A Michelin star shines

MANILA, Philippines -Tokyo is a true feast for the senses, but many visitors and residents alike will agree that it’s the sense of taste that would be the most satisfied. There are over 160,000 restaurants in the city, serving some 39 million people: from the humble, nameless ramen houses tucked away in secret corners, to the glitzy palaces of gastronomy in the city’s prime addresses. Many of the world’s top chefs have made this their base in Asia: Gordon Ramsay, Joël Robuchon, Michel Troisgrois, Pierre Gagnaire.

The city’s reputation as a food destination, however, was cemented in 2008, when the then 108-year-old Michelin guide ventured into Asia via Tokyo. They were incredibly impressed, awarding 191 stars to 150 restaurants – more than any other city, including Paris. To stand out in the culinary cacophony that is Tokyo would thus be truly an extraordinary feat.

Yet chef Olivier Rodriguez, a bespectacled, 39-year-old Frenchman, has risen above it all. From his perch at the French contemporary restaurant Signature at the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, he has led the revered restaurant to three consecutive years of winning the coveted Michelin star since the entry of Michelin Guide in Tokyo in 2008.

The menu, which changes seasonally, is beguilingly influenced by the flavors of his home country, as well as the Mediterranean region. The aesthetic and beauty of each dish, however, is influenced by Chef Olivier’s adopted country of Japan, where he has lived for a decade.

Foie gras and red apples

The menu presents itself like a symphony of ingredients, as if it were the notes to the chef’s original concerto. Take, for example, foie gras and apple: steamed served with dry fruits, pan fried with sour puree, cardamom-fragranced sauce – the dish seems to call out from the menu, as though it were created exclusively for the diner. One can imagine the buttery goose liver as it melts in the mouth, as the fruity flavors expertly cutting down its richness – teasing you, as if to rationalize the indulgence.

Composition of cooked and raw green asparagus with Parma ham and parmesan, the menu announces once more. It seems all too simple, but the salty bite of the meat and cheese mixed with the fleshy, succulent vegetable is truly appealing. 

Roasted veal rack with pumpkin gnocchi and sweet sour radicchio, espresso scented gravy, calls out yet again – a blend of sweet, tart, and bitter ingredients that could mystify the unseasoned chef.

Roasted beef fillet with sweet spices-flavored beet cannelloni, mustard sabayon and red wine sauce, the words say. You find yourself salivating at the thought of a beef fillet, artfully paired and presented with its classic pairings of mustard and red wine sauce.

Raw and cooked asparagus with Parma ham and parmesan

Dessert is equally fascinating, such as black berry-scented Manjari chocolate bar with Earl Grey tea ice cream and balsamic vinegar dressing. Your mind may not be able to work out the intricacies of the unlikely mix of flavors, but rest assured that the intensity of the dark chocolate and the sweetness of berries tempered by the tartness of Earl Grey tea and, strangely enough, balsamic vinegar, will work out delightfully for your palate.

While Tokyo is a plane ride away, one can experience Chef Olivier Rodriguez’s contemporary French creations this month, as the Michelin-starred chef comes to Manila for a limited engagement. 

“This visit of Chef Rodriguez will hopefully bring a new dimension to Manila’s sophisticated dining scene,” says Mark Bradford, general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Manila. “Signature is one of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s nine star-studded restaurants that are honored in 2010 Michelin Guides. During the limited time that Chef Rodriguez is at The Tivoli, our wish is for our customers to enjoy this rare and ultimate dining experience.”

The Tivoli, Mandarin Oriental, Manila’s fine dining restaurant, becomes Chef Rodriguez’s home base for just one week, from Oct. 18 to 23. He will prepare a daily business lunch menu as well as a special degustation dinner. On Oct. 19, the Michelin star chef designs a five-course dinner for a wine-pairing event that gastronomes should not miss.

For more information, call Mandarin Oriental, Manila at 750-8888 or email [email protected].