Be joyful, be grand!

CEBU, Philippines - The end of April gave way to a luncheon which introduced food and beverage developments at Be Resorts in Punta Engaño, Mactan, thereby increasing its current dishes to around 80 choices in its two restaurants - Lime (for international cuisine) and Salt (on the beachfront which serves Filipino cuisine). Be Active, its third resto, will be launched in June. This will be the station for fast foods, rice bowls, and ice cream.

Executive Sous Chef Buddy T. Amodia adores veggies so the soup is based on what he loves most: Malunggay (moringa) made more appetizing by its very visually appealing creamy presentation, deep green color, and rich texture. This comes with foccaccia bread sprinkled with assorted herbs (rosemary, thyme, dill, etc.).

I already discovered how great ripe papaya is as a salad, so the excitement heightened when Chef Buddy ushered in his Asian Salad – mango and papaya with lettuce, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, crabsticks, prawn, corn kernels, celery, tomatoes, and deep-fried spring roll wrapper relished by a savory  mango-papaya dressing intensified by the vim of white wine. Says food and beverage manager Rochelle Alvarez, it’s “very tropical” so it completes the journey of a “market who can identify with the beach, the sand, the surf, and the sun.”

As there is a growing clamor for international cuisine, Be Resorts being able to tap the Australian market lately through the newly established direct flights from Cebu to Darwin, the menu now includes Baby Back Ribs with deep-fried potato wedges invigorated by the twang of barbecue and honey sauce, as well as Surf and Turf made of marinated and grilled imported beef topped with grilled prawns and sprinkled with tossed corn kernels with fried potato wedges on the side and a gravy richly flavored by red wine.

On the other end of the meal table is Patatim or pork hock with Baguio beans, Chinese pechay, and deep fried spring onions to strengthen the aroma.

But what makes the food tray most amplified is the presence of the opulent Kimchi Pizza. Chef Buddy claims it’s the first of its kind in Cebu because it’s borne out of his desire to please the Koreans taking up 55 percent of their current visitors. The nice part about this product is it eliminates some condiments because the fermented veggies, a comfort food of the Koreans, already peps it up. “I added bacon to give a little twist to the fare,” the chef said.

Kids can take part in the array of Drinks of the Month. For May, children will love the refreshingly candy-minty mien of “Be Joyful” – a concoction of pineapple and coconut and a blend of secret herbs to deepen the zing. It comes with a different stuffed toy every time. “We have to do away with mascots, as collectibles perk up children’s interest. They will always look forward to getting a new one every time,” Alvarez said.

Meanwhile, “Be Grand” is pineapple juice infused with an alcoholic item fit for young adults.

Says Jin T. Marollano, sales manager, they also take pride in their “Be Burger” made of pure beef. “In fact, an executive of another hotel comes in here to dine because of our burger,” she disclosed.

According to Chef Buddy, since the burger has a homemade taste, it boosts all the more its distinctiveness. “It is our own recipe. It bears our personal touch. We don’t grind everything. We freshly chop the meat so the customers can taste the grains of the beef. And we make sure it is friendly to the diner (unlike tall or oversized burgers). Para ma-enjoy nila.”

Alvarez also pointed out that other burgers bear more of the “doughy aftertaste” because the flour overpowers the rest of the recipes. “Our staff grinds only about 70 percent of the ingredients. And they make sure that the bun and the patty and the other items in between fit perfectly into the mouth of the diner, unlike yung ibang burgers.” Now that’s what you call the real beefing up!

Be’s signature dessert “Simply Lime” capped the meal. It is a blend of cream and white chocolate that sits sumptuously on pastry crust topped with cherry sitting on whipped cream. Chopped rind of lime is amply sprinkled. Plating entails a lavish lacing of choco syrup to fortify the presentation. The dessert’s consistency resembles the cheesecake but it melts in the mouth like refrigerator cake. (FREEMAN)