Nov. 19 saw the beginning of what promises to be some of the most exciting food events in Manila.
Boomerang Consultancy Singapore in partnership with Sphere Exhibits (the events arm of Singapore Press Holdings) will be bringing the biggest names in the culinary world to town under the Epicurean Masters brand.
Mimicking what they have done in Singapore, Epicurean Masters will be whipping up distinct events such as Gourmet Signatures where prominent Asian master chefs will be flown in to showcase their specialty dishes; Vintner Dinners that highlight a sampling of Old and New World wines, paired with fine food, moderated by renowned sommeliers and wine-makers; and Masters’ Workshops, an occasion for culinary maestros to take center stage for intimate cooking workshops and demonstrations.
Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of hosting the Epicurean Masters maiden event at Old Manila at The Peninsula Manila which showcased celebrity chef Bobby Chinn and his cuisine.
The chef is a restaurateur who owns Restaurant Bobby Chinn in Hanoi and The House of Ho in London. He is also a travel cookbook author and host of the award-winning television series “World Café: Asia.”
Chef Bobby is one of the most colorful personalities in the world of food. His persona is as diverse and colorful as his ethnicity and the many places he has called home.
Chinn was born in New Zealand to an Egyptian mother (Shahdan Metwally) and an American-Chinese father (Frank Chinn). He was educated in London and San Francisco and now lives mostly in Vietnam.
The first dishes he ever cooked were taught to him by his grandmothers, who he claimed influenced his cooking the most. He cooked fava beans with olive oil in Egypt with his Egyptian grandmother Zeinat Metwally, and congee with Essie Chinn, his Chinese grandmother.
I surmised that Chef Bobby does everything, even cooking, in the here and now and based on feel. He has no favorite ingredient and is a fan of all cooking methods.
He does not seem to plan things much, neither is he stringent. He simply goes with the flow. But there is, of course, a method to the madness. He will not compromise taste and has the knack to know what ingredients go well together.
Creative process
When I asked him what it is about food that excites him, he said it was the creative process. “The fact that you start with a raw product and you end up with something totally different, and the process of getting there occupies the mind, the imagination.”
He added, “Food is something we really need, like love and shelter. But food with wine, together, is an experience that never leaves us. There is something comforting about it, that makes me want to keep doing it, over again.”
Chinn believes food must be kept simple and confessed that what he finds most rewarding about his profession is to see people eat, drink, be merry, share great conversation and, afterward, that simple thank you for time well spent.
My favorite dish that evening was the Duck Confit with Banana Blossom Salad. It was happiness in the mouth, all the flavors jumped in unison. The richness of the confit was perfectly complimented by the blossoms tossed in a sweet dressing of lime, sugar and chilies.
Sommelier of the evening Cyril Raysseguier (Sommelier Selection) paired the duck with Mittnacht Pinot Noir 2012.
An interestingly perfect choice—the duck meat could have gone well with a heavier style red but, since it was served with a light and slightly spicy salad, Cyril preferred to match it with a lighter, fruity wine to cut the spiciness of the dish.
Duck Confit with Banana Blossoms
1 leg of duck confit, debone, use the thigh part of the leg where there’s more skin for the salad
Salad
50 g fresh banana blossoms, thinly sliced and soaked in water overnight
25 g carrots, thinly sliced
25 g cabbage, thinly sliced
15 g mint leaves
10 g peanuts
10 g sesame seeds
10 g crispy fried shallots
Calamansi, garnish
Dressing
1 c fish sauce
½ c sugar
2 chilies
1 clove garlic
3-4 tbsp lime juice
Mix the fish sauce and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
Pour the fish sauce mixture in a blender and add chilies and garlic.
Process until the garlic and chilies are incorporated well into the sauce.
Add lime juice.
Adjust sweetness, spice and acid according to taste.
Assembly:
Heat a griddle and sear the duck, skin side down, until the skin is crisp.
Once the skin is crisp, remove the duck from the griddle and set aside.
Drain banana blossoms well.
Combine banana blossoms, carrots, cabbage and mint in a bowl.
Dress with a few teaspoons of dressing, just enough to lightly coat the blossoms.
Toss well.
Arrange the salad on a plate.
Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds and crispy fried shallots.
Top the salad with duck confit.
Serve immediately with more dressing on the side and with calamansi, if you wish.
Dinner series
The series of dinners continued on Nov. 24 when Chinn along with another celebrity chef, Dan Segall, whipped up a six-course meal at The Peninsula Manila for the second Epicurean Masters dinner.
Chef Segall is known for his inventive fusion menus. He worked at Zuma London and was the opening chef of Zuma Hong Kong, M1NT Shanghai, Fat Cow and Ku Dé Ta Singapore.
The last Epicurean Masters dinner for the year will be held Dec. 3 at Finestra, Solaire Resort and Casino.
Chef Diego Chiarini is known for his unrivaled passion for handpicking his own ingredients. Chef Diego has worked at Bice at the Four Seasons Tokyo, a restaurant given the distinction as one of the 10 best Italian restaurants in the world.
For tickets to Epicurean Masters, call Leah Basco at 0915-7326292.