ONE of Singapore’s institutions for Chinese dining, Peach Blossoms, gave a taste to Manila by way of Makati’s Cafe Aurora for a one-night-only dinner on July 22.
The dinner was part of the Asian Culinary Exchange (ACE) organized by food writer Angelo Comsti. This year’s edition of the ACE is designed to showcase Singapore through a series of cross-cultural collaborations between Singaporean and Filipino chefs. The ACE is part of Serve It, Singapore! — a project by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) that brings a slew of one-of-a-kind dining experiences straight from the culinary capital of Singapore to tables in the Philippines.
Peach Blossoms, founded in 1987, is currently helmed by Executive Chinese Chef Edward Chong. Mr. Chong gave an experience of not only luxurious Chinese dining with influences from Japan, but also his training from mentors Sam Leong of Forest, and Yong Bing Ngen of Majestic Restaurant. While the restaurant itself is billed as Chinese, many touches of Singapore’s multicultural milieu were well-represented in the dinner. Adding to this palette is the work of Cafe Aurora’s Quenee Villar, with several dishes of her own standing out during the dinner.
The meal opened with Lamb Tartare and Caviar in a Sesame Taco, followