Tasting Intramuros At The Peninsula Manila

A week to the Gawad Kalinga Hope Ball, I was asked to be part of the epicure team trying out its dinner menu. The Peninsula Manila's Executive Sous Chef Ed Mardela and Chef de Cuisine Samuel Linder prepared a sampling of beautifully plated Filipino Spanish dishes inspired by the walled city of Intramuros, whose informal settlers are this year's beneficiary.

We started of with Lapu-lapu croquette and ube (purple yam) crema poured with sweet corn bisque. Aah, the ube did it for me, I wiped out my bowl in a wink. Next came the salad served on a green tinted glass plate, it had vinaigrette that tempered the savory taste of the garlic shrimps that went with the greens. The guava sorbet was served shortly after, doubly delightful because of its pink hue. The main course was beef kaldereta, actually my favorite local dish, it came with goats cheese gnudi. Quite a good pairing, I didn't feel the need to eat it with steamed rice. And just as I thought I was ready to end a meal without happy carbs, biko (glutinous rice cooked in coconut cream) pandan with chocolate mousse and caramelized pili nuts was laid before me. One scoop and a happy rush exploding in my brain, it was dessert as it should be.

See you all at the Hope Ball!

The Menu

Sweet corn bisque, Lapu-lapu croquette, ube crema

Golden acres greens and fern salad, sauteed garlic shrimps, roasted peanuts, Bukidnon suka emulsion

Pink guava sorbet

Kaldereta braised beef short rib, Kangkong two ways, Davao goat cheese gnudi

Biko pandan with chocolate mousse, caramelized pili nut

The Penisula Manila's Events Manager Pam Abantao, Executive Sous Chef Ed Mardela
and Chef de Cuisine Samuel Linder

With Gawad Kalinga advocates Meluchi Rivera and Pinky Antonio and
The Peninsula Manila's F&B Manager Gerhard Doll

For Hope Ball tickets, please contact Cat Turingan +63917 891 7109 / +632 215 9152 / gkhopeball@gk1world.com

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