Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa hosted an elegant five-course dinner to showcase exquisite wines from the Baron Philippe de Rothschild label at its Acqua restaurant. Present on this occasion was José P. Meneses, president and CEO of Titania Wines Cellar, which imports the Rothschild line.

Guests gathered at the palm-fringed terrace by the pool, with a good view of the sea. An assortment of delicious canapés was passed around, paired with French champagne Pol Clement Brut. It was a sultry evening, so it was with relief that we filed into the cooler dining area set with beautifully laid out tables for 10.

Meneses explained the wines and their provenance before he sat at the press table along with Shangri-La Mactan’s communications director Mildred Amon, and Cassandra Cuevas, who is in charge of media. There was verbal ping-pong between the likes of Jude Bacalso, Mayen Tan, Jigs Arquiza, Nestor Alonso and Pia Echevarria.

The menu had been prepared by executive chef Joris Rycken, Italian chef Marco Ghezzi, food and beverage director Marco Cattini and his assistant Paul Beuchel, who explained the dishes and wines that accompanied them.

Rica Rellon, Shangri-La Mactan’s restaurant marketing manager, assisted everyone to their assigned places. Glimpsed about were chef Dietmar Dietrich, Merelo Aznar with niece Alma Mia Garcia and her son Antoni, Joel Lee who makes the best gelato in Cebu, Joseph Gandionco, Melo Borromeo, Carlo Cordaro, Joan and Darwin Solis of Enrich Trading, Rolph and Alice Hess, and more.

The white wines served rated superlatives. A Cadet Sauvignon Blanc went with the Bellotine of Pultry, and the Cadet Chardonnay was perfect with the seared sea-bream fillet. A lemon sherbet with a dash of limoncello served as prelude to the beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon, paired with a smooth Carabas Rouge.

The dessert plate was most tempting, with “chocolate soul” and a scoop of orange ice cream, the quintessential digestive. We sipped, or rather gulped, the Mouton Cadet Rose.

‘Treasured Recipes’

A food festival at the Café Marco of Marco Polo Plaza Hotel in Cebu was dedicated to the “Treasured Recipes” shared by Cristina Ebrada and Teresin Mendezona. It opened with the usual fanfare at the hotel lobby with general manager Hans Hauri delivering the welcome address.

There was an explanatory speech by Jessica Avila, Marco Polo’s consultant for Filipino cuisine. She recalled how her grandmother admonished her that “cooking was an art, and eating, a habit,” and thus it was important for a girl to learn how to cook before marriage.

Tina and Teresin were present, of course, pleased by the large turnout of guests with some of whom they shared their culinary secrets. Resident manager Julie Najar and PR officer for media Kyra Cabaero also attended to the guests.

Tina had prepared her famous coco cream sauce for which cookbook author Nora Daza years back came to Cebu to taste and obtain the recipe. It goes with sizzling bangus as well as with crabs and shrimps. Another famous dish of Tina is her baked mussels, popular at the Golden Cowrie restaurant she used to own.

Teresin’s Bam-i, a favorite Visayan noodle dish, was on the menu, as well as her signature cassava bibingka, laden with latik, and wrapped in smoked banana leaves. Cookie Newman lined up for the replenishment. How do you spell it—mamool, mamoul, mamul? Nestor Alonso asked about the morsels of sweet crushed almonds which define Teresin’s Palestinian ancestry.

‘Un Voyage de Indochine’

Amparito Lhuillier was present, drumming up interest for the next event of La Chaine des Rotisseurs, which she heads in Cebu. It will be a chic event the evening of June 29 with the theme “Un Voyage En Indochine,” at La Maison Rose.

That’s the Pink House, erstwhile ancestral mansion of the prominent Velez family on Gorordo Avenue. It was recently leased by Alliance Française de Cebu for its classes on French language, cultural activities, and a gourmet French restaurant.

The house has undergone refurbishment by the capable Delphine de Lorme, who has decorated the interiors to evoke life in Indochina during the 1930s, when the house was built by José and Juanita Velez.

Delphine went to Vietnam to obtain lanterns, decorative items, upholstery materials and a wealth of pictures. The walls have been painted in vivid colors, with highlighting touches of blooms and leaves.

For this event on June 29, chefs Jean-Pierre Dujay and Adrien Guerry have prepared a French gastronomic adventure of the first magnitude. It will serve as an excellent preview, as La Maison Rose will open to the public by the middle of July.

Cebu gourmets and gourmands are filled with expectation and anticipation. They have heard the raves of those who attended a dinner there for the French ambassador, whose visit to Cebu is the subject of a forthcoming coverage.