Once more, French cuisine with feeling

Every July 14, France (République française) celebrates the  Bastille Day. It is also known as the French National Holiday  or Fête Nationale to commemorate the storming of the Bastille in 1789, a prison which was an emblem of absolute monarchy. It marked the beginning of the French revolution and later France “established fundamental rights for French citizens and all men without exception”.

Throughout the world where French citizens congregate, celebrations are held and in Cebu, Honorary Consul of France Michel Lhuillier and Mrs. Amparito Lhuillier were the most gracious hosts to a Reception and Dinner at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel. The occasion was made more meaningful with the presence of the H.E. Ambassador of France to the Philippines Thierry Borja de Mozota and top government officials.

During the opening ceremonies, both the National Anthems of the Philippines and France (La Marseillaise) were sung against a background of the Bastille on the stage with the flags of both countries waving proudly. The link between the two countries is very strong and historical. When the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated in Malolos, Bulacan, in January 23, 1899, the delegates were dining on French Cuisine.

Earlier, while waiting for the guests to arrive, your favorite food columnist sneaked inside the ballroom to gather food photos for the viewing pleasure of my beloved readers. I saw the rows of wines (the Champagne Lhuillier Brut, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château La Rose Brisson, Château de Pressac) …so many Château that the wine list resembled a list of housing projects, and these were wines intended for the general public. There were also special wines for the VIPs like the Château Troplong Mondot, Château La Conseillante, Chateau La Fleur-Petrus (average price, excuse me, $200 a bottle) from the private collection of French Consul Michel Lhuillier.

At the Cheese Station, Executive Chef Luke Gagnon and staff were busy preparing the Roquefort Marival, Tomme de Savoie, Saint-Nectaire, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre and the Brie de Meauz Cheese. I decided there and then that I have to try everything!

For the appetizers, the following dishes were ready: Grilled Polenta with Prawn & Roasted Red Pepper Relish, Chicken Liver Mousse on Grissini, Prosciutto wrapped Poached Pear, various Terrines and cornichons (pickles). I decided on a short list of dishes to try later because there were more delicious offerings from the Fresh Seafood Station: oysters flown in from Canada and green lipped mussels from New Zealand.

The management and staff of Marco Polo Plaza had to work very hard to prepare classic French dishes like Coq au Vin (Chicken Casserole), Quiche Lorraine, Gigot d’agneau (Roasted French Rack of Lamb), Boulangere Potatoes, Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes and the star of the show, Entrecôte (roast U.S. Prime Rib Eye). There is however a technique to avail of the most tasty portions; never be among the first to be served because the middle portion is cooked medium rare and the meat with that delicious fat that clings to the ribs is the most delicious and literally melts in your mouth.

So much representation of the very best of French cuisine that night in the entire Philippines and French cuisine, according to Doreen Fernandez (Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture) “has become the standard, and anyone seriously interested in good food strives to learn about, experience, and taste it”. And every time I taste it, memories are gently awakened to a dinner in the early seventies at the Au Bon Vivant, the first restaurant in Manila to serve authentic French cuisine.

Ferran Adrià who has been called the world’s greatest chef said “At the end of the day, after all these appearances that you went through are emotions … when people leave, it is not necessarily they remember the dish or the sequence of dishes but the emotions that they were able to be part of (Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations [S07E12])”.