September 3, 2019
9:11 AM
by: Dolly Dy-Zulueta

Who’s Cooking?
Chef Niño Laus and K by Cunanan Are!

Ox Tongue, Buto ng Langka, Pipian Berde

COLLABORATIONS are great, especially when it involves professional chefs and established caterers. So, when The Blue Leaf, a premier events venue company, and Our Awesome Planet, a top travel and food blog, paired 11 top chefs with 11 of their partner caterers for their recent special event called Who’s Cooking?, the collaborations turned out mouth-watering five-course menus that are to die for.

These menus, which will be exclusively available for events held at The Blue Leaf events venues, cover appetizer to main course to dessert. They come with themes, which the collaborating chefs and caterers decided on, and in the case of the collaboration between Chef Niño Laus (of Ninyo Fusion Cuisine & Wine Lounge, Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen, and Alamat) and K by Cunanan, the theme happens to be native Filipino cuisine that’s perfect with a bottle of beer or a glass of wine.

Pata, Bagnet, Buggy

Pata, Bagnet, Buggy. Tender pork trotters braised in bugnay wine until tender, wrapped in homemade bagnet, and topped with sampinit fruit.

Kadios, Patani, Feta, Compressed Watermelon, Kasuy

Kadios, Patani, Feta, Compresed Watermelon, Kasuy. A vegetable croquette made with pigeon pea, lima beans, local goat cheese, a “sheet” of compressed watermelon, cashew nuts, with local sesame seeds… It is drizzled with freshly foraged honey with tones of vinegar, so that it tastes much like vinaigrette.

Pugita, Kulma, Cauliflower Puree, Pumpkin Bagoong, Mais, Vigan Longganisa Salsa

Pugita, Kulma, Cauliflower Puree, Pumpkin Bagoong, Mais & Vigan Longganisa Salsa. Octopus braised with local chilies, marinated in chilies and cooked with dalandan and soy sauce for a spicy aftertaste. It has kulma (kare-kare and curry), cauliflower puree, corn, Vigan longganisa and pumpkin bagoong.

Ox Tongue, Buto ng Langka, Pipian Berde. Ox tongue skewers on a bed of mashed jackfruit seeds made into potato consistency, served with Ilocano green pipian sauce.

Coconut, Tibuk-tibok, Latik, Burnt Coconut Tuile

Coconut, Tibuk-tibok, Latik, Burnt Coconut Tuile. It is tibuk-tibok (like maja blanca) with latik crumbs on the sides, burnt coconut and fresh katmon.

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September 2, 2019
6:28 AM
by: Dolly Dy-Zulueta

Who’s Cooking?
Chef Tatung Sarthou and Juan Carlo Are!

‘Sultan’s Kiss’ by Chef Myke ‘Tatung’ Sarthou and Juan Carlo Catering

CHEF Myke ‘Tatung’ Sarthou is the resident chef and segment host of Umagang Kay Ganda on ABS-CBN. His first cookbook, Philippine Cookery: From Heart to Platter, was the big winner in the World Gourmand Awards in 2017, and he has since come up with several other cookbooks. He is so highly respected as a professional chef that he became the first Filipino chef to appear on the main congress stage at the 15th Madrid Fusión Congress that took place in Spain.
His stature comes from the fact that he creates playful yet seriously delicious Filipino dishes with contemporary influences.

So when The Blue Leaf, an events venue company, and Our Awesome Planet, one of the country’s top travel and food blogs, decided to organize a dream project like their recent Who’s Cooking?, they just had to include Chef Tatung’s name on the list of 11 well-known chefs to be paired off with established caterers in a culinary collaboration. The objective: To come up with a signature five-course menu that will only be available for events happening at The Blue Leaf events venues.

Chef Tatung was paired with Juan Carlo Catering, a company that started in Saudi Arabia and thrived in Batangas. Together, they took a cursory glance at contemporary Philippine cuisine and transformed seemingly ordinary ingredients into vignettes of flavors that evoked nostalgia in small bites. The impressive signature five-course menu that they came up with:

Duck for Cover

Duck for Cover. Tender Mascovy duck rillette and creamy foie gras mousse on crunchy blackened toast.

