs of Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino Mactan, Executive Chef Stephen Del-Amen and Pastry Chef Neil Vaño.
The usual array of Appetizers, Salads, Carving Stations, Main Courses, Japanese and Chinese Sections and Dessert were all displayed. What were extraordinary were the contents of the food stations, something that best showcased the culinary wizardry of these two fine gentlemen who conjured something extraordinary from the kitchens of Waterfront Mactan.
From the Appetizer section, a truly wonderful dish was the Roulade of Fish & Shrimp with Asparagus and Coriander Mango salsa. Chef Stephen is indeed passionate about his cooking because the combination of flavors he coaxed out these ordinary ingredients was truly a gustatory delight.
At the Salad section, the following veggies combinations were served: Black Rice and Mint Salad, Potato salad, Tuna with Tomato and Olives, Poached Chicken with Coriander, Insallata Marinara and the Mexican Pasta salad. Nothing unusual except for the appearance of the black rice, and a good food writer has to taste each salad to be able to write about it. For your favorite food columnist, the best dish served during that lunch was the Poached Chicken with Coriander. The combination of herbs and spices to awaken the flavors of the ordinary poached chicken was, excuse me, a stroke of genius!
Another favorite was the Beef Wellington which was baked inside a piece of bread. Meticulous care was made in the preparation of the beef to seal-in the juices, while a layer of bacon around the edges guaranteed the beef will remain succulent and moist. Truly a wonderful dish!
Desserts were something amazing and I was afraid for the health of any guest who was diabetic because the desserts on display were truly irresistible. Chef Neil Vaño added a twist here and there and the results were simply spectacular. I wish I could taste everything but in the end, I limited myself to only four: Chocolate Raspberry Delight, Mango Bavaroise, Malacoff Pistachio Cake, Crème Caramel.
I have a small role during a political campaign and I was lucky that there was a brief respite in my duties and was able to accept the invitation that came from Waterfront Mactan’s Communications Officer, January Leron. To have missed this culinary journey would have been a huge mistake.
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