Guest Chefs Bring Min Cuisine To Shangri-La Mactan

CEBU, Philippines - Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu invites guests on a culinary journey to the heart of one of the world’s richest cultures to celebrate the fine food, good fortune and traditions of China as it presents Food of Fortune – A Fuzhou Food Festival at Tea of Spring from August 8 to 16, 2009. Chef Tacky Zheng Ying and Chef Yang Jiaxi bring time-honored Chinese delicacies to Cebu all the way from Shangri-La Hotel, Fuzhou.

Fuzhou, located in the south-eastern part of Fujian Province in China, is a coastal area known for its unique gastronomy. Fuzhou cuisine, more popularly known as “Min cuisine,” is a product of several centuries of cultural exchange of locals with traveling merchants all over China. Min cuisine is known for its utilization of locally grown ingredients such as tea, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, lotus seeds, white fungus and fresh seafood. It plays a leading role in many landmark events in the lives of Chinese all over the world. With particular emphasis on specialty soups and one-of-a-kind fish balls, an authentic dining experience awaits guests with unique dishes lovingly sautéed and simmered by the guest chefs.

With their combined skill and expertise in Min cuisine management and production, Chef Tacky Zheng Ying and Chef Yang Jiaxi bring authentic Min gastronomy to Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu. Guests will surely be delighted as they taste the chefs’ signature dishes, including Buddha Jumps Over The Wall. The world-famous soup dish contains more than 20 specialty ingredients and is cooked with wine in a special clay container over a slow fire for several days. Also called Fo Qiao Tiang, the name of the dish translates to English as “Consummation of Happiness and Longevity.” While there are many variations to the legend behind the dish, all writers seem to agree that Buddha, upon smelling the aroma of the dish, jumped over the wall of the monastery to have a taste. The dish is known to be the only delicacy that caused the great monk to take a break from meditation and his vegetarian lifestyle.

 Food of Fortune – A Fuzhou Food Festival is available for lunch and dinner at Tea of Spring from August 8 to 16, 2009. For inquiries and reservations, please call 231 8224 or e-mail [email protected]