Actually, the students are constantly cooking something at the Metropolitan Occupational Science and Technology (MOST) Institute (www.most-institute.com, phones 516-7523, 420-5858) which is a trade school that provides quality education in culinary arts. Students with passion in cooking but have little or no kitchen experience usually enroll in a six-month course and its time to invite your favorite food columnist to sample their fine dining simulation. Batch 24 made this attempt to show their culinary skills with a theme “Orient Express” at the Maria Luisa Highland Clubhouse.
The subject reminds me of the movie, Murder on the Orient Express featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie novels. The Orient Express is the name of a passenger train with Paris and Istanbul as the original endpoints. It has become “synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel.” When I received the invitation, I imagined that the dishes prepared by the students will feature both elements of western and eastern cuisines.
First entry was The Crab Prince, a Cream Cheese Crab Cake. Nori sheets were used to wrap the crab meat and it has a luxurious taste as the name implies. Quiet interesting! Salad was served next, the Wakawaka Salad (Broccoli Salad in Wasabi Mayo Dressing). Actually it had other veggies like lettuce and cherry tomatoes with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.
Soup was Little Chix Waggin, a Thai Chicken Noodle Soup and the mushrooms (shitake?) provided that refreshing and earthly taste. Not bad for students who may never have handled a kitchen knife before and the dish shows their passion about cooking.
Served next was the Mistress of the Sea, Carpaccio de Poison (Tuna, Salmon and Tangigue) and Sesame Seeds with Okoy (Carrot, Potato and Squash). Medyo over enthusiastic ra about the use of sesame seeds and I do prefer the okoy crisp to provide the texture to the dish.
To cleanse the palate, a sorbet was served, the Green Cloud Burst, the Mandarin Biasong with Mint Granita. The citrus plant called “biasong” or Citrus hystrix var micrantha is similar to the “suwa” or the kaffir lime fruit and the “samuyao” which has a smaller fruit (http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/kaffir-or-makrut-lime-leaves).
Main dish was the Bowsy Wowsy, a Cru Sucre’ Dijon Pork Loins with Mushroom and Kani Risotto. Presentation was excellent and the meat was moist, tender and very tasty. Nice!
Dessert was the Royal Starlet, Fruit (Mango, Peach, Kiwi and Chico) Yogurt Parfait. Too sour! This is a common mistake students make that is to assume that similar ingredients have similar taste. Mangoes from Cebu taste sweet (ripened naturally) but Cebu is a trading post and all types of mangoes from different provinces reach our local markets. But nice surprises do occur sometimes. Once, I bought a mango (beside Ramos Public market) that was sweet with a touch of tart with a creamy texture like leche flan, the perfect mango!
Except for the dessert, passing marks gyud these students from the MOST Institute and God willing, I shall be once again a guest when you have been successful in your career in the culinary arts.