Mactan's Manny O & Movenpick: Quite a pairing

The last time I stayed at this wonderful hotel with a good beach on Mactan Island, it was still the Mactan Hilton, with twin pink towers providing balconies with a terrific view of the channel, Olango Island across, and the tip of the historic atoll, called Punta Engaño, towards the east.

That was barely a year ago, when I was also introduced to the Manny O wines that had been winning a slew of international awards. It was great to reconnect with the oenophile and hotelier Manny O. before 2011 ended, with Mactan also pleasantly visited by sunny skies as soon as I checked into what is now the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Mactan — this despite the constant rains that had just the day before caused flight cancellations at the international airport.

Can’t claim to have brought the sun along for the four-day idyll, but I can vouch for the efficacy of a pleasant Mac-tan, one earned on the white-sand beach that looks out towards a family-friendly cove picturesquely edged by what looks like a kiosk standing at sea: the famous Manny O’s Wines and Tapas Bar.

The circular, two-story structure surrounded by water is where sunset cocktails and fine dining spell romance on the verge — of the holiday island. At night, looking back at the hotel tower (the other being residential) which has been repainted a light yellow ochre, we get what we might call a counter-view: illumined high-rises, the beach likewise defined by glittering lights, and the swimming area ensconced in a man-made cove also glowing with underwater lights.

A suite balcony offers a panoramic view of the Hilutungan Channel and Mactan’s eastern tip, Punta Engaño

Sitting on the red-and-white deck chairs on the kiosk’s (okay, signature resto-bar) terrace in the evening, before or after an excellent meal, is simply one of the most salubrious experiences one may have in Cebu or elsewhere in our hopscotch-happy islands.

To have The Man Manny Osmeña himself host a singular degustacion featuring seven dishes paired with seven different wines is a veritable peak of gustatory delight. Why, ever ebullient with his gourmet ken, he introduces each dish with an interesting backgrounder, and ceaselessly presents invaluable insights into food preparation that deserve to be collected between covers.

We start with poached Crystal Bay oysters, light Mornay and fumet de poisson. Manny says he can’t take oysters raw, thus the light poaching, which makes for utterly deliquescent taste, especially with the light cheese and the fumet, which he explains is the liquid let loose by a fish as it’s being steamed. It is then served in a small bowl for sipping, oh-so-lightly, as the lightest of broths. And for the first wine pairing, we have the 2010 Agapito Rosé from Alentejo, Portugal — a remarkable blend of three grape varietals found only in that country.

The specially designed and printed menu describes the prize-winning wine thus: “The bouquet delivers colorful tutti-frutti candies with lively aromas, suggesting fresh raspberries, cranberries and cherries with a hint of roses, crisp and refreshing on the palate extending to the finish.” Ahh, talaba’t tatlong ubas! Lami!

The resort’s Pink Icon jeepneys provide shuttle transport to Cebu City’s malls

This wine has won multiple awards, from the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition in November 2009 to the latest edition of that same contest only last November, and in between, at wine competitions in San Diego, London, San Francisco, and critics’ challenges in California and Japan.

The second offering was the distinctive wagyu shio yaki sushi — Scottish fillet center cut of wagyu seared then sliced to wrap around Japanese rice, thus resembling toro sushi. Manny recounted how he concocted the dish for the Japanese PM then staying at Mactan Hilton for the ASEAN Summit, and whose appreciation led to an invite for Manny to visit Tokyo.

This was paired with the 2010 Discipulus Blanc from Languedoc, France, also a many-time winner abroad, in Germany, Japan, Los Angeles, San Diego and London, as well as of two special awards from Hong Kong in the Food Pairing Category with Sashimi and Dimsum.

The Discipulus was the first Manny O wine entered in the global market about 10 years ago. As a vintner, he relies on his years of experience as a wine lover to blend produce from various grape-growing regions. He factors in characteristics of a region’s orchards, the time of harvest, temperature, etc., then formulates the blend and fermentation phases.

