Fusion flavors at SM City Cebu
In 2015, Manila became the first Asian country to host Madrid Fusion Manila outside Spain. Once again this year, the much-anticipated event was held in SMX Convention Center with the theme, “The Manila Galleon: East Meets West.”
Taking inspiration from the most successful gastronomic event, SM City Cebu, together with the Department of Tourism, held their own fest and recently launched Fusion Flavors at the Northwing Atrium of SM City.
Iris Arcenas, Marguerite Lhuillier, Cecilia Bernad
Cebu’s talented executive chef Raki Urbina, a graduate of the Institute of America at Greystone, Napa Valley and managing director of Café Laguna and Lemongrass of Cebu, prepared Spanish and Filipino-themed dishes for the guests and culinary students who took the opportunity to experience firsthand numerous tasting sessions of different products. The popular dishes included white and red gazpacho, a classic chilled Spanish soup that uses plenty of fresh garden tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, celery and bell peppers. It is spiced up a bit with some Tabasco and worcestershire sauce; stuffed mushrooms, fabada con jamon, a hearty warming stew of locally grown large white beans with chorizo and morcilla, a Spanish blood sausage; smoked paprika and saffron; albondigas, Spanish meatballs which are a favorite and often served as a tapa in bars and angulas, baby eels.
Popular Filipino dishes were also served, some prepared with unusual combinations of ingredients. Among the favorites were pancit palabok rolls, arroz caldo shots with tokwa’t baboy in skewers, lumpia hubad in crispy rice cups and kare-kare sushi. The sumptuous dessert station was filled with maja scones, leche puto, leche-ube-kutsinta and biko-mango paired with melon na palamig.
Teresin Mendezona made sure everything was perfect, from the food presentation to the quality of service. A pergola intertwined with vines and hanging grapes added to the festive ambiance.
Jill Viado, SM’s Tata Mempin, Teresin Mendezona, and Grace Absin
