Party like the Mafia

Lhuillier rosé teases the taste buds at the beginning of dinner. —Photos by Margaux Salcedo

I had the pleasure of attending the last Chaine des Rotisseurs gathering at the Shangri-La Makati, my third time to attend this prestigious annual gala.

As usual, it felt like Prince Charming’s ball in the Cinderella fairy tale: Ladies were dressed to the nines, with jewelry brighter than their eyes, mesmerizing the dim room like Christmas lights, while gentlemen wore tails, medals hanging from their necks to display their societal credentials.

I noticed wine connoisseur Jay Labrador wearing something like ten medals on his neck and I wondered if they were not just for pomp but truly for circumstance.

Apparently, each medal is related to wines or Chaine des Rotisseurs.

Jay impressively had on him medals from the Chaine des Rotisseurs in Boston, Macau, Vietnam, and of course, Manila, plus another medal from the 40th anniversary of Chaine des Rotisseurs in Manila.

Chaine of Command: (from left) Jay Labrador, vice Echanson for Manila; Vicente Mills and Federico Borromeo, Bailli de Manille of Chaine de Rôtisseurs

Most special were his medals related to wine: One from the Ordre Mondial, the section of the Chaine des Rotisseurs which specializes in and concentrates on wines, spirits, and liqueurs; a wine professional medal; a Wine Spirits Education Trust Level 3 medal; and a very prestigious one that only he could wear as vice echanson or “the wine guy” of Chaine des Rotisseurs here in the Philippines.

Chaine des Rotisseurs, according to its website, is “an International Association of Gastronomy now established in over 80 countries bringing together enthusiasts who share the same values of quality, fine dining, the encouragement of the culinary arts and the pleasures of the table. The distinctive character of our association is to bring together amateurs and professionals, from all over the world, whether they are hoteliers, restaurateurs, executive chefs or sommeliers, in the appreciation of fine cuisine. ”

As vice echanson, Jay chose the wines for the Philippine chapter’s gala.

Interestingly, he chose Italian wines, not French, to go with the menu by the Italian executive chef of Shangri-La Makati, Nicola Canuti.

Apparently it was also for the Prohibition and “Days of Wine and Roses” theme, for which Shangri-La Makati dressed up the venue with a thousand roses.

The opulent seafood starter with Calvisius Oscietra caviar.

As explained by Freddie Borromeo, bailli de Manille (head of Chaine de Rotisseurs in Manila), the evening was a celebration of “the cuisine and fine wines of Italian mafia; a recreation of the ambiance in which they lived and thrived.”

Jay actually found a label supposedly owned by a Mafia member and reportedly confiscated by the Italian government: Luccarelli Il Bacca Old Vines Primitivo di Manduria. The importer would not say which Mafia family.

The Bacca 2015 was paired with Tuscan cheese at the end of the meal, which was surprising because it’s a full-bodied wine but I guess Mafia-worthy with its spicy notes, soft tannins and vanilla finish.

Personally, for the cheese, I went back to the Lhuillier Champagne Brut Rosè, which was originally paired with the first course of octopus, scallops and prawn stuffed with Oscietra Caviar—my excuse to go back to something French!

Incidentally, Michel Lhuillier is bailli delegue Philippines (head of Chaine des Rotisseurs-Philippines) while the gracious Amparito Lhuillier is bailli de Cebu or head of Chaine-Cebu.

To be honest, I don’t know if the evening was anything at all like “how the Mafia lived” but it was indeed a lovely evening of wine and roses.