After several years of experimentation, only with the blend he was to name Discipulus was he satisfied. Humble acknowledgment that he was but a student entering a tough field gave the wine its name.

Manny O’s Wine & Tapas Resto-Bar

In a subsequent conversation with his daughter Megan who helps Manny with his business, I was intrigued no end by the process undertaken to decide on a new blend’s name. The Agapitos Branco, for instance, also from Alentejo — the 2008 edition of which was paired with tempura tiger prawns cocktail — takes its cue from the Greek word agape for selfless love.  

The Sumiller Monastrell from Yecla, Spain — of which we had the 2009 bottle to pair with a hearty wagyu goulash, another Manny O tweak of a popular if originally pedestrian dish — relates of course to the French sommelier or wine steward.

Then there was roast duck gyoza, paired with 2009 Discipulus Syrah (a variant of Shiraz) also from Languedoc, and finally, the summit dish of premium black angus charcoal-fired kalbi paired with 2007 Bibulus Medoc Cru Bourgeois from Bordeaux, France (“A traditional Bordeaux style red of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend…”). Bibulous, of course, aptly described this taste-tester. 

At this point Manny playfully asked if I could guess the components of the steak marinade, and how long it was made to work. I only got three of the five ingredients, missing out on the mirin and sesame seeds that appeared in the fastidiously written recipe handed me after the dinner. And it turned out that the marinade was used for only two minutes, as the young chef Lito divulged when Manny intro-ed his special trainee.

The delectable Wagyu shio yaki sushi

The final offering was Mövenpick strawberry ice cream, paired with NV Celebrus Brut Blanquette de Limoux from Limoux, France — a sparkler accidentally created by Benedictine nuns well before the Champagne “Bubbly.” Again, how appropriate for this Bedan who was trained to celebrate any “expression of lightness and elegance” — which our culminating wine certainly was, as a testament to the host’s preference for those same qualities.

With such a meal tucked under one’s belt, so to speak, I could offer no less than profuse thanks to the visionary vintner who had also educated me on wine and food pairings. Why, it’s akin to teaching a sort of modern rigodon in gourmet classes, which Manny O conducts, to audiences of no less than 50 at a time. And where he need not even say that in only a decade, his Manny O wines have now won a total of 49 awards in seven countries.

As for the hotel that changed management early last year, it’s also evident that Manny made a wise move in marrying up with Mövenpick, the reputable Swiss group of companies with a global presence in the hospitality business; read gastronomy, hotels, wine, and yes, ice cream.

It was his old friend Helmut Geisberger, who helmed the Mandarin Hotel in Makati for years, before retirement, who had suggested a tie-up with Mövenpick. As a happy result, too, Helmut eventually wound up as a development consultant for the company. Over lunch with resort GM Klaus Graesslin, Helmut outlined Mövenpick’s plans for a stronger Asian presence, with potential venue sites in Makati and Subic.

The Mövenpick Resort & Spa Cebu, which will undergo renovation and enhancement this year, offers 241 deluxe rooms and one-bedroom and two-bedroom Suites, all with upscale amenities including cable television, DVD player, and high-speed Internet access. It’s become the resort of choice among visiting entertainment stars from Manila, who favor its laidback elegance, fine cuisine, and splendid beach, as well as its full-scale spa facilities.

Manny O wines have won 49 international awards in only a decade

Then there are the humongous resort jeepneys, in pink, that provide comfy shuttle service to downtown Cebu’s malls and back. The international clientele is headed by Koreans, Japanese, Europeans, and Americans. For locals, the Wagyu Burger has become as iconic as Manny O’s Wine & Tapas Resto-bar.

And when one sits on the balcony facing Hilutungan Channel towards sundown, the streaks of colors receding in the sky signal a special communion. Or when it gets darker and the stars compete with the waterside illumination 20 floors below, why, with Oban single malt whisky as digestif, one can burp better after a gratifying meal such as that memorably hosted by Manny O.