Pig and Bananas

Pig and Bananas. This is a celebration of pork in the form of honey-glazed pork cooked with crunchy bits of longganisang Taal, which combines sweet and sour flavors with smoke, highlighted by the fragrant sweetness of mofongo or mashed bananas.

Sultan’s Kiss. It is a small molded roll of al dente Maranao rice that has been colored and flavored with buttery uni (sea urchin), mixed with shrimp and topped with salmon roe. As Chef Tatung puts it, “popping it into your mouth is like tasting the ocean in one bite!”

A Bull by Its Horn

A Bull of Its Horn. Slow-roasted Batangas beef in Barako demi-glace, which lends its smoky caffeine strength to the beef. The calamansi mostarda on the side surprises the palate with its bittersweet tanginess, effectively cleansing the palate in between bites.

Tropical Rendezvous

Tropical Rendezvous. Deconstructed Brazo de Mercedes resting on small dollops of ube and leche flan, topped with crispy cassava chips, and garnished with sweetened coconut toppings.

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September 1, 2019
2:29 PM
by: Dolly Dy-Zulueta

Who’s Cooking?
Chef Josh Boutwood and Hizon’s Are!

Cured Salmon, Herbed Cream Cheese, Served on Toasted Sourdough

WHAT happens when a British chef like Josh Boutwood (who has moved around Europe, cooked his way through Spain and arrived in Manila to make a difference in the local culinary world) and a top caterer like Hizon’s Catering (which is backed by 30 years of kitchen experience) join hands in a grand culinary event such as The Blue Leaf and Our Awesome Planet’s recent Who’s Cooking?

An exciting signature five-course menu that is guaranteed to satisfy not just hunger but cravings.

Eleven well-known chefs were paired with 11 The Blue Leaf partner caterers, each pair tasked to create a signature five-course menu that shall become available for events to be held at The Blue Leaf events venues.

The pair of Chef Josh Boutwood (who runs his own restaurants called Savage and Helm) and Hizon’s Catering (a 30-year-old institution in the local catering industry) has produced a delicious menu that banks on the refreshing flavors of the Scandinavian region.

Cured Salmon, Herbed Cream Cheese, Served on Toasted Sourdough. An open-faced sandwich that features the classic combination of cured salmon, herbed cream cheese and fried capers on toasted sourdough. Simply perfect!

Argentinian Roasted Chicken, Basil and Radish Salad, and Chimichurri

Argentinian Roasted Chicken, Basil and Radish Salad, and Chimichurri. An elevated roast chicken plate that consists of Argentinian chicken marinated in chimichurri, served with a side of a three-wild rice pilaf tossed in lemon and oil, plus a fresh blend of pickled radish and basil salad.

Roast Pork, Caramelized and Pickled Carrot, Mustard Sauce

Roast Pork, Caramelized and Pickled Carrot, Mustard Sauce. This dish is a combination of earthy ingredients on a juicy roast pork platform. There are carrots and mustard in the sauce, and adding a surprising crunch and texture are chicharon and popcorn sprinkled on top of the dish.

Sous-vide Beef Cheeks with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Sous-vide Beef Cheeks with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. Fork-tender beef cheeks garnished with edible flowers and powdered pistachio. Creamy Parmesan mashed potatoes serve as starch.

Passion Fruit Gelee, White Chocolate Mousse and Oranges

Passion Fruit Gelee, White Chocolate Mousse and Oranges. Awesome flavor combination! Tangy passion fruit gelee on dessert glass reveals a layer of creamy white chocolate mousse with the added texture of thin, marinated orange slices.

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August 28, 2019
9:19 AM
by: Dolly Dy-Zulueta

Who’s Cooking?
Chef Robby Goco and The Creamery Are!

Mini Wagyu Beef Kebabs

WHO’S cooking? That’s the question that The Blue Leaf, an events venue company, and Our Awesome Planet, a top travel and food blog in the country, asked when they recently joined hands and organized a culinary event called Who’s Cooking?, held at The Blue Leaf Filipinas.

The truth is that they had 11 answers to the question, as they paired up 11 professional chefs with 11 The Blue Leaf partner caterers to collaborate and come up with a signature five-course menu to be exclusively available for events held at The Blue Leaf venues.

