Stars on a plate

MANILA, Philippines - It isn’t often that a Michelin- starred chef comes to town, so expect food connoisseurs to make a beeline this week for The Tivoli, the signature restaurant of Mandarin Oriental, Manila.

From August 24 to 29, one Michelin-star chef Marco Pedrelli lords over The Tivoli kitchen for the gastronomic offering, La Dolce Vita, a glorious Italian food festival that presents the award-winning chef’s specialties that have brought acclaim to Mandarin Oriental, Singapore’s Dolce Vita restaurant where he is Chef de Cuisine.

Winning a Michelin star is considered an amazing, astonishing and rare achievement for a restaurant, and Chef Pedrelli has worked in various Michelin-star restaurants, even as he has claimed one star for himself. 

For Chef Pedrelli, his destiny as a Michelin-star chef began in a big farm in the Secena region of Italy where many hours were spent in the kitchen with his grandmother, whose passion for cooking stirred in him the desire to become a chef. He began his career at the famous one-Michelin star restaurant at La Grotta in 1993. He moved to Munich, Germany where he became sous chef at Massilimiano, also a one-Michelin star restaurant. Chef Pedrelli also had the privilege of spending three years working with the applauded three-Michelin star chef Heinz Winkler, before joining Jagdhof Glashütte in 2005, where he worked closely with the restaurant’s chef de cuisine and led the establishment to claim its first Michelin star. 

Chef Pedrelli then became chef de cuisine at Mörwald Ambassador in Vienna in 2006, during which the a la carte guide Publication awarded him the title “Newcomer of the Year.” The Falstaff Guide also named the Morwald Ambassador as one of the best five restaurants in Vienna. Immediately before joining Mandarin Oriental Singapore, he was chef de cuisine at the fine dining Edelweiss Restaurant, Löwenhotel in Schrunz, Austria, where he led the restaurant to achieve its first Michelin star in 2008. 

At The Tivoli, Chef Pedrelli proves his mettle with an a la carte menu, three-course set lunch and six-course degustation dinner. Among the gastronomic offerings are: Fegato grasso d’anatra (foie gras variations: mousse, parfait pan-fried); Ravioli di Zucca (braised pumpkin stuffed ravioli with bacon, king scallops and white tomato foam); Fegato saltato (pan fried foie gras, with arugula parmesan risotto & shallot balsamic

sauce); Merluzzo (cod fish fillet on bouillabaisse risotto, Ligurian vegetables and saffron fond).

Not to be missed is the Agnello in crosta (pan fried crusted lamb loin with creamy thyme polenta, green bean gateaux and garden herb jus), which gained numerous plaudits in various food reviews in Singapore. For dessert, he offers three heavenly choices: Tarte di pere e gorgonzola (port wine poached pears with dolce latte gorgonzola); Raspberry soufflé-tarte with amalfi lemon and glazed fruit; and Sorbetto gratinato (crusted Tahitian vanilla sherbet with white star anise-flavored oranges).

On August 29 at 9:30 am, Chef Marco also conducts a special cooking demonstration of three courses: homemade Tagliatelle with osso bucco ragout; his signature pan fried crusted lamb loin, with creamy thyme polenta, green bean gateaux and garden herb jus; and the Sorbetto gratinato. The cooking class is at P3,500 net inclusive of a light continental breakfast and lunch consisting of these three courses.

Catch this rare gastronomic experience at The Tivoli, made possible with the support of Greative Inc and the Embassy of Italy. Ironically, if there is anything that would steal attention away from the stunning creations of the 31-year-old guest chef, it would be his stunning good looks. For sure, the ladies won’t be complaining.

For restaurant and cooking class reservations, call The Tivoli at 750- 8888.