A Christmas Celebration..Ice Dreams

Christmas day is only four days away and once again it’s time for joyful celebrations as we rejoice in the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. For Filipinos, it means bonding with family and friends while giving thanks with the very best one’s budget can hopefully manage (credit cards have to be paid sooner or later!).

This season has also been linked to giving and receiving gifts and because of this, some people think that Christmas is all about Santa Claus. For the writers in the Lifestyle section, it means lots of Christmas parties to attend; however, we were sometimes present and at times absent because another invitation came earlier.

Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu (beside SM City Cebu, North Reclamation Area, phone +63 32 4029900) under the helm of GM Grant Gaskin was the host for the 17th Anniversary and Christmas Gala Diner Amical of the La Chaine des Rotisseurs and this year, a record 124 members and guests including His Excellency Thierry Borja de Mozota, French Ambassador to the Philippines and the President of SM Hotels and Conventions Corp, Elizabeth T. Sy.

A dinner ceremony traditionally starts at eight p.m. but traffic leading to the hotel was particularly heavy that night. We left J.Y. Square at 7:10 and arrived an hour later. If traffic continues to be chaotic, maybe one of the requirements for building permits would be the provision of helipads!

The Sta. Maria Ballroom was “decked in décor that contrive a wintry solstice of fun and frolics” and for me the ambiance was like a gigantic skating rink with the dining tables lined at the side to form into a huge rectangle, mura ug winter wonderland and all the members and their guest could only say…wow!

Aperitif was called Cyan Ice: Lobster Salad with XO Sauce placed inside Ice Balloons and this was paired with a Calamansi Vodka. Chopsticks were used to fish out the delicious lobster meat.

Second on the menu was Salmon Brulé with Seared Scallops, Marinated Red Onion and Ricotta Galette. A white wine, the Torre Oria semi-secco (Spain) was a nice accompaniment to the dish.

The soup was very tasty: Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Maple Foam and Pancetta. It was best consumed with the maple foam stirred into the soup. This was paired with Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay from France.

Sorbet was Blue Lime Sorbet and was consumed with much anticipation for the climax of the gala dinner which was the Grilled Lamb Rack on Creamed Polenta & Balsamic semi-dried Tomato with Citrus Asparagus.

During the food tasting conducted by the Board, we agreed on a common ground that the lamb should be medium; very difficult choice because each member has his/her personal preferences on how lamb should be cooked, but it would be difficult if all 124 guests will have to be served simultaneously. It was paired with the Laurus Rasteau, Grenache-Syrah, South Rhone Valley. All the wines were approved by the Board and just like any organization, we do have budgetary limitations excluding, excuse me, the entertainment that followed through the efforts of Chaine Colleague Marissa Fernan. An event like this in France where the international headquarters is located could probably cost about 220 euros (P13,000).

Dessert was an entry called Frostine: Warm Fig Tart with Muscat Mascarpone and Pistachio Tuile and the dessert wine that was served was the Hanepoot from South Africa.

A warm and merry Christmas to everyone!