Michelin-star chef at Mandarin Oriental's Tin Hau

MANILA, Philippines - Mandarin Oriental, Manila once again gives urban gourmands a treat as it brings Michelin-star chef Kenichi Takase for a weeklong food fete. Tin Hau, the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, will become the home base of the award-winning Japanese chef from June 21 to 26, where he presents the classic and contemporary Cantonese cuisine that has earned for Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo’s Chinese restaurant Sense one Michelin star for three consecutive years since 2009.

As chef de cuisine of Sense, Takase brings with him a career that spans over 20 years in Tokyo’s leading hotels. In his creative Cantonese menus, he mixes the classic with contemporary flair, injecting Japanese, Singaporean, Malay and Thai elements using the freshest vegetables and delicate flavors. Under him, Sense earned a Michelin star in 2009 and 2010 Tokyo Guides, and again in the 2011 Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura Guide. His fascination for Cantonese cuisine, which he considers “the acme of modern Chinese cuisine,” has brought him to Hong Kong many times for culinary inspiration. He has traveled more than 50 times throughout Southern China since beginning his career as a chef.

“Chef Takase brings with him a modern twist to traditional Chinese cuisine,” says Mark Bradford, general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Manila. “Sense is one of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s nine Michelin-starred restaurants, honored in the 2011 Guides. During his stay at Tin Hau, we hope that our customers enjoy this rare, delightful dining experience.”

For those who wish to learn the chef’s techniques, a special cooking class will be held on Saturday, June 25, at 9 a.m. in Tin Hau. Class fee is P3,500 net, inclusive of a light breakfast prior to the class, as well as lunch consisting of the recipes that will be demonstrated by the chef.