KITCHEN collaborations are special because they bring out the best in the collaborating personalities. Take the team-up of Chef Kalel Chan and The Red Chef & Events, who were one of the 11 chefs and 11 caterers paired together to produce a mouthwatering signature five-course menu for the Who’s Cooking? event held at The Blue Leaf Filipinas.
The event itself was a collaboration between The Blue Leaf, an events venue company, and Our Awesome Planet, one of the country’s top travel and food blogs. The 11 collaborating teams were a first-of-its-kind culinary pursuit and turned out to be a resounding success. The partnership between Chef Kalel Chan (of Chelsea, Kabila, Stella Rocketroom, Saboten, Simple Lang, Providore, Friends & Family, Chotto Matte, and Cha-Cha’s in Boracay) and The Red Chef & Events (a catering services company backed by individuals who are driven by their passion for excellent food and unique experiences) worked around Filipino pulutan infused with Japanese cuisine. Exciting, indeed!
Their signature five-course menu, which shall be available only for events held at The Blue Leaf events places, consists of:
Ponzu Pinakurat Kilawin with Wasabi Avocado and Gyoza Crisp. Kilawin of shrimp, squid and marlin mixed with pinakurat and wasabi guacamole. The fried gyoza wrapper provides perfect contrast to the seafood.
Aligue Chirashi Mushi with Mentaiko Aburi. Chirashi-inspired dish of scallops, shrimps, aligue, tamago and mayo. The unagi sauce gives a hint of sweetness to the torched aburi, with tanoki and mentaiko added for flavor.
Balut Chawan Mushi with Uni and Ikura. Savory balut juice and balut yolk with dashi and egg made into a custard. It is topped with uni, ikura and gyoza sauce, with a stem of basil to give a refreshing new dimension to the dish.
Tapa Maki with Soy Cured Quail Eggs. Familiar flavors of tapa, atchara and ginger with cured quail egg and rice in one heavenly bite.
Matcha Leche Flan with Kinako, Adzuki Beans and Langka. A favorite Filipino dessert given a matcha twist, layered with langka, kuromitzu and kinaku (black honey).
