Everything's fine

It began as an invitation to a Gala Dinner at a new business class hotel, the Cityscape Hotel (Ayala Access Road cor. Hernan Cortes St. Subangdaku, Mandaue City, phone +63 32 238 2489 email: http://www.cityscapehotels.com/) with a mission of “consistently redefining the art of customer service to exceed expectations”.

The theme of the dinner was “Everything’s Trio” and it was held at the L’Chaim (luh-Khah-yim) Restaurant. L’Chaim is a Hebrew word meaning “to life”. An engagement ceremony between a couple in Israel is also called l’chaim. About two months ago, I had a dinner where the food served came in doubles and triples but it was held in a well-established restaurant. It is very brave and bold for a new player to serve all the courses of the dinner from appetizer to dessert in triples. If the food is good, it is a triple pleasure; if the food is bad, then disaster is tripled gyud.

The first course was called “Open Your Appetite” and we tasted the Silky Smooth Chicken Liver Parfait with Cumberland Sauce, Golden Calamari with an Intriguing Sweet and Sour Lychee Sauce and Stout-battered Fish Fingers with Sauce Remoulade. Each dish had an accompanying sauce with a unique function. The cumberland sauce softened the richness of the liver, the lychee sauce and the sauce remoulade cushioned the “oiliness” of the squid and the fish, respectively. Nice start!

The soup was then served: Espresso of Butternut Pumpkin, Tomato & Fine Herbs and Wild Mushroom. This is triple work in dissecting the nuances of each soup but we do have our personal preferences. I have recently tasted various materials made into soup including aubergine or eggplant. If there are five or more dishes in the menu, I like my soup simple like the tomato and fine herbs. If less, then a soup with much more complex structure would be best to fill the void.

The three salad dishes came next: Stir-fried Garlic Shrimp and Apple Salad drizzled with Raspberry Vinaigrette, Classic Caesar Salad encased in Parmeggiano Crouton and Shredded Crabstick and Cucumber tossed in Shrimp Roe Dressing. My favourite was the Caesar Salad.

Then the breather, a sorbet called the Watermelon Vodka Granita to cleanse and prepare the palate for the main dishes and a shift from white to red wines.

These were the main dishes: Steamed Baby Grouper in Soya Ginger Marinade, Bourguingnonne Braised Mutton with Essence of Bouquet Garni, Deep-fried Duckling Confit with Pineapple Chutney and a carbohydrate source, the Truffle-scented Gnocchi.

There is a small problem when you include fish in a plate of meats; the taste of the fish is simply too delicate. You can start with the fish but the accompanying red wine with its tannins would be inappropriate with the subtle flavors of the ginger-soy marinated fish. My beloved readers know that their favorite food columnist had an affinity for duck dishes and the duckling confit was simply irresistible.

And finally, whew, the desserts: Delicate Crème Brûlée, Oozing Dark Chocolate Molten Lava, Banana and Peanut Turon with Vanilla Ice Cream. Very sinful, these spread of wonderful delights.

Congratulations to the management led by the Cityscape Hotel GM Bong Sarmiento and Executive Chef Eugene Guevarra. Everything came out fine and you made it, excuse me, with flying colors. Indeed, competition in the customer service industry is a notch higher.