Real black-and-white truffles

CEBU, Philippines - Few things are revered in the culinary world as much as truffles are. In fact, there are festivals devoted to truffles, vacations planned around these delectable treats, and any chef worth his salt ought to have worked with these so-called “diamonds in the kitchen.”

Jason Hyatt, the chef and owner of The Abaca Group is certainly a chef worth his salt. In explaining the season’s offering at Tavolata, The Abaca Group’s outlet at the Design Center of Cebu on A.S. Fortuna aand P. Remedio Streets in Mandaue City, “Truffles are a special part of Italian cuisine, so we thought it was important that we feature them in Tavolata – even if it’s just for a limited time.” Chef Jason guarantees, “This is absolutely 100-percent the real deal!”

These special menu items are offered for an extremely limited time, so those who are already fans of the restaurant’s handcrafted pastas, hand-tossed pizzas and pan-roasted meats, can just imagine how much more special these would be with authentic black and white Italian truffles that The Abaca Group is flying in at the peak of the Alba truffle season.

Gourmands and foodies the world over flock to Alba around this time each year for the Alba International Travel Fair held in the Alba truffle’s honor. Cebuanos are lucky because they don’t have to go very far to get a taste or whiff of all of it now.

“[At Tavolata] we plan on keeping this really simple – a few select pastas, risottos, and a couple of new dishes,” says Hyatt. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5:30 to 10 p.m. For reservations or inquiries, one may call (032) 505 6211 or visit www.theabacagroup.com. (FREEMAN)