Truly a Wonderful Dinner!

Welcoming the guests was the Amuse Bouche on dolphin's back: seared scallops, prawns & mango, Saumon fume & Mascarpone timbale, Mousse de foie gras, Port wine gelee, Tuna sashimi & Martini bianco, stuffed kalamata olives with feta, and petite sushi compose.

Villa Frattina, Cuvee Brut, 2003, Italy was paired with these appetizers, just enough to warm the hearts but the selection already showed a glimpse of what dinner these formidable band of international gourmands were going to have.

One of the duties of an officer of La Chaine is to make sure that only good food is served and the only way to do this is to taste these dishes, much ahead of the affair. This is hard work and your favorite columnist has never been absent! Unfortunately, the excitement of the discovery of a new dish is lost. The first course was Poached Crystal Bay oysters, Mornay sauce & fumet de poisson. The latter is an extract of the delicious juices of fishes, a nice companion to my favorite shellfish- oysters. Even better was the first wine selection, Tenuta San Giorgio, Pinot Grigio, 2004 from Italy. It was fruity (fermentation in stainless steel vats), crisp and dry.

Duckling aiguillettes, avocado & mango timbale with balsamic glaze came next, accompanied by a French wine, the Nicolas Potel, Bourgogue Rouge 'Cuvee Gerard 2004.

A soup, traditionally associated with Marseilles (France) was served-Petite bouillabaisse de mer with rouille.

The word bouillabaisse means to boil and then reduce. It was then considered as "poor man food", a large pot over wood fire with fish that is not desirable in the markets, usually scorpion fish or rockfish. Shellfish and small crabs are added then spiced with pepper and dried orange peel. The fish and soup were served separate, with the soup poured over dried homemade bread.

The Hilton version, as planned by Executive Chef Stefano Verrillo, was designed to satisfy the ever-demanding palates of these international gourmands. Hilton Big Boss Manny Osmeña selected Chateau D' Estoublon, Rouge, Les Baux de Provence, 2003, France to match this soup. It was simply delicious!

The next dish was wild arugula risotto, foie de canard & truffle paste paired with a Reserve De La Comtesse, Pauillac, 2001, France. Food is often paired with a wine to create that wonderful sensation in the palate. Not this wine though; it can be drunk alone and personally, I prefer it that way.

Rose infused Pamplemousse (grapefruit) sorbet was designed to cleanse the palate, with a mere hint of sourness, and usually a sorbet will declare that the main dish is ready to be served.

This was the Wagyu Medallions in Negro-Amaro Red Wine Truffle Sauce. I often thought that Kobe beef was the best beef in the world but lately, Wagyu beef is more popular than Kobe beef.

Back to Beef 101, Kobe beef comes from the Wagyu breed of cattle, genetically designed to produce intense intramuscular fat called marbling. To be called "Kobe beef", Wagyu beef must come from Kobe, Japan, drink a few rounds of Japanese beer and enjoy massages every day. Nice life until you meet the butcher's knife!

Expensive man sa Japan, so Wagyu cattle is shipped to the USA and Australia, born, raised and fed in these countries (same standards in Kobe) and shipped back to Kobe, to earn the coveted title of "Kobe beef" and to be sold for a mere Php33,000 a kilo or an equivalent of 11 Cebuano lechons. For those with a limited budget like me, lechon per kilo na lang!

However, Manny Osmeña like Wagyu beef so he imports meat from Wagyu cattle, which was prepared either in the USA or Australia, and serves it as the main course. Paired with the Chateau Duhart-Milon Rothschild, Pauillac, 2001, France, my dinner is almost satisfactory. It could have been perfection with two more slices of Wagyu and an extra glass or two of Chateau Duhart-Milon Rothschild.

But perfection did not come so I turned my attention to the desserts called Sexy 6 Temptations: Vanilla bavaroise paired with Tia Maria sabayon, Kalamansi panna cotta with Grand Marnier spume and Orange crème brulee with Amaretto sabayon. After all those delicious desserts, I still want a glass of Chateau Duhart-Milon Rothschild!

Last item on the menu was the Fromage (cheese) with Tomme de Savoie (French cheese) and La Pere Fanfoue paired with Porto Calem, Quinta Da Foz, Vintage 1980, from Portugal. Tradition dictates that La Chaine formal dinners end with the Petit Fours, actually a collection of delicious chocolates, to be taken with coffee or tea.

Is good food paired with good wine or is good wine matched with good food? After twelve years with La Chaine and about seventy dinners, I still do not know the answer. Maybe it is similar to the chicken and egg analogy. But what is definite is that an exciting and wonderful dinner at the Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa can only occur after a long and rigorous preparation.