Shoot First Eat Later

The World Street Food Congress 2013

Denmark’s Porc Sandwich
photo from: World Street Food Congress

The good news is I’m off to Singapore to attend the World Street Food Congress through the invitation of the Singapore Tourism Board. I won’t be able to update my blog for a while but do follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see all the delicious street food I will be eating.

The World Street Food Congress 2013

From Street Market to World Markets

May 31st to June 9th, 2013, in Singapore

“To recognise energies and galvanise opportunities for the world’s greatest culinary heritage- comfort street food” KF Seetoh, founder of Makansutra

Background

An overwhelming majority ofthe world rely regularly on the biggest, most loved, yet most unstructured culinary culture in the world – street food – for sustenance. From Jolly Jeeps in

Philippines, the Kaki Limas in Indonesia, Falafel stands in the Middle East, food trucks and burger stalls in America, street stalls in Bangkok, tacos stands in Mexico, street food inns in China, and hawker stalls plus food courts in Singapore and Malaysia; to the cafes and fine restaurants that take comfort street food to an exquisite level.

First of its kind in the world

This most popular food culture has an unquestioned place in the hearts and minds of many around the world. Largely, it was born during trying times of developing nations and it has, over decades and centuries become an iconic food culture of the land.

Singapore is one such country that proudly celebrates its journey from a haphazard blend of different tastes to a thriving food paradise. In Singapore, eating is considered a national pastime and cuisines from all over the world are available, but the humble street food culture has evolved into an iconic culinary phenomenon delivered through her flourishing hawker centres.

In the United States of America, food truck culture is proliferating right now and adored by millions, largely brought forth by the protracted economic downturn. Thailand, the world’s often top rated street food city in the world, where even the revered King once decreed that his Royal recipes be made available for her people, actively promotes the exportation her authentic food culture.

In India, there are at least 3 million street food vendors, both licensed and itinerant. However, with the rising incomes and aspirations of her people, habits and expectations are changing for the street
food scene. The government, in collaboration with street hawker and vendors associations nationwide has been working to legalise and recognise this iconic yet unexalted force of the nation and turn it into coherent opportunities and experiences for her people and guests.

These measures are all steps in the right direction but as they occur in isolation from one another, the opportunity then arises for greater collaboration and more focused efforts to ensure that street
food, so dearly loved by all, retains its iconic status yet create opportunities for the masses worldwide.

The World Street Food Congress is the first of its kind in the world to connect all the fractured energies with the aim to address continuity, open up fresh ideas and inspire thought leadership to structure new opportunities for the massive street food culture and industry. It will also celebrate

and showcase the richness and vibrancy of the street food scene around the world through a ten- day gastro-cultural jamboree.

Themed From Street Market objectives: to World Market, the WSFC seeks, primarily, to address three

1. Preserve artisanal craft and heritage:
• To heighten awareness, build appeal, address continuity and facilitate the representation of
this artisanal heritage – of affordable, meaningful meals, sustainable practices and
conservation of food cultures.
• Bond the different communities and foster deeper engagement for and with industry professionals and business owners, tourism bodies, our youth, schools and the general public.

2. Professionalise the industry:
• To create opportunities for the industry professionals and corporations – by opening channels to encourage sharing of ideas and steer international collaborations on various street food projects targeting the masses (e.g. To facilitate employability and skills capabilities in this field – facilitating job opportunities and required skills development.

3. New Possibilities:
• Through a networking process, to link up and strengthen the scattered and fractured street
food players and energies worldwide, the event aims to widen the
possibilities of this industry – create and house the global street food community, both on and offline to generate new opportunities for people, create relevance, widen industry horizons, and address sustainability and empowerment. With a structured platform like the World Street Food Congress, the world of street food is an oyster, the possibilities limited only by one’s imagination.

The World Street Food Congress is organized by Makansutra, and is the brainchild of its indefatigable founder, KF Seetoh. Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, the event comprises of three components; The World Street Food Dialogue; A 2-days conference and network event, The World Street Food Jamboree; A 10-days feasting Jamboree by at least 35 best street food masters from around the world and The World Street Food Awards; A first of its kind in the world to acknowledge and give international recognition to quietly famous street food icons, as well as to give recognition the representation each country and culture brings.

