Partying with the spooktacular Dr. Frankenstein

Think of a bleeding chocolate heart, split into two and oozing with strawberry blood. Think eyeballs, brains, fangs, and worms encased in glasses of jelly. Think of colorful potions of berries, aloe vera, and guava nectar concocted by Dr. Frankenstein. Think chocolate skulls strewn all over a buffet spread.

By the pricking of my thumb, all these things wicked and delicious will come to the Hotel Philippine Plaza on Oct. 29 in a Halloween brunch. It will be a spook-tacular afternoon as the chefs at Spiral dish out delicious treats for both oldies and kiddies.

Chef Carlos Carvallo, who leads the Mediterranean open kitchen, says the day’s specials – a special appetizer, soup, and salad, as well as three specials of the day – all have pumpkin in keeping with the occasion.

Guests can choose from the chilled pumpkin, lemon grass and crab salad soup with sour cream; pumpkin, basil and feta cheese terrine; and roasted pumpkin with honey walnut and smoked duck salad for starters. Among the day’s specials, choose from the pumpkin and smoked pancetta risotto with mascarpone and seared scallops; pumpkin tempura, Parma ham with poached egg and rocket; and open lasagna of pumpkin and brandade.

We were able to try some of these special pumpkin dishes, and they deliver much flavor. The chilled pumpkin soup is similar to the popular gazpacho but full of nutty pumpkin flavor. The crab salad adds a savory flavor to the soup; you can swallow it in one go, or mix it into the soup. The roast pumpkin salad is a sweetish salad because of the honey walnuts in the recipe. Rather than the mushy texture of pumpkin, you also have the crunch of walnuts, and the chewy cubes of duck meat.

For those who want treats that are more to the occasion, the Halloween brunch also features items like gory sandwiches and other equally ghoulish items at the Coffin Station. Choose from items like blood sausage, boiled tongue, or have the bat sandwich, which is stuffed with mustard, prosciutto, and chopped cheese. There are also equally scrumptious salad choices like devilled potato, eyeball and beetroot, and baby ghost (baby octopus). There will also be a spider pizza, black mud paella (paella negra), and cow leg confit.

To complete the experience, feast on chilling desserts such as worm jelly, eyeball in jelly, slimy bucket dip, ghost chocolate cake, bat forest cake, bleeding heart cake, and Spiral cake with Halloween garnishes.

Of course, all these are just creepy names. The worm jelly is just a gummy worm sticking out of a fruit-flavored jelly treat. The bleeding heart cake is a chocolate mousse cake shaped into a heart and dripping with strawberry sauce. The bat forest cake is the usual black forest cake but decorated with brown and white chocolate bats.

Dr. Frankenstein also whips up spine-tingling concoctions such as Frankenstein’s Power Drink, Fairy Godmother’s Beauty Potion, Love Spell, Vampire’s Blood, and Dracula’s Poison. And don’t think for one scary minute that these brews are nothing but sweet drinks. These drinks are made with fresh fruit juices and contain loads of B-complex and C vitamins. In fact, the aloe vera in Fairy Godmother’s Beauty Potion is good for the skin, too.

There will be a host of activities on this day to amuse parents and children alike. Learn how to carve creative Halloween decorations made with fresh fruits and vegetables from chef Emmhil. Make bloody and spooky smoothies with Dr. Frankenstein, and make chocolate carvings with chef Rodel.

The kids will have a trick or treat party at 2 p.m. Activities include a Haunted Walk, Halloween mask-making with Merit, scary storytelling, and a pumpkin parade.

This spooktacular Halloween party is being held in cooperation with Merit, Hershey’s Kissables, Mallowblast and Choooocolate, Clara Olé, Jif, Smucker’s, Goober, Treetop, Chupa Chups, Smint, and the Hero Channel as media sponsor.

For those who want a total experience, the hotel has a special Halloween room promo from Oct. 27 to 29. Kids who join their parents during the holiday are entitled to two free tickets per room to the trick or treat activity.

Likewise, kids who partake of the Sunday brunch at Spiral get free tickets, too. Parents who bring their children six years old and below to the Spiral Sunday brunch eat free; they just have to purchase a day pass at the Kid’s Club to join the party.

For reservations, call Hotel Philippine Plaza at 551-5555, Spiral at local 1086, or e-mail room.reservations@ hotelphilplaza.com.