Une Nuit Étoilée a starry night

This was the theme of the 19th Induction Gala Diner Amical of the La Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international organization that was established with its members bound by an interest in good food, good wine and good company.

Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa selected the culinary signatures of eight Michelin Star awarded chefs and their creations were replicated in an elegant banquet dinner setting accompanied by select wines with matching china and cutlery for each dish. This business of “star wars” began when André Michelin published the Michelin Guide (1900) and it awards one to three stars to restaurants of outstanding quality.

As an officer in La Chaine, it is our solemn duty to taste all the food and drink the wine, and once approved, will be served for the dinner event. This is the one excuse why I skip the self-imposed rule “no alcohol before 6 p.m., Philippine time.” Even in an organization with members that are economically privileged, a budget has to be imposed so the bill will not exceed P5,000 per person, about half of the cost of a similar dinner in Europe. Another constraint is time because there will be induction ceremonies and hopefully the entire event should not last more than four hours.

Apéritifs were Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial, Beringer Founders Estate Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 and Pinot Noir, 2009 and five kinds of hors d' oeuvres, including the Coquilles Saint Jacques au Gratin (Auguste Escoffier, France), more than enough to sustain the guests during the wait for the induction and the formal dinner.

Appetizer was the Seared Duck Liver with Green Apple, Yoghurt, Sunflower Kernels and Tarragon (Nils Henkel, Germany) paired with the Louis Guntrum Royal Blue Riesling 2010. It was good, as the fruitiness of the wine held a lease on the richness of the fatty liver.

The soup was the crowd’s favorite that night: Truffle Consommé (Paul Bocuse, France). This was accompanied by a red wine, Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Village 2009, because some tannin was needed to restrain the earthiness of such a delicious concoction.

A pasta dish followed, the Lobster Ravioli (Gordon Ramsay, UK) paired with a white wine, Wolf Blass White Label Chardonnay 2011. Later, I heard that the momentum from white wines to red then back to white wine was not acceptable to some members but during the food tasting, everything went well with the wine pairing including the Lobster Ravioli.

The fish entré was delicious: Pan-fried Sea Bass and Scallops in Zucchini with Bell Pepper Sauce (Berthold Buehler, Germany) paired with the Loosen Riesling 2009. This was followed by the Sherbet (Ferran Adria, Spain) Caipirinha with a sphere containing the rum, sugar and lime and you know you are in the realm of molecular gastronomy.

 Main course was the Lamb Loin with Herbs, Lamb Chops with Gratin and Confit Shoulder of Lamb (Guy Savoy, France) matched with a nice red wine, Baron Philippe De Rothschild Baron Nathaniel Pauillac AOC, 2009. Some members complained that the food service was slow and it was nearly 12 midnight and we still had two dishes in the menu, Spicy Peppery Monterey Jack and Cheddar, Grilled Fruit Bread (Thomas Keller, USA) and the dessert, Valrhona Guyana Chocolate Lava Cake with Milk Jam Ice Cream (Jimmy Iuzzini USA).

At the end of the dinner, everyone brought home a souvenir, a wonderful cookbook with all the recipes of the dishes served during the Une Nuit Étoilée at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa and when you are a member of La Chaine, you can taste all these culinary signatures of Michelin star awarded chefs right here in Cebu.