“I would like to commend Makansutra on their vision and courage to undertake this significant task of uniting street food aficionados from around the world. By bringing together street food vendors, professionals and industry players, the World Street Food Congress will help propel the standard and stature of the street food trade to higher levels through intellectual discourse and exchange of ideas, and of course provide unprecedented feasting opportunities for food lovers. Singapore is home to a rich culinary heritage, one nourished by our multicultural environment. We are therefore delighted to be a part of the inaugural World Street Food Congress and look forward to sharing our own vibrant street food culture with the rest of the world while learning about how others enjoy their street food.” – Lionel Yeo, CEO Singapore Tourism Board

The World Street Food Council
The World Street Food Congress is powered by the World Street Food Council*, a think tank comprising prominent names made up of influential thinkers, advocates and movers of the F&B eco- system in the world. They will function as thought leaders and vanguards of the industry at the World Street Food Congress.

Some of the names in the Council include Anthony Bourdain, world renowned television personality, author and avid street food advocate; James Oseland, Editor-in-Chief of Saveur magazine and acclaimed author of Cradle of Flavor (one of 2007’s best books by Time Asia and the New York Times); Johnny Chan, top China TV food host and winemaker; and KF Seetoh, Makansutra’s founder and CEO.

*The full list of the World Street Food Council will be announced at a later date.

About Makansutra
Makansutra (S) Pte Ltd is founded by KF Seetoh and headquartered in Singapore. We believe that food culture is the root of culinary knowledge and the source of its ultimate pleasure when eating as it reflects the best and most genuine cultural heritage, its representation and association with the people of today. We endeavour to share and celebrate all aspects of culinary kingdom through our food guides, online content, eateries, specialised events, projects and TV shows.

For more information please visit http://www.makansutra.com/wsfcongress or contact us as below.

MEDIA/PRESS CONTACT:
Carol Anne Wah
Tel: (65) 6438 4038
E-mail: carol@wsfcongress.com or carol@makansutra.com

Melbourne – Brunetti

Deb and I went to Myer department store on Burke Street in Melbourne. While the merchandise was beautiful it was too expensive for me if I compare the prices to Manila and the USA. Since I was about to leave the store empty handed I decided to console myself with goodies from Brunetti located on the 3rd floor of the store.

Deb said their coffee was good too but I had more than my quota of coffee by then.

They have merenda and we have merienda. The words differ by a letter but the meaning is the same – snack. I bet they only have 1 merenda a day while Filipinos have one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Brunetti menu

My eyes were as big as marbles when I saw all the delicious pastries. How on earth was I supposed to choose?

Deb immediately chose an apple strudel.

I chose the torta d’arancia or flourless orange and almond cake. I’ve seen recipes of this cake and have always been curious as to what it tasted like.

gelato

savoury pies, pasta and pizza

Santa Chiara coffee beans

The apple strudel was good and filled with so much tart apple cubes.

I super duper loved by orange almond cake. This cake was gluten free which means it didn’t contain any flour and only ground almonds were used to make the cake. I loved the fine gritty texture of the almonds and it was very moist too. The orange flavor was divine as expected.

torat d’arancia & apple strudel

When our other friends arrived from Manila we went back for more pastries. I still love the orange almond cake the best.

hazelnut & coffee torte, lobster tail

On our last day Sam shared with us the birthday cake her friends gave her.

I’m normally not fond of chocolate mousse but this one was made with really good quality chocolate and it was superior to any similar cake I’ve tried in Manila.

Brunetti has a branch in Singapore too!! I will definitely go there for a slice of torta d’arancia.

Brunetti
Level 3, Myer, Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000 Australia
Phone: (03) 9661 1380

Hours of Operation
Sunday – Wednesday (9am – 7pm)
Thursday & Friday (9am – 9pm)

Brunetti Singapore
Tanglin Mall
163 Tanglin Road #01-35/36 Singapore 247933
Phone: (65) 6733 9088

Hours of Operation
Friday, Saturday and Eve of Public Holidays (8am-10pm)
Sunday to Thursday (8am-9pm)

other branches
website

Melbourne – Borek Bakehouse

If I could eat borek everyday I would, well, maybe for a week. I was introduced to borek, a Turkish pastry stuffed with delicious fillings, at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. There’s just something so satisfying about biting into warm savory pastry and hearing the audible crunch and tasting an explosion of flavors.

