Modern Chinese dining has become a culinary trend for years now. Chefs are creatively experimenting with modern flavors and ingredients for truly progressive menu items.
Take the surprise char siu amuse-bouche that started off an eight-course farm-to-table Chinese degustation menu at Seasonal Tastes at The Westin Manila. The appetizer retained its Cantonese flavor, but made with radish instead of barbecued pork.
It set the tone for the eight dishes to come next, rooted in the hotel’s wellness-forward and sustainable sourcing commitment.
“As a chef, I want to create dishes that are delicious, nutritious, and sustainable,” said Executive Chef Rej Cassanova, who partnered with Chef Sharwin Tee and the Agribusiness and Countryside Development Foundation for the degustation menu.
“One of the ways to achieve this is to source ingredients directly from local farmers who can provide you with fresh, seasonal, and organic produce. This benefits the community by providing farmers with jobs and income, reducing food miles and carbon emissions, and safeguarding biodiversity and agricultural land,” he added.
The two chefs divided equally the items on the degustation menu, which will run for two nights only on January 31 and February 7, 2024.
Chef Rej handled the first item on the menu: a trio of handcrafted dimsum of pork siomai with seared foie gras and black vinegar glaze; mushroom and peas with truffle essence; and the showstopper: lobster and chives with squid ink and caviar.
Chef Sharwin’s Tofu and Mushrooms dish, on the other hand, captured the vegetable-forward philosophy of the menu. The twice-cooked tofu has a mushroom tofu mousse inside. It is lavishly topped with a traditional shiitake mapo sauce and sprinkled with fried oyster mushrooms for added texture.
“We picked the veggies first then we picked the meat next. We want people to realize that vegetables are delicious if we cook veggies the way we cook our meat. That way, we can really show how versatile these vegetables are and how delicious they can be,” Chef Sharwin said.
Chef Rej Casanova noted there are numerous advantages to sourcing food from local growers.
“We also get to channel our inner creative by cooking with seasonal, regional, and unique varieties of vegetables and herbs that are not available in conventional markets,” he said.
According to Yvette Tan, a journalist and board member of the Agribusiness and Countryside Development Foundation, it is crucial to link farmers and agribusiness owners and practitioners to people who can support them.
“If an ordinary Filipino wants to help an ordinary Filipino farmer, then buy with your fork—which means buy local, or if possible buy straight from farmers or patronize restaurants that you know support local farmers,” she said.
As part of the Chinese dining tradition, the restaurant team will give out homemade fortune cookies bearing well wishes and messages during the two-night only limited run degustation menu.
“We invite everyone to join us for this two-night wine pairing event for a chance to win an overnight stay in a Deluxe Room,” said Eicha Medina, the hotel’s Assistant Manager for Food and Beverage.
(CuiSCENE no.2: Farm-to-Table Contemporary Chinese Degustation Menu is available at Seasonal Tastes on January 31 and February 7, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.. The dinner is priced at P4,800 nett per person. For table reservations and inquiries, e-mail [email protected] or call +632.8256.2020 or +63.939.926.2157)