Every Filipino can make a contribution to increasing country pride in his own not-so-small way. Whether it be cinema (Brillante Mendoza), music (Charice Pempengco), sports (Pacquiao, Ina Flores), fashion (Monique Lhuillier), the beauty of the equation is that if one shines, the rest of the country shines with him. Despite the extra-judicial killings and electoral fraud, we can nevertheless stand tall, thanks to these happy little bluebirds who fly beyond the rainbow and raise high the Philippine flag!
One of these bluebirds is chef-restaurateur Tonyboy Escalante. At the fourth Miele Guide Gala Night held at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, Escalante stood alongside three other select chefs from the Asian region to present modern island cooking to an audience of over 500 of Asia’s most respected and/or most popular chefs, restaurateurs and food writers. As chef of Antonio’s, which has consistently made Top 20 of the guide, he was asked to present “something very Filipino.”
What did he serve? At this competitive arena of food experts, he bravely presented (drum roll, please) beef sinigang! This was described on the menu as “beef served in a sour tamarind and taro broth puree,” paired with rice noodles and Marabino Rosa Nera (a floral and fruity, rose-colored Nero d’ Avola).
Filipino restaurateurs who made the list and attended the gala—David Pardo de Ayala of Verbena, Malu Gamboa of Azuthai and Rolly Laudico of Bistro Filipino—all gave their nod of approval.
Mamou’s Annie Montinola wished for warmer soup (one of the challenges of a 500 head count) and Chiqui Mabanta of Corner Tree Café wondered if non-Filipinos appreciated the dish as we did, but no less than John Sloane, VP for food & beverage of Resorts World Sentosa, who has a whopping 60+ restaurants and outlets under his management, gave Escalante’s sinigang a two thumbs-up: “Simple but delicious!” And Ate Publishing’s own Priscilla Tan observed, “(Tonyboy) shouldn’t be so shy. It was really good!”
The two thumbs-up was well-deserved. The beef was not only butter knife- but spoon-tender. The evenly distributed fat gave the entree extra texture. The broth had just the right amount of sour. The texture was a thicker instead of a brothier sinigang (similar to Mamou’s), thanks to the pureed taro (gabi). And while we rice people craved kanin, the rice noodles punched in an international flair to the dish. If you want to try this dish for yourselves, it is now part of the menu of Antonio’s Breakfast in Tagaytay.
Others that shone, too
While Mr. Escalante shone, he certainly wasn’t alone on the scene. Antonio’s Fine Dining continues as the country’s No. 1 (No. 11 in Asia), but joining the Top 5 are Restaurant Verbena in Tagaytay, Goose Station at The Fort, Steakhouse 22 Prime in Ortigas and Cirkulo in Makati. Forty-eight Filipino restaurants made this year’s Miele Guide and I was happy to note that our provinces were well-represented: Tatoy’s in Iloilo; KaLui in Puerto Princesa; Ah Fat in Davao; Hill Station in Baguio; Abaca and The Gustavian in Cebu; Alive! at The Farm in Batangas; and Alchemy and Indigo in Boracay.
The Miele Guide lists best restaurants determined by a special jury and online voting (no free meals, advertising or restaurant sponsorships!) in 17 Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
This year’s Top 5 are: Iggy’s in Singapore; Restaurant Andre in Singapore; L’Atelier de Robuchon, a come-as-you-are fine-dining experience in Hong Kong; Robuchon a Galera, the snootier version in Macau; and Caprice at the Four Seasons in Hong Kong.
Incidentally, chef Umberto Bombano of 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, the No. 13 restaurant on the list, was not unlucky at all that night as he became the first recipient of the highly prestigious Chef of Chefs Award. This award, according to the nomination form, “recognizes the one chef who serves as a figure of inspiration to his peers over the past year.” He is described by his peers as “the greatest chef in Asia” although he hails from Bergamo in Northern Italy. He is a sweetheart and indulged us for photo-ops, although I must admit that in mind I still hoped someday an Asian chef (and someday a Filipino chef) would be hailed as the “greatest chef in Asia.”
The Miele Guide 2011/2012 may be purchased online, www.mieleguide.com/shop, and will be available by first week of December at National Book Store.
The author is at margauxlicious.blogspot.com; twitter.com
/margauxsalcedo; Facebook page “margauxlicious.”