Walking to Queen Vic we passed by Borek Bakehouse on Elizabeth Street and tried their borek to see how it compares to the one we had at the market.

gozleme A$6

simit A$2

zucchini patties A$1.50

menu

I wish I tried the pide too since it looks delicious.

pide

I ordered spicy lamb and it had quite an explosive kick. The flavors were bold and complemented the mild pastry. So which borek was better? I say it’s a tie. Both were served warm, fresh and very crunchy.

Borek Bakehouse
481 Elizabeth Street Melbourne, VIC 3000

Melbourne: Market Lane Coffee

When I found out I was going to Melbourne I was so excited because of the vibrant coffee scene in Australia. They take their coffee seriously and I was ready to try as much as I can.

The first place I tried was Market Lane Coffee right across Queen Victoria Market.

I was amazed at how casual the set-up was. Notice the seating area behind the counter?

This guy made the pour over coffee in front of the counter where people were sitting at the benches. Anal details like freshly ground coffee and weighing both the ground coffee and perfectly heated water was just the way they do it in San Francisco.

pour over coffee

I tried their almond croissant and found it lacking. The croissant wasn’t as flaky as I like it and the almond filling wasn’t very flavorful.

almond croissant

My first cup at Market Lane was the Cachoeira Da Grama pour over coffee. The coffee was certainly unique and very fragrant but I wanted something stronger.

pour over menu

They even tell you the blends that made up their espresso coffee.

espresso menu

Ordering coffee is Australia is a bit different and you need to know the terms to use.
Short Black – is basically an espresso with crema on top.
Long Black – the equivalent is an Americano. A shot of espresso topped up with hot water.
Flat White – it’s similar to a latte but has less milk and foam. This is unique to Australia and New Zealand.
Latte, Cappuccino (Cap), Machiatto are the same terms used everywhere else.

price list

They also had coffee related merchandise and coffee beans for sale. I had my eye on the amber colored bottles for storing coffee beans but I was afraid it might break in my luggage.

dulce whole cane sugar

Cascara tea

coffee beans (prices are for 250 grams) (click to enlarge)

I never ever order latte or cappuccino because the milk always drowns out the taste of the coffee. In Melbourne I discovered the magic words strong flat white. When you order it strong the barista adds an extra shot of espresso for free! It seemed tailor made for me. Strong espresso mellowed a bit with some hot milk and foam. I loved it! It became my standard order while I was in Melbourne.

strong flat white A$4

Thank you Market Lane Coffee for making me coffee that I loved to drink.

Market Lane Coffee
109-111 Therry Street Melbourne 3000
other branches
website

Hours:
Monday 7am – 2pm
Tuesday 7am – 3pm
Wednesday 7am – 2pm
Thursday 7am – 3pm
Friday 7am – 4pm
Saturday 7am – 4pm
Sunday 8am – 3.30pm

Melbourne: Coconut House

I had dreams of eating lamb and other Aussie food when I went to Melbourne instead I ate a variety of international cuisines. Staying in Melbourne CBD (central business district) we were surrounded with a lot of Asian, Greek and Italian restaurants.

I love milk tea and their teh tarik was strong and authentic.

hot teh tarik A$2.90

(click to enlarge)

Eating at an Asian restaurant in Melbourne really provided the best value for money. A complete set of Hainanese chicken with braised egg, soup and chicken rice cost less than a burger as you will see in my upcoming posts.

Hainanese chicken rice with braised egg A$8.60

Just take a look at all that glorious ginger! The chicken was very tasty and indeed fatty. I loved the chicken rice most of all. I would never imagine that I would find really good Hainanese chicken in Melbourne.

Laksa is one of my favorite Malaysian/Singaporean dishes. The House Laksa Special contained steamed chicken thigh meat, prawns, Malaysian fried bean curd, tofu puff, bean sprouts, fresh mint leaves and sambal.