One of the pairs that they came up with was that of Chef Robby Goco and The Creamery Catering. Chef Robby has been identified with Greek cooking because two of his restaurants, Cyma Green Kitchen and Souv by Cyma, offer a full Greek menu. He also has a farm-to-table restaurant called Green Pastures and develops menus for corporate clients. The Creamery Catering, meanwhile, prides itself on introducing new twists to classic recipes and is slowly making a name for itself in an industry dominated by veterans.

Together, they worked around the Greek expertise of Chef Robby and came up with an exciting Greek-inspired signature five-course menu.

Mini Wagyu Beef Kebabs. Bite-sized Wagyu beef patties served on Green pita bread with yogurt sauce, red onion and parsley. Very fresh flavors!

Cheese Saganaki Station (left) and Spanakopita Triangles (right)

Cheese Saganaki Station and Spanakopita Triangles. The Cheese Saganaki Station is fried Greek cheese on a slice of crispy horiatiko bread and topped with fig jam and honey. For the latter, Chef Robby Goco and The Creamery stayed true to the classic Spanakopita, which is spinach and feta cheese stuffed inside triangular flaky pastry pockets.

Marouli Salata (Greek Spring Salad)

Marouli Salata (Greek Spring Salad). A salad teeming with shredded mixed greens, tomatoes, spring onion, dill and crumbled feta served with lemon extra virgin olive oil dressing! It is light and refreshing.

Seafood Yiouvetsi

Seafood Yiouvetsi. How would you like a pasta dish with a symphony of seafood flavors coming from prawns, mussels, clams and scallops in a bed of orzo pasta cooked in crustacean stock.

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Aligot

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Aligot. A roasted leg of lamb is part and parcel of a true and good Greek meal. This one by Chef Robby and The Creamery produces tender cuts of lamb that goes best with roasted vegetables and cheesy aligot.

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August 25, 2019
11:30 AM
by: Dolly Dy-Zulueta

Who’s Cooking?
The Lechon Diva and Center Table Are!

Squid Ink Crisp with Mangoes and Mussels by Dedet de la Fuente and Center Table Catering

OUT of the 11 pairs of well-known chefs and catering companies in the country, it really took the Lechon Diva herself, Dedet de la Fuente, and Center Table Catering to focus on Filipino dishes inspired by the flavors of the land and the sea in Who’s Cooking?.

Who’s Cooking?, a major event put together by The Blue Leaf events venue company and top travel and food blog Our Awesome Planet, had its Grand Reveal Party recently to showcase—and let guests taste—the result of the unique match-ups between chefs and caterers. One of the menus that everyone simply loved was that of the Lechon Diva and Center Table team.

De la Fuente is famous for her leveled-up Filipino fiesta food, and her Pepita’s Kitchen first caught the attention of food connoisseurs and foodies alike with her stuffed lechon. Her Truffle Lechon, for one, is to die for, as it marries Filipino and French cuisines with crispy-skinned Cebu lechon stuffed with truffle rice. Her collaboration with Center Table, which is best known for its Spanish specialty dishes, has produced a truly exciting signature five-course menu.

Phoenix Crystal Nest

Phoenix Crystal Nest. It’s a bed of crispy bihon topped with cashew, chestnuts, chorizo Macao, mushrooms and the Lechon Diva’s secret sauce. It draws inspiration from her 8-Treasure Stuffed Chicken.

Foie Taco Crisp

Foie Taco Crisp. As indulgent as her stuffed lechon is this bite-sized gourmet treat of foie gras (duck liver) on a crispy taco shell sprinkled generously with Parmesan cheese to give the palate-pleaser a creamy texture and buttery taste.

Lechon Flambe

Lechon Flambe. Crispy lechon skin base topped with boneless lechon meat cooked with rosemary and a mix of herbs. The idea came from the Lechon Diva’s recent trip to Italy, where her daughter asked, “What if you flambe lechon?” and she answered, “Why not?”

Squid Ink Crisp with Mangoes and Mussels. Drawing inspiration from the colorful corals in our sea beds, this dish combines mussels and mango chunks on a crispy squid ink base.

Mango Creme Mousseline Crepe

Mango Crème Mousseline Crepe. Custard flavored crepe with a rich, creamy filling, bathed with the sweetness of mango on top.

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