Too many Kiwis!

The kiwi is a small flightless bird that is found only in New Zealand. It appeared as a symbol in regimental badges in the later part of the 19th century; it gained worldwide acceptance when the Kiwi Shoe Polish were sold in the UK and the USA. Today, all New Zealanders at home and overseas are affectionately called “kiwis.”

About a dozen of these kiwis led by the New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines HE Andrew Matheson were in Cebu to showcase the country’s food, wine and culture with Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu [Sergio Osmeña Boulevard, Tel: (+63) 32 402 9900] hosting this year’s “Experience New Zealand” celebration in the Philippines from February 15 to 20. The choice of Radisson Blu Hotel as the venue is very obvious: GM Grant Gaskin and Executive Chef Ofir Yudilevich are both kiwis.

First event for your favorite food columnist to sample and taste its cuisine was the New Zealand Media Luncheon with Master Chef Simon Gault collaborating with Chef Yudilevich.

It was a four-course affair starting with an appetizer, the Prawn and Crab in Jalapeño Crème Fraiche Sauce. The dish appears to be topped with wood shavings and the prawn and crab below looked alive because the shavings were moving! The toppings were made from dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi, in Japanese) and the heat below caused the movement of the extremely thin flakes.

 Soup was the Green Pea Soup Poached Quail Egg with Cured Bacon and Truffle Oil and the main dish was New Zealand Lamb Rack with Cippolini Onions and Artichoke topped with Truffle Mushroom Mascarpone. Lamb is one of the major produce of New Zealand (NZ) and there are more sheep (43 million, used to be 72 million) there than there are people (4.3 million).

Dessert was full of flavors: Sauternes Custard in a Passion Fruit and Fennel Soup.

More work for this columnist because merely hours later, it was time for an “Exclusive Gala Evening” as New Zealand prepares to welcome the world as the host of the Rugby World Cup in September this year; 85,000 visitors are expected to watch the games.

There were many appetizers to sample that night: New Zealand Mussels, Beet Root and Goats Curd Salad while I had a glass of the Montana Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2005, which has been described as having an “incredibly bright flavor, snappy acidity and fresh.” And the service was very quick to refill my glass that with determination, I said “Thank you, please no more.”

But the wine tasting did not end there because I was eyeing the rest of the dishes: Mini Lamb Cutlets, Rich Mini Beef, Lamb Shank, and the Smoked Beef Tenderloin. I switched to the Montana Reserve Marlborough Pinot Noir 2005 to accompany these dishes.

Dessert was a NZ specialty; Hokey Pokey Ice Cream made from vanilla with small lumps of sponge toffee and with some toppings of slivered almonds. My night with NZ Cuisine was complete!

For my beloved readers who are businessmen, best time to visit is in September when NZ will host the Rugby World Cup. Register at The New Zealand 2011 Business Club  (www.newzealand.com) to facilitate networking opportunities.