‘Tasting Australia’ at the Pen

MANILA, Philippines - There’s a bit of a cultural gap when it comes to food appreciation among non-Aussies: despite world-class beef, lamb and wine Down Under, some still cling to notions of kangaroo burgers and “shrimp on the barbie.”

Not for long, hope the Embassy of Australia and The Peninsula Manila, organizers of “Celebrate Australia,” a 10-day fest of food, wine, music and culture running at the hotel from Jan. 25 to Feb. 3.

It’s the second annual “Tasting Australia” food promotion at Old Manila, one that features celebrity chef Greg Doyle, who brings his modern version of Australian cuisine to Manila shores. Doyle joined the media in a video conference call from his latest popular restaurant, The Sailors Club in Sydney, where he’s devising a series of menus — along with Tokyo-based Aussie chef Adam Mathis — that will infuse the Pen with a wide range of flavors.

The term “Australian cuisine” is very much up for grabs. With its cultural melting pot encompassing Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Thai, African and Mediterranean influences as much as European cuisine, plus the freshest seafood, beef and lamb available, it’s no longer necessary to plug the “exotic” novelty dishes — roos and crocs and the like.

There’s even a nod to indigenous Australian food. Our special menu opened with damper, a soda bread or “bush tucker” favored by stockmen, or rovers across the Australian plains, for centuries. It was served with a garlic butter and quince spread. 

The main attractions that followed were a fresh Tasmanian ocean trout confit served on a bed of spinach rocket salad and lemon myrtle snow — a rather elaborate molecular dish that involves spinning oil infused with lemon until you come up with a kind of flavored powder that looks a bit like snow. We could have only wished that it was as chilly as snow, though the fresh trout was well complemented by the wood-side swag-ashed goat’s cheese.

Molecular gastronomy is something chef Doyle has added to his arsenal after spending time at El Bulli in Spain, along with an Italian-French influence. His Pier restaurant is something of a Sydney institution, according to Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddell and Peninsula Manila GM Sonja Vodusek — now Vecchio (the newlywed was married in Amanpulo). Pier was named “National Restaurant of the Year” in 2008 and was on San Pellegrino’s World’s Top 100 Restaurants in 2008 and 2009. Tweddell says he’s taken many a head of state to eat fish and chips there.

The pink trout, cooked at a gentle 168 degrees Fahrenheit, had all the soft, buttery unctuousness of salmon, with nice hits of salt from the salmon roe dotting the plate. The wine introducing this dish was a Willowglen chardonnay. Most wine drinkers will tell you Australia’s wine regions in the south are now world-class, producing some of the brightest, friendliest wines available (Australia is the fourth largest wine exporter in the world).

For the red, we sampled a Benchmark Grant Burge merlot from 2011, which made a fine pairing with the duo of Australian lamb and Wagyu. Old Manila chef de cuisine Samuel Linder, whose dishes for our lunch menu were directly inspired by chef Doyle and his pastry chef Nic Waring, noted that Australia’s emerging as a Wagyu beef supplier to watch for: “The quality from Australia is very good.” We hear it’s cheaper, too.

The Rosella sorbet served between courses was swimming in a lovely Yarra Valley bubbly.

Dessert was an Aussie staple: a Pavlova with wattle seed cream and sugar bark. A meringue confection created after the Russian ballet dancer toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926, Oz housewives serve Pavlovas on holidays much like American housewives bring Jell-O to backyard barbecues. All we know is, anything meringue served with fresh berries and dark chocolate rocks.

The taste of Australia has definitely gone beyond the novel flavors of exotic game (crocodile ceviche, anyone?). It’s light, seasonal and more casual cuisine, according to chef Doyle, with a bush tomato and wattle seed or two to add unusual twists to the freshest of produce.

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“Celebrate Australia” will be held at The Peninsula Manila from Jan. 25 to Feb. 3. “Tasting Australia” will run at Old Manila for the duration of the festival. Meanwhile, Escolta will serve Australian buffet selections under the helm of Peninsula Tokyo chef Adam Mathis. From Jan. 25-26 and Feb. 1-2, there will be an Aussie Weekend Barbie by the pool. On March 30, a Kitchen Party will be held with chef Greg Doyle. Guests who avail of the special festival menus and kitchen party will get a chance to win a round-trip ticket for two to Sydney courtesy of Qantas Airways.

For inquiries or reservations, call The Peninsula Manila at 887-2888, ext. 6694, e-mail diningpmn@peninsula.com or visit Peninsula.com.