Paradise Island in Shangri-La Mactan

Encarta Dictionaries define an island as a piece of land surrounded by water; in Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort & Spa, (email: http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/cebu/mactanresort, phone 231-0288), there is such an area sometimes surrounded by water and it is called Paradise Island. During low tide, you simply walk along the beach and it has the facilities for a very exclusive dinner for 10-12 persons. This was the destination for a select group of media personalities last March 4, 2009 and the theme of the dinner was “March into summer!”

Last year, Shangri-La GM Raymond Bragg said that food and service will play a major role to meet the challenges in 2009 and when my friend Raymond made this promise “when the Toque meets the Pen,” he delivers. And this means more work for your favorite food columnist and before the cock will crow… I mean before April is over, four food trips na gyud to Shangri-La Mactan.

The dinner was a sneak preview of the Artichoke Festival, a vegetable (Cynara scolymus) which is prized in Mediterranean cooking. An artichoke looks like the head of the pineapple with shorter rounded leaves. The edible parts are the base of the leaves and the central portion or its heart. Be careful when you reach the heart since the top is covered with fine, hair-like growth. Discard this top part because it is very prickly and you might “choke.” Maybe this is one of the reasons why it is called “artichoke.” It is a seasonal vegetable available from March to May and is often sold pickled or preserved.

We left the handling of the fresh artichoke to Executive Italian Chef Gianluca Visciglia and we merely sat down, relaxed and enjoyed the two dishes; an appetizer called Segata di Carciofi (thin slices of fresh artichoke and arugula in lemon vinaigrette and shaved parmesan) and a pasta, the Tagliatelle al Pepe Nero con Carciofi a Talaggio (freshly made black pepper tagliatelle with sautéed artichoke and talegio sauce).

When these two dishes were served, I immediately sensed two problems with these dishes - my beloved readers will instantly complain that they cannot pronounce the names, and the service staff will have to walk the walk, about 30 meters from Aqua to Paradise Island for us to taste such fine dishes.

Main course was the Costolette d’agnello farcite al foie gras in crosta di pistacchi con fungi trifolati (Lamb loin with foie gras and pistachio nut crust served with sautéed mushroom and fondant potato). Unfortunately, some of my dear colleagues from media have an aversion to lamb and they ordered fish instead.

Well, different strokes for different people, but they did miss the crispy pistachio nut crust and the umami-loaded flavors of the foie gras in combination with the tender juicy lamb. Absolutely, no gamey smell of poorly prepared lamb; this was one truly great dish!

To close such a fine meal, Chef Gianluca selected the Semifreddo al caffe’e cognac (Iced coffee parfait flavoured with cognac). Nothing complicated, no more work to be done in dissecting the nuances of the flavors.

And your favorite food columnist agrees with the mission statement of Shangri-La Mactan, “Enjoy the flexibility to create your own hotel experience in a way that is tailored to your needs.” You will enjoy something new, gain a new perspective every time you visit this beautiful resort!