Hurray Team Lolo Dad's!

A dinner hosted by the Meat and Livestock Australia which featured delegates and creations of its Black Box competition was recently held at the Blue Leaf in Fort Bonifacio. The competition featured various hotels, restaurants and schools in the Philippines featuring young chefs. Those who joined the contest were Lolo Dad's Cafe, EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Makati Shangri-La, MezzaLuna, The Palms and St. Therese Culinary School.

The venue was at the Blue Leaf in Upper Mckinley in Fort Bonifacio. As it was my first time there, it proved to be a nice and beautiful venue for gatherings such as corporate parties. The downside however is that, because the area is still surrounded by residential and commercial lots being developed, the roads were poorly lit and you'd easily get lost as some of the attendees of the event did.

Cocktails were served and fine wines from Australia (of course) complemented the hors d'oeuvres. The hall was finally opened after 2 hours of waiting and each guest was directed to his assigned seat. Each table is assigned to a particular establishment and will be served a three course meal - appetizer, main course and dessert. I was very lucky to have been seated in the Lolo Dad's table with Chef Ariel Manuel and his wife and partner Mia, as well as their family members and special friends. As soon as the welcome speeches have been delivered, the competing groups were given their signal to start serving their assigned tables. Each group was tasked to serve 2 tables that seats 10 people per table.

Our appetizer was delicious! Imagine having compressed and lightly seared lamb served with warm poached pear, fruit jelly, herbed butter panini and roasted garlic aioli. We were off to a good start. At this point, I couldn't wait for the main course.

But we had to wait. In between courses, we were served raspberry sorbet laced with basil essence to cleanse off our palates. This was served in pretty teeny-weeny tea pots,with its cover upturned and topped with a scoop of sorbet. To keep it from melting, the pots were stuffed with dry ice. Absolutely wonderful!

Then came the main dish. Using beef rump, the Lolo Dad's team rolled it in gremolata and roasted it to medium doneness, while the trimmings were sauteed and served as the bed of the roasted fillet. Served with potato terrine, vegetable flan and tomato confit, it was well executed and truly deserved the Best Main Course award.

The grand finale of our dinner also proved to be a conversational piece. Dessert was composed of Italian meringe with chocolate and pineapple filling, strawberry coulis and mocha ice cream. As you cut through the towering meringue, you will find the oozing mixture inside with its tartness complementing the sweetness of the meringue itself. As I type this piece, I am still salivating with the gustatory pleasure this course has given.


It is not a surprise that given the careful preparation of the Lolo Dad's team and the delightful flavors our three-course dinner has imparted, the team was chosen to represent the Philippines to compete in the MLA's Black Box global competition (to be participated by 22 countries) in Dubai. No doubt, the Philippines has a great chance in bringing home the gold once more.

Congratulations to the Lolo Dad's team!