Sabores de Mexico!
MANILA, Philippines - There was a time when my palate had only brief affairs with Mexican food. Save for tacos, nachos, quesadillas, guacamole, tortillas, fajitas and burritos, my taste buds had few dalliances with other flavors of Mexico. My tongue almost got burned eating jalapeño, and I lost my senses once after being knocked down by tequila. But my eyes were reopened to Mexican cuisine when I attended “Sabores de Mexico,” a food fest celebrating authentic Mexican cuisine at Crimson Hotel in Filinvest City, Alabang.
Amid the lively and spirited music of a mariachi band, the festival opened with the breaking of a piñata — a big, six-side star made of papier-mâché and dressed à la Bandera de Mexico — that was hanging at the entrance of Café Eight, one of the dining outlets at Crimson. It took a good three-minute pounding before Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Manila GM Saurabh Kukreja, guest Mexican chef Daniela Romero, Mexican Ambassador Julio Camarena and his wife Ana Maria Romandetto could break the piñata. And when it opened, out poured candies and powders and mirth, signifying that the buffet tables at Café Eight were ready.
The Stuffed Jalapeños looked sumptuously inviting, what with the melted cheddar cheese covering the tuna or beef fillings in it. It was hot, hot, hot!
The Baked Zucchini, awash in mozzarella, also tickled the palate pleasurably. It was an ingenious way of serving zucchini — the insides scraped, blended with spices, then put back on the slice of zucchini before it was baked. Yum!
The Chicken Flautas were the real deal, with a hint of cumin spicing up the shredded chicken that was stuffed in fried corn tortilla. There were flavorful beef flautas, too.
The Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce had an appetizing spike. One ball was not enough. Not even two or three. I had five meatballs in one sitting — proof of my love affair with the dish.
Next served were ceviches of tuna and shrimp. They were fresh and refreshing. The tuna ceviche was made more interesting with the presence of pomelo. The bursting sensation of the sweet pomelo bits in the mouth added an extra kick to the taste buds.
One dish that reminded me of how similar Filipino fare is to Mexican cuisine was the Conchinita Pibil or the Mexican version of slow-roasted pork. The conchinita meat, fecund with spices, became tastier as it gloriously melted in the mouth.
The Mixiote (pit-barbecued meat made in mutton, chicken or pork) and Alambre de Res (beef with onions, mushrooms and white cheese) were also a hit among those who attended the opening of “Sabores de Mexico.”
Those with a sweet tooth had reasons to smile when Café Eight served churros in chocolate sauce, lemon flan and Tres Leches or three-milk cakes.
Many guests downed their Mexican fare along with the traditional Mexican drink — tequila. That night, I also found out I had been drinking my tequila the wrong way all this time. The lick-sip-suck way I learned in my youth was not the way to take tequila. Tequila, we were told, should be enjoyed like a glass of wine. To begin with, it should be served in a long glass — not the shot glass that I was familiar with. Every glass of tequila should be nourished, savored, adored. After all, real tequila comes from the blue agave, which is allowed to grow seven years before it is harvested. So, in effect, said a tequila expert that night, “the agave plant dies with you” as you sip your glass of tequila.
Yes, I sipped my tequila that night sans the salt and lemon I used to drink it with.
And yes, I enjoyed the delightful and delicious flavors that night. Viva Mexico!
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“Sabores de Mexico” will run until tomorrow (Sept. 26) at Café Eight of Crimson Hotel in Filinvest City, Alabang. For more information, call 863-2222 loc. 1615.
