Best known for being the man behind the successful Lolo Dad’s fine-dining restaurant and Lolo Dad’s Brasserie, Chef Ariel Manuel is a multi-awarded chef who perfected his culinary skills doing the rounds of premiere hotels in the country, among them The Westin Philippine Plaza, Mandarin Oriental Manila, The Heritage Hotel, Makati Shangri-La Manila, The Peninsula Manila and Hyatt Regency Manila.
Chef Manuel fuelled Lolo Dad’s three consecutive “Chefs on Parade” overall championship and led the Philippine team in the MLA Black box Culinary Competition in Australia (2005) and Dubai (2008). He was also the team captain of Les Toques Blanches Philippines that bagged the Highest Gold and Best of the Best awards in the Hong Kong International Culinary Classic Gourmet Buffet Challenge in 2007.
The chef represented the country in Shanghai, China for Bocuse d’Or, a prestigious international culinary competition. His Lolo Dad’s Team also represented the Philippines in the Asian Market Basket category, where the country won Gold. In August this year, the same team competed in the Philippine Culinary Cup where it bagged 13 medals in 13 categories.
Chef Ariel’s latest venture is Phat Wong Asian Café in Makati. •
Shrimp, pomelo and young coconut salad with coconut and lime dressing
Ingredients:
Shrimps, 2-4 pcs.
Pomelo, 2-3 segments
Cilantro, 8-10 sprigs
Peanuts, 15 grams
Mesclun salad (Combination of Romaine, Lolo Rossa and other desired greens)
Young Coconut, off shell, whole
Dressing:
Coconut milk, 125 ml
Lime juice (juice of 2 pcs. lime)
Fish sauce, 30ml
Canola oil, 80 ml
Cilantro oil, 10 ml
Method:
To make the dressing: Combine all ingredients except cilantro oil. Adjust seasoning.
Blanch shrimps in shellfish or fish stock. Cool down and slice lengthwise.
Pan-toast or oven-roast the peanuts and grind in food processor.
In a bowl, combine mesclun greens, pomelo segments, cilantro sprigs and leaves, shrimps, and nuts. Drizzle with dressing and adjust taste. Dress whole young coconut. Stuff with the mesclun salad mixture. Put on salad plate and garnish with nuts and cilantro oil.