Using a coffee machine to make soup of crab broth, calamansi and herbs?
That’s just one of the stop-in-your-tracks moments while watching executive sous chef Paolo Pelosi prepare your dinner at Cowrie Cove of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu.
This newly appointed chef—Italian-born and who honed his skills in Michelin-star restaurants—has a way of thinking out of the culinary box. Like any Italian, he loves his pasta but adds a Japanese culinary orientation.
He has lived in Japan for many years, has gotten used to its fresh produce, and the Japanese way of cooking or noncooking. Since then, his way of cooking has never been the same.
He said that he likes how Japanese cuisine is “cleaner, just blanched vegetables, yet crispy.” Tokyo, after all, has the famous Tsukiji Market.
Our soup of crab broth was balanced with the fresh taste of calamansi and herbs, a mixture achieved in the coffeemaker. There were crab meat, homemade ricotta cheese and tomatoes in the soup.
Then we had pan-seared scallop with polenta, corn cooked in butter and thyme, and corn sprout.
It was followed by lobster with carrot puree.
To say that the dinner was different is an understatement. More than being different, it was ingenious—ingeniously clean and fresh cuisine, filling but not satiating.
There are strategic, cozy tables at Cowrie Cove which are favorite marriage-proposal corners. (Therefore, one has to be careful in taking snapshots of the place for Instagram. One has to respect the privacy of diners.)
But the seafood grill restaurant is also for families and other social groups, especially on weekends.
Early stint
Curiously, Cowrie Cove’s menu contained drawings by Pelosi himself.
His early stint was as commis chef at Restaurant Pirana, a one-star Michelin restaurant in Prato Area, Italy.
He spent several years in various kitchens in well-known Tuscan restaurants, from Florence and Fiesole to Prato Area, where he delved into Tuscan cuisine.
The high points of his career include being sous chef at Restaurant Onice, known for its Tuscan menu influenced by Asian flavor.
Pelosi’s next venture was at Restaurant Ora D’Aria, a one-star Michelin restaurant in Florence.
His last stint, before leaving Italy, was at Restaurant Arnolfo, a Michelin two-star restaurant owned by one of Italy’s best chefs, Gaetano Trovato.
Before Shangri-La Mactan, Pelosi was the chef at Piacere, Shangri-La Tokyo’s signature Italian restaurant.
Piacere is known for its contemporary Italian dishes that reflect a combination of flavors and textures, delivered using Japanese and Italian produce.
The restaurant is known for exquisite menus prepared with rare ingredients, such as a 100-year-old balsamic vinegar or a 101-month-aged Parmesan cheese.
The shift from being a solely Italian chef to executive sous chef primarily in charge of a seafood restaurant does not seem to overwhelm Pelosi as he remains true to his culinary philosophy: Use fresh produce with simple yet interesting taste combinations, all crafted with passion.
“Cooking is nearly effortless when you have the right raw materials, and choosing the best-quality ingredients is almost sacramental for me,” said Pelosi.
If at all, the challenge he faces in Cebu is the availability of ingredients, a convenience he enjoyed in Tokyo, home to the world’s largest fish market.
No pasta
“This gives me the opportunity to work closely with local suppliers. It’s almost like buying direct from a farmer—we’re engaging in a time-honored connection between eater and grower. Knowing these local suppliers gives me an insight into the seasons, the land and the food of Cebu—and this really excites me,” said Pelosi.
The new Cowrie Cove menu includes Calamansi-scented Crab Broth with Ricotta and Turnip Dumplings; Curry-scented Rock Lobster on Carrot Puree and Organic Carrot Salad; and the deliciously aromatic Bouillabaisse A La Cowrie (a mix of lobster tail, scallop, prawns, white fish, mussel, squid and sautéed vegetables).
“The most interesting part is, I have no pasta on my menu for the first time,” Pelosi said. Thelma Sioson San Juan
Cowrie Cove is open daily for dinner from 6 to 10 p.m. For inquiries and reservations, please call the resort’s Restaurant Reservations and Information Desk at (6332) 2318224 or e-mail fbreservations.mac@shangri-la.com.