A different kind of degustation at the Mandarin Oriental Manila

The first thing that caught my attention as I ran through chef Nicolas Isnard’s six-course degustation menu was that the onion soup was served as the fifth course  — right after the main course and just before dessert. I almost wondered if there had been a misprint. “The reason chef Isnard did it that way is that in France, they normally have this at around 2 or 3 a.m. after a wedding, to help with digestion,” Angel, the friendly head waiter at the Mandarin Oriental Manila’s Tivoli, explained.  It was also meant to cleanse the palate for the dessert to come.

I was intrigued already.

Chef Nicolas Isnard’s L’Auberge de la Charme, located just a few kilometers from Dijon, France, has earned a Michelin star every year since 2009, and also boasts four Gault & Millau toques. His cuisine combines both tradition and innovation, mixing rustic flavors with provincial produce to create classic French dishes. He has taken this around the world to Beijing, Dubai, Moscow, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Saigon, Casablanca, Jakarta, Macau, and now for the first time, Manila, from Nov. 18 to 24.

Acidity as key

I had the wine-pairing degustation menu, which left me intoxicated — not necessarily from the wines — but rather from the flavors. What’s interesting about chef’s Isnard’s cuisine is that it’s not molecular nor experimental, but rather, each dish mixes the flavors of sweet, sour, salty and acidity — his favorite component — and with different textures — to create a balance. “When I eat with acidity, it’s very exciting in my mouth, and I want to eat it again,” he shares citing that a degustation has a rhythm that goes up and down. “Without it, you sleep.”

Dinner began with a bite-sized Niçoise salad, with layers of potato, tomato, and hardboiled egg topped with a dollop of mayonnaise, and slivers of Kalamata olives and anchovies. One spoon and one bite yet it exploded with a myriad of flavors. It was a preview of the rest of the meal to come.

The farmed chicken egg was slow-cooked at 62 degrees topped with autumn flavors of Jerusalem artichokes, turnip, radish, mushroom and gorgeous, freshly shaved Bourgogne truffles. It was such a beautiful, delicate dish that the whole egg quivered with poise even when my elbow accidentally nudged the table. A slight tap with the spoon had the yolk gently gush out, enveloping the earthiness of the mushroom and truffles, and the acidity of the pickled radish. This was paired with the 2012 Camas IGP Voignier from Languedoc, which provided floral notes and a good balance of acid.

Tribute to heritage and travels

The foie gras served “Carbonara style” was a play on chef Isnard’s heritage. While he was born in France, his grandparents came from Italy. The plate was divided into three elements: mushroom cooked in veal jus, giving it volume and a hint of sweetness; two pieces of pan-seared foie gras topped with a nice, crispy pancetta; and potato espuma whipped into a light, velvety texture with lots and lots of butter. This was the headiest, most decadent dish, so I was grateful for the 2013 St. Hallett Eden Valley Riesling that cut through it with acidity from its lemon and lime characteristics.

The king prawns were first pan-fried before being baked and served on a bed of peas, grapefruit and mint, and drizzled with a calamansi almond oil and paired with the well-balanced 2012 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, that went with the tartness of the grapefruit.

For the main course, it was a choice between the US Prime Angus beef tenderloin with snails “Burgundy style” or the Chilean sea bass, served with hummus and lemon ginger broth. I’ve been trying to eat healthier and opted for the sea bass, which I’m glad I did if not just for the story behind it — cleverly constructed to map out chef Isnard’s culinary journey to the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

The sea bass topped with candied orange represented Europe; the hummus, the Middle East (although this version uses a lot of coriander, both to hint of the Moroccan influence and for the acidity); and the lemon ginger represented his Asian experience. This was paired with an outstanding 2009 William Fevre, Bougros Cote de Bouguerots Chablis Grand Gru, which is a steal as it’s normally P10,000 per bottle!

The fifth course: Onion soup?

The onion soup “contemporary style” is the most unique of all dishes. Apart from being served, not as a starter but as the fifth course, right after the main course transitioning to dessert — it was already a slight deviation from traditional degustations. Apparently, according to chef Isnard, the onion soup is commonly eaten in the wee hours of the morning after partying the night away at a wedding to aid in digestion. This one in particular has onion ice cream sitting on a bed of meticulously caramelized onions (caramelized for 10 minutes, taken out, put back in, taken out — slow cooking at its finest, “almost like massaging the product,” shares Mandarin F&B Peter Pysk), croutons, and flakes of Gruyere cheese before the onion consommé is poured. “The ice cream gives it a creaminess, and the lukewarm temperature helps to ease into your dessert,” Pysk explains. “There is no big piece of bread, to allow the sweetness of the onion to ease out.”

It had the temperatures of hot and cold, and the textures of sweet and creamy. It was such a creative way to bring out the true flavors of the traditional onion soup that this dish in itself is enough reason to come and visit the Mandarin this week. This was paired with a 2011 Schloss Vollards Riesling from Germany, which has a slight sweetness that balances with a bit of acid.

A chocolate tiramisu was served in a glass with layers of chocolate and mascarpone cheese, topped with a decadent chocolate ice cream. Pairings are a choice between Tia Maria coffee liqueur and Grand Marnier orange liqueur, depending on the flavor profile desired.   

I was drawn to the Grand Marnier because it was served on top of shaved ice, with orange peel dipped in honey and brown sugar before being caramelized — the perfect nightcap for an easy evening.

As the table next to mine paid for the bill, I overheard them ask if the menu would change every day. (It doesn’t, but there are a la carte options, as well as a business lunch menu). They liked it so much they vowed they (and several other lunch patrons I was told) would come back within the week just to try out the other dishes — an excellent idea that I second.

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Chef Nicolas Isnard will be cooking at the Tivoli up to Sunday Nov. 24. The degustation menu is priced at P3,400++, and an additional P1,650++ for the wine pairing. The three-course business lunch is priced at P1,950++ on weekdays. There will also be a cooking class with chef Isnard on Saturday, Nov. 23.

For more information, reservations or to sign up for the cooking class, phone The Tivoli at 750-8888 ext. 2433 or e-mail MOMNL-tivoli@mohg.com.

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You can reach me at http://www.cheryltiu.com or http://www.twitter.com/cheryltiu or http://www.instagram.com/chertiu.