House Laksa Special A$9.80

As much as I loved the flavor it was way too spicy for me. I thought I had a pretty good tolerance for heat until I tried this. They used two kinds of noodles which was quite interesting.

If I thought the laksa was spicy the green curry was even spicier! I could handle just a little sauce on my chicken rice and it was heavenly. I guess you can request them to tone down the heat of the food which I plan to do should I return to Melbourne.

Thai chicken green curry A$8.80

Coconut House
449 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
telehone:+61 3 9329 6401
Hours: Monday to Thursday 11:00 am – 10:30 pm
Friday to Saturday 11:00 am – 12:00 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 10:30 pm

Melbourne: The Moat Bar and Cafe

My first meal in Melbourne was also one of the best during my entire trip.

The Moat was located underneath the State Library of Victoria.

I like the paint job on the walls.

We met up with Deb’s pretty mini-me, Sam, who’s studying in Melbourne.

me and Sam

Terrace Edge Riesling

Smokey, salty and buttery jamon Iberico. More bread please!

jamon Iberico with grated tomato A$20

The scallops were perfectly cooked and succulent. I love the contrast in flavors from the salty pancetta and the sweet, garlicky apple puree. I could have eaten all three pieces!

Canadian scallops wrapped in pancetta on apple puree, black fermented garlic & hazlenut salad A$18

Deb wanted me to try her favorite salad and I loved it! I really enjoyed eating a salad with so much texture mainly from the grains used – farro, bulgur and quinoa. There was a touch of sweetness from mulberry fruit and crunch from pistachio. The different greens also added a flavor kick.

ancient grain salad of tomato, dates, toasted seeds, pistachio, mint, maple & lemon dressing A$16

This salad reminded me of the healthy salads in Whole Foods in the USA. But of course this was much more complex and way tastier.

We skipped dessert.

The Moat’s menu

The Moat is a good place to eat at in Melbourne.

The Moat Bar and Cafe
176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
telephone:+61 3 9094 7820
Hours:
Monday to Friday 8:00 am –11:00 pm
Saturday 3:00–11:00 pm
Sunday Closed
website

Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne

One of my favorite places in Melbourne is the Queen Victoria Market. These are black oranges by the way.

Luckily the apartment we stayed at was less than 5 minutes walk from Queen Vic as the locals call the century old market in the heart of the city. The market occupies two whole blocks. We went there 5 times out of the 10 days I was in Melbourne and still I haven’t seen everything.

We always enter the market through Therry st. which takes us to the deli hall where they sell an assortment of cooked food, pastries, cheese, bread, chocolates and many more. You can have a complete meal from appetizers to dessert just walking around this hall.

My most favorite thing to eat in Queen Vic is the borek, a Turkish bread with fillings.

Boreks

They also sell other kinds of bread and rolls but it’s the borek that people line up for.

There were three kinds of fillings to choose from – cheese & spinach, spicy lamb & veggies or spicy potato. The borek was a relatively long piece of bread filled with delicious ingredients. We usually split one borek into 3 pieces which was just perfect for a snack. All three times I ate borek it was served piping hot from the oven. The exterior was crunchy and the interior was soft and chewy. I also loved the spicy lamb filling. I really wanted to take some home back to Manila but I wasn’t sure if it will spoil during the long flight.

Does anyone know if there’s borek in Manila?

cheese & spinach borek A$3

Right next to the Borek shop was Drago’s that sold bratwurst sausages.

We had this delicious sandwich for lunch one day. What made it so good asides from the well flavored sausage was the crusty roll, sauerkraut, mustard and yummy cheese.

bratwurst sausage sandwich A$6

This picture was taken on a week day when there wasn’t much people. We went back on a weekend and you can hardly move. The bread shops run out of bread before noon so go there early if you want to choose from a full line-up of tempting breads.

I wonder if this butter is any good?

blocks of butter sold by kg.

Just outside the deli hall was the Vic Market Place Food Court. This was where we ate our sausage sandwich.

These are just some of the food restaurants there.

