It was an Imeldific scene at Versailles, circa late 1780s, just before the outbreak of the French Revolution. Mingling with the guests were several glamorous ladies dressed in 18th-century low-necked gowns with high, well-coiffed heads, escorted by bewigged men in ruffled shirts and laced dinner jackets. The free-flowing Peninsula Deutz Champagne sparked lighthearted banter among the guests.
The Peninsula Manila’s executive chef Adam Mathis and his chef de cuisine Gavin Sellars whipped up a menu worthy of the French aristocracy, working round the clock on their battle plan, leaving no stone unturned. Together with their efficient Filipino kitchen brigade, they executed with military precision the well-planned dinner. And the wait staff served the six-course meal with such synchronicity without a hitch. And what a victorious battle it was, winning over the hearts of 82 guests that evening with such culinary gems as smoked rabbit and duck foie gras terrine; orange-scented lobster consommé with tri-color pasta; squab with Napoleon brandy and roast pumpkin parcels; white peach sorbet with champagne; pan-roasted venison and scallops with bitter chocolate sauce; an assortment French cheeses; and slow-baked meringue, crème Anglaise with raspberry mousse. It was a feast that would have impressed even Marie Antoinette and her court, cake or no cake.
Setting the record straight:
Historical trivia: “Let them eat cake” is the traditional but inaccurate translation of the French phrase “qu’ils mangent de la brioche.” Brioche is actually a type of egg bread enriched with a large proportion of butter, rather than a type of dessert or confection. Whether referring to cake or brioche, it can only be either crass or ironic. Although commonly attributed to Marie Antoinette, it was claimed to have been uttered during one of the famines that occurred in France during the reign of her husband Louis XVI. Upon being alerted that the people were suffering due to widespread bread shortages, she is said to have replied, “Then let them eat brioche.” This type of callousness on the part of the monarchy has often been referred to in writings about the possible factors that led to the French Revolution. English biographer and author of Marie Antoinette: The Journey, Antonia Fraser, states: “(Let them eat cake) was said 100 years before her by Marie-Thérèse, the wife of Louis XIV. It was a callous and ignorant statement and she, Marie Antoinette, was neither.”