A taste of Mediterranean cuisine

CEBU, Philippines – Mediterranean cuisine is the sum of all the food cultures of countries  adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea. On the European side, we have Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, Greece or a total of 15 countries, then five countries - Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and Palestine - in Asia and another five countries in Africa - Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Algeria.

The concept of Mediterranean cuisine came with the publication of the "Book of Mediterranean Food" by Elizabeth David in 1950 and the development of the theory of the Mediterranean diet in the 70s. Key elements in the diet were olive oil, legumes, whole grains, with moderate amounts of wine and red meat. The Italians welcomed such concept, but substituted the word "cuisine" for "diet" because the word "diet" is unappetizing if not unappealing.

Select members of Cebu's tri-media were invited for lunch to sample this Mediterranean cuisine at "La Gondola," the Italian restaurant of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

 Your favorite food writer always has a handicap if the invitation is scheduled for lunch, because I eat a heavy breakfast and usually skip lunch and my innards are already accustomed to it. Add to this my self-imposed alcohol restriction before six p.m.

The menu for the local media showed four appetizers, a soup, three carbohydrate dishes, three main dishes and three desserts. Add the fact that in "La Gondola" the food servings are huge; I was right in eating only one boiled egg and two tablespoons of rice for breakfast that day.

I took three tiny pieces of the Moroccan bread and dipped each into the hummus (chick pea spread), "babaganouj" (grilled eggplant) and "tahina" or sesame paste. I ate one piece of the Fried Baby Calamari and limited myself to one piece of Mushroom Tart with Brie. Then I began to stare at the Shaved Vegetable Salad with Herbs in Vinaigrette. That was all I did for three minutes before beginning to wonder from which garden Chef Simon Sperling harvested all those flowers for lunch!

This was followed by Creamy Mushroom Soup with Parmesan Foam and Truffle Oil and the parade of carbohydrates: Homemade Fettucini with Seafood, Mushroom Risotto with Fresh Thyme and the Tuna Pizza with Olives, Zucchini, Basil, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese.  Any of these carbohydrates would be a meal by itself, and I was very careful not to give in to the temptation of taking an extra bite because the heavyweights, the main dishes, were yet to be served.

Sicilian Style Baked Salmon with Tomato Olive Sauce, Green Beans and Polenta was then served, followed by the Grilled Angus Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Arugula, Aged Balsamic and Roasted Potatoes and finally, whew, the Black Paella with Garlic Sauce and Lemon. The thick salmon fillets were super delicious and the richness of the Angus Beef was perfectly balanced by the balsamic vinegar and the slightly bitter and spicy taste of the arugula. If only the affair was dinner, I could have drunk some wine or any fortified alcohol beverage to come into the aid of legislation... I mean, excuse me, digestion!

Desserts were Tiramisu, Amaretto Crème Brûlée and Salt Frozen Parmesan Ice Cream served with Tomato Jam and Hazelnut Gremolata. The Parmesan Ice Cream took no less than Executive Chef Simon Sperling to personally make it, using the techniques he got from Thailand and applied it on Italian ingredients. Indeed, what La Gondola Italian restaurant has in its expanded repertoire today are masterpieces from Mediterranean cuisine!