Dining At The Club

CEBU, Philippines - I have to admit, it’s only on occasions (and I do mean that literally, only when an invitation for certain celebrations finds its way to my mail) that I get to dine at the Cebu City Sports Club. Well, for obvious reasons, I’m no member. But as far as I could remember when it comes to the dining experience, I’ve never had any complains.

Just in perfect timing for my craving of somewhere new to dine, an invitation from the Club’s dynamic marketing team to try the latest servings of their Ma-yi restaurant came one sunny day. Named after the old Cebu colloquial moniker, Ma-yi is the club’s venue for casual dining with a touch of fine elegance. But do not let its local name mislead you. Their menu is a handsome mélange of continental cuisine dashed with inventive twists whipped by award-winning young chef Brian Lance Bersonda.

The luncheon gave me a first taste of its Executive Meal. Sampling its weekly menu began with the Pumpkin Soup—generally not my favorite soup but when I got to taste its sweet tingly flavor, this serving completely shifted my taste buds, especially when you get to the Marshmallow Muesli garnish. Then there was my all-time fave, the Clam Chowder ala King. For our entrée, we had the Bangus Belly with sautéed onions and tomatoes—large portions of milk fish cooked to perfection, bringing out its succulent flavor. This you have got to savor! Then I had seconds with the Greek Grilled Pork on Spinach Risotto—the popular Cebuano barbeque style dashed with Mediterranean flavors atop Italian rice. An absolute thumbs up. Finally, capping all this gastronomic fancy fare is a platter of the freshest fruits.

Burp! Pardon me, I think I’m full.

(Cebu City Sports Club opens its Member Plus program where under the recommendation of a bonafide member, outsiders can avail dining facilities at any time. Contact the club for more details. My special thanks to Meyen Baguio)