Northern Exposure at Bluewater

CEBU, Philippines - In celebrating its 23rd anniversary, Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort -- a truly Filipino classy destination -- has invited the country's top chefs from up north to share their culinary treasures with Cebuanos. "Northern Exposure 2012: The Best of Manila Restaurants & Chefs Series" officially set off last Friday, July 27, with Chef Jessie Sincioco. ( Her dishes were featured until July 29)

Chef Jessie is President & CEO of JCS Gastronomie, Inc., overseeing two topnotch venues – Top of the Citi and the Rockwell Club. She is a sought-after kitchen whiz in upscale and exclusive parties of Manila's rich and famous.(www. chefjessie.com) An expert in French, American and Asian cuisines, Chef Jessie truly fascinated our palates in the media lunch buffet that Saturday.

Our table's topic was the platter of appetizers Chef Jessie personally delivered: the interesting piquancy of blue cheese at the heart of sweet lychees, and the tangy crunch of half ripe local mango slices wrapped in paper-thin prociutto – a sweet-sour-salty treat! These whetted our appetites, indeed!

Notable among the salad offerings was the Alugbati greens that seemed freshly picked from the gardens – they were so crisply emerald with flavor enhanced by what turned out to be crumbled Buwad Danggit. This is a must try! The Heart of Palm (Ubod) with Tamarind Vinaigrette Dressing was also remarkable in its simplicity, so was the Artichoke Hearts with feta cheese.

Main courses included: my all-time favorite – Canard a l’Orange (duck breast simmered in orange juice) that was so tender and flavored just right as only a true French chef could achieve even in a buffet setting; the salt Encrusted Baked Whole Salmon was light and delightful to the tongue, juicy and appealing in color; the carving of a lamb's leg was equally delightful; so were the Tiger Prawns with Mango Chutney.

Chef Jessie is known for her desserts and her ciabatta bread (we were gifted with a loaf of this wonderful bakery item) of which we indulged ourselves – including me who is known to skip dessert. Her Creme Brulee is to die for! So are her Tiramisu and various Panna Cotta concoctions.

Thank you for the Filipino-French buffet spread, Chef Jessie!

This visiting chef has trained the Bluewater kitchen brigade so that her signature dishes can be available when she goes back to Manila.

The husband & wife team of Roland and Jackie Landico of Bistro Filipino will be featured next on August 24 - 26. Their bistro is a fine dining outlet serving Filipino dishes in a world-class way. Their attraction is that they retain tradition in a creative way, coming up with an international flair to familiar recipes.

In September, French-trained Chef Sau del Rosario will share his prowess by September 28 - 30. Chef Sau is passionate in his mission to disseminate his Pampango heirloom recipes among Cebuanos. Chef Sau trained under Michelin Chef Christian Plumail in Nice,Southern France. He later honed his skills in multi-Michilen starred restaurants in Paris and opened prestigious restaurants in Shanghai before returning to Manila. (FREEMAN)