Ripe @ The Market

Canton fast food

Cafe Verona

baklava

Our next stop was the fruit and vegetable sheds. You can also buy organic food items and manuka honey here. But don’t forget to canvass prices since each stall has different prices for the same produce.

vegetables

mangoes

nuts

apples

Across was an even bigger shed with more fruits and vegetables.

nuts

herbs & spices

What beautiful colors!

green & purple cauliflower, beetroot

I wish I bought some black oranges to try.

black oranges, capsicum & squash

fresh pistachios

Most of the shoppers brought their own shopping carts or baskets.

There was a long line at the American Doughnut truck. I wouldn’t fall in line for doughnuts but Deb was curious so she patiently waited for freshly cooked hot doughnuts. Her patience paid off. 6 small round doughnuts filled with jam cost A$6 and they were really, really good. Not too sweet and it had a chewy texture I really liked.

Nearby was the meat hall were you can buy fresh meat and seafood. No frozen food here.

meat

king crab and clams

fish

The kids had fun petting the gigantic fish.

We actually bought racks of spring lamb to take home to Manila. Fantastic!!!

I’ve never seen pork specifically labeled and sold by gender. I guess it’s tastier?

As you can see from the picture below the female pork fillets cost more than the steaks and lamb. I wonder if the pork we buy in Manila are male or female. I bet it’s male.

female pork meat

We bought unique blends of sausages from this stall. Some were good others were not.

On Therry street right across the deli hall is the store called Soapbox where we bought Australian soaps.

Soapbox

My favorite soaps are the lemongrass for it’s scent and texture perfect for mild exfoliation and the shea butter for it’s super moisturizing properties. Each large bar cost A$2.70 and it lasts a long time. If not for the weight limit of my luggage I would have bought more.

lemongrass, shea, olive oil soaps

For tourists I suggest you go to Queen Vic or Vic Market on a weekday. Go early because you have a lot of area to cover. Also go hungry and don’t forget to try the borek and have a good cuppa coffee while you’re there. Don’t forget to bring your shopping bags too.

Shopping tips:
I wasn’t able to go to the retail area but my friends did and they were able to buy souvenirs, shirts, magnets and the like at lower prices than at tourist areas.

From Queen Vic look for Queen Street and go to QVM Vitamins there you will find the cheapest vitamins, supplements and manuka honey. Even the famous Lucas Papaw ointment is cheapest there.

Wellbeeing manuka honey 25+

picture from http://www.qvm.com.au

Download the Market Map

Queen Victoria Market
The Market is on the corner of Elizabeth and Victoria Streets in Melbourne’s CBD. Enter the Market from Elizabeth Street, Victoria Street, Peel Street or Therry Street.

Opening Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday – 6am-2pm
Friday – 6am-5pm (General Merchandise to 4pm)
Saturday – 6am-3pm
Sunday – 9am-4pm
Closed Mondays, Wednesdays & Public Holidays

website

Victoria Market Soapbox
149 Therry St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
telephone: +61 3 9329 9913
Hours: Sunday hours 10:00 am–5:00 pm

QVM Vitamins
462 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
telephone: +61 3 9077 0085

Philippine Airlines to Melbourne

Last March I went to Melbourne, Australia with my friends. We took Philippine Airlines since it’s the fastest way to get there. The direct flight took a mere 8 hours. Because I used my mileage and flew on business class going to Melbourne and economy back to Manila.

I had enough miles to fly on business class all the way but they said there wasn’t any allocation left on the Manila leg yet the business class section was half empty that flight. I also got to ride on two different planes since nobody knows what plane Philippine Airlines will actually use until the day of your trip.

This is my friend Deb who sat in her favorite seat while I sat at mine at the opposite end.

This is the business class seat of PAL’s B777-300ER. The interiors were newer and more comfortable than on the A300-300 we took back to Manila. The economy seats on this plane had individual screens on the back of each seat.

The leg room was really big.

The bag for the amenity kit was by Bally.

amuse bouche

minted chicken pomelo wrap, coriander prawns with Thai dipping sauce

I loved the chunky kare-kare sauce with ground peanuts. I just wish there was more like an extra bowl more. Look at my sad rice not even a drop of sauce on it.

prawn kare-kare by Chef Glenda Barretto

I always enjoy PAL’s cheese plate. There was quite a few almonds under the cheese slice.

cheese and nuts

I didn’t like the cake served but I was quite satisfied with the dark chocolate from Royce. I passed on the ice cream cup.

Magnolia ice cream, dessert & Royce dark chocolate

chamomile tea

A couple of hours before landing we were served a light breakfast. I didn’t like the cold meats that were too salty so I just ate the cheese with the ensaymada and the couscous salad filled with lots of dried fruit.

shaved roast beef with fiesta ham, fruit couscous salad and cheese

The mango jelly and nata de coco was a nice addition to the fruit bowl.

fresh fruit bowl

The ensaymada on a previous flight was yummier.

ensaymada

On the way back to Manila I was in economy class which I didn’t mind since I sat on the side with two seats and the seat next to me was empty. Notice there wasn’t any video screens on the back of the seats. This plane is an A330-300 if I’m not mistaken.

economy class amenity kit

I forgot what this pork dish was called but it was okay.

Dessert was a raspberry ripple cake from an Australian bakery. Not bad at all.

For our snack before landing we were given a roast beef panini with onions and tasty cheese. I swear that’s what was written on the bag. It doesn’t look appetizing but it was quite palatable. Even the tasty cheese.

roast beef panini with onions and tasty cheese

Watch our for my posts on my trip to Melbourne.

Fiesta Cheesecakes from Cheesecakes by Guy

Remember the green tea cheesecake I featured a few months ago? The GUY behind that is on a roll and he created 5 new fiesta flavors.

Guy sent me a slice each to try.

The first one I tried was the queso de bola (Edam cheese) cheesecake and it’s my favorite among the five variants. He didn’t scrimp on the sharp cheese and you can taste the salty cheese which blended quite well with the milder cream cheese.

queso de bola cheesecake

My next favorite was a surprise to me since I didn’t think I would like ube cheesecake at all. I ate it so fast that I wasn’t able to take a picture of it. Imagine eating ube ice cream and ube cake but in a denser and smoother texture. The flavor was bright and very pleasing. If you have balikbayan guests this is the cheesecake to order. I guarantee they will be surprised and delighted.

The chocnut cheesecake is for those who love the classic combination of chocolate and peanuts.

chocnut cheesecake

I wish the barako cheesecake had a stronger flavor but that’s just me since I drink my coffee strong. This has more than enough coffee flavor for the average person. There was fine barako ground coffee mixed in the cheesecake for texture. If you want a stronger coffee flavor just tell Guy when you order and he can amp it up.

barako coffee cheesecake

The dulce de leche cheesecake was too milky and rich for me but if you like the flavor you might enjoy it. Whatever flavor you choose give Guy’s cheesecakes a try. It’s a baked cheesecake with no gelatin which I abhor. It’s a dense cheesecake like New York cheesecake but not too rich that you will feel ‘umay.’

All fiesta flavors at P600 for mini(5″) and P1,200 for regular (8″)

Cheesecakes by Guy
191 Swallow Drive Greenmeadows
telephone: +632 634-4362
cellphone: +63917 898-8396
Facebook

Order 2 days in advance for guaranteed freshness.
Pick up points:
Greenmeadows, QC, any time, any day
Jupiter Street, Makati, Monday-Friday except holidays,
Office Hours 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Churrasco at Ibiza Beach Club, Mövenpick Hotel Mactan

I’ve eaten churrasco twice in my life. The first time was decades ago at Fogo de Chao in Dallas. I wasn’t much of a meat eater then so I was overwhelmed and didn’t quite enjoy it. The second time was a few years back at a restaurant in Rockwell where all the meats were marinated in the same sauce. I definitely didn’t like that at all. So you can imagine my reticence when I was told we were having a churrasco dinner at Movenpick Hotel.

For those who are not familiar with churrasco the Spanish word means grilled meat. A churrascaria is a restaurant where you have waiters walking around with skewers of grilled meat which they slice at your table and transfer directly to your plate.

The Brazilian churrasco includes the salad bar, all-you-can-eat meats and costs P2,000. Add P500 for bottomless Manny O house wine. This is a steal when you see the choices they served.

All the meat and seafood were grilled in this imported grill from Brazil.

churrasco menu (click to enlarge)

I tried their special mojito with secret ingredients. It was good but it didn’t have enough mint and didn’t really taste like a typical mojito which I like. It reminded me more of long island iced tea.

Ibiza Beach Club mojito P420

The waiter suggested I try the Ibiza Sour instead. I was hesitant to order anything with the word sour but he guaranteed I will like it. He was right. I LOVED it!!! The drink was made with amaretto liqueur, citrus juices and bitters. I loved the sweetness and flavor of almonds mixed with the sourness from the lemon juice. This is now my new favorite cocktail. I hope I find it in Manila or I need to buy a bottle of amaretto liqueur and mix my own drink.

Ibiza Sour

Instead of the salad bar we asked for a Caesar salad. The grated cheese was real Parmesan cheese. I asked for extra to nibble on.

Caesar salad

It was hard not to eat all these cheesy bread.

pao de quiejo

Choose your knife. The green round chip is supposed to be placed on your table. If you put the green side up it tells the waiter to keep coming with the food. If you flip it over and show the red side it means stop serving.

Four kinds of sauces and butters were available but I didn’t use any of them because it wasn’t needed.

Each one of us was given a plate with garlic rice, sautéed veggies, buttered corn and a bowl of black beans. You can ask for as much refills as you want. My friend had several pieces of corn.

The food was brought out in the order below. Let me say almost everything was cooked with perfect timing. From the beef to the seafood, it was cooked to it’s prime goodness.

Since the filet mignon was the first meat I was still able to eat the entire serving of tender beef wrapped with bacon.

filet mignon

One of my favorites was the juicy rib eye steak marinated Korean style. The sweet, salty flavor was a surprise and it really suited the beef.

rib eye

I wanted to eat more than one lobster but I knew there were 9 more meats and seafood to come.

lobster

I really enjoyed the lamb skewers the night before so I had an inkling they were good with lamb dishes but what I didn’t expect was to eat the best lamb chops I’ve ever eaten in the Philippines. It’s even in my top three lamb dishes ever.

Well seasoned, succulent, juicy, tender and whatever superlatives you can imagine. I really wanted to just flip my chip to red and consume all four lamb chops in the skewer.

lamb chops

I’m don’t eat dark meat but I tried the chicken thigh and the marinade was amazing!

chicken thigh

jumbo prawns

The only thing I didn’t like was the ostrich. The taste was too strong and gamey for me.

ostrich

The squid had a dry rub of spicy and savory flavors.

squid

The squid was even more tender than the prawns. The taste was fantastic and so different from the usual Filipino style of grilled squid.

squid

At this point I was already suffering from food coma. The barbecue sauce was typically sweet but surprisingly there wasn’t a touch of sugar in it. The secret sauce contained papaya, banana and pineapple. Natural fruit enzymes tenderized the meat and gave the sauce a natural sweetness. Even though I was so full already I couldn’t resist eating some garlic rice with the yummy ribs.

baby back ribs

The short ribs had the same sauce as the baby back ribs.

short ribs

Thank goodness dory wasn’t used. Instead the more expensive parrot fish was served.

parrot fish

The pork belly wasn’t as tender or as flavorful as the rest of the meats. Or maybe I just couldn’t taste anything anymore.

pork belly

A most welcome desert was the grilled Ormoc pineapple marinated with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

grilled Ormoc pineapple

The pineapple was served with yogurt, honey and pistachios. A perfect end to a perfect meal.

Thank you Manny O and F&B director Daniel for one of the most memorable meals I’ve ever had.

Manny O and Daniel Trumptheller

It’s hard to believe but we went back for dinner the next night because my friends’ parents wanted to try the churrasco we raved about. This time we just concentrated on multiple servings of rib eye, lobster, lamb chops and squid. I enjoyed my dinner even more with just the dishes I loved most.

Cebuanos, tourists and visitors to Cebu do yourself a favor and try this world class churassco meal in Mövenpick Hotel. I guarantee you will not regret it. It was worth every peso!!!

Ibiza Beach Club
Mövenpick Resort & Spa Cebu
Punta Engano Mactan Island
6015 Cebu Philippines
telephone:+63 32 492 7777
E-mail:Resort.Cebu@moevenpick.com
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