Asian menu delights in Madrid Fusion

Chef Tony Yoo —Margaux Salcedo

One of the great benefits of Madrid Fusion, in the words of Tourism Director Verna Buensuceso, who has been the force at the Department of Tourism (DOT) in charge of this gustatory affair since its launch in 2015, is that the Philippines—at least for the duration of the food festival—becomes a food hub where one can taste the creations of some of the best chefs of the world.

Korean chef Tony Yoo

One such chef is Tony Yoo, one of the speakers during the Madrid Fusion Manila 2017. The South Korean former chef of the Michelin-starred 24 Seasons and now owner of Doore Yoo, a restaurant in South Korea specializing in contemporary Korean creations, is an emissary for Korean cuisine.

Once you taste his cooking, it is easy to see why.

In a collaboration dinner with chef Thomas Jakobi of Brasserie on 3 in Conrad Manila, Yoo enlightened guests on the beauty of Korean cuisine. But make no mistake, there was no ordinary kimchi or samgyeopsal on the menu. Instead, elegant interpretations of ancient Korean recipes were presented.

The evening’s piece de resistance, for instance, a perfectly executed tenderloin, was inspired by an old Korean recipe called seul ya myeok. It was made even more Korean by the accompanying spicy red bean paste.

“Instead of patronizing artificial flavors, we proudly use traditional Korean fermented sauces and pastes,” Yoo explained. “This practice is done to help start a healthy food culture that provides a sense of seasonal change and nature.”

But what got my attention were the sides—no ordinary mashed potatoes here. A tuile of seaweed with pine nuts and other hand-carried mushrooms from Korea decked the plate. The seaweed tuile especially looked like intricate Asian art.

A big heap of lobster meat was circumferenced by crunchy pickled cucumber, another ode to Korean cooking.
Notes of kimchi and yuzu were present in little dots of sauce; while uni was served as a puree. The result was a balance of umami, sour, sweet and earthy notes for a symphony of flavors.

But Yoo does not limit his culinary prowess to what you can taste. Clearly understanding that the first impression of a diner is not just from what he sees or tastes but also what he smells (remember “langhap sarap”?), a salad of lotus root was served with a lotus flower in a separate bamboo steamer placed in the middle of the table. It is not to be eaten, we were instructed. It was just for the aroma of the lotus flower as you eat the lotus root! Talk about a multisensorial experience!

Cochinillo of Membrillo and Manchego

Conrad’s chef Jakobi

Chef Thomas Jakobi, the resident chef of Brasserie on 3, though German, also brought on his Asian A-game. His ginseng soup with double-boiled pork ribs was so soulful, you would think it was cooked by a Chinese gourmet lola.

I first tasted chef Jakobi’s creations at a preview of Brasserie on 3’s Chef’s Table where tasting menus were offered paired with either wine, whiskey, cocktails or beer. He continues to prove that fine dining at Conrad is worth the drive.

The good news is that the Chef’s Table is still available to the public. I have to make my way for the whisky-paired menu soon.

Brasserie on 3, Conrad Manila. For inquiries on the Chef’s Table, call (+632) 6833913.

Tapas galore —Spanish Commercial Office

Tapas night

Another highlight of Madrid Fusion Manila was the Tapas Night prelude organized by the Spanish Commercial Office. This has been done annually since Madrid Fusion Manila was launched in 2015. It seeks to promote Spanish food and wine through the participation of Spanish and local chefs. This year, six Philippine-based Spanish chefs (did you know we had so many?!) and three Filipino chefs served up a storm as a welcome gong for Madrid Fusion.

Chef Chele Gonzalez, who has been the most active since Madrid Fusion Manila started and was instrumental in enlightening chefs Elena Arzak, Andoni Aduriz and other Spanish chefs with what is exciting about Philippine cuisine; chef Carlos Garcia of Black Pig; most revered chef JC de Terry; chef Amado Garcia of Pablo; and chef Nicolas Diaz were the Spanish chefs who participated.

They made around 4,000 (yes, that great) tapas for almost 500 guests. The event also boasted over 400 bottles of free-flowing Spanish wines, brandy, gin and beer.

Congratulations

I am still astounded by the sheer number of products and produce brought to public attention by this gastronomic festival. Since Madrid Fusion Manila, I have been eating purple corn from Homegrown Organics and drinking corn whiskey by Destileria Limtuaco, just a couple of the many finds from the lunch samplers at the festival.

And that’s just me. Each and every one of the hundreds of participants who attended have also gone home with the same happy memories (selfies during the earthquake even), giddy with excitement at new gourmet finds, teaching techniques, and, of course, the obligatory selfies with chefs.

Congratulations to the Department of Tourism, Department of Agriculture, Madrid Fusion, Arum (the company that brought Madrid Fusion to Manila), the regional lunch curators, chefs, PACEOS, and all those who made Madrid Fusion Manila another dream come true.

Until next year!

More Madrid Fusion Manila finds at margauxsalcedo.com or margauxlicious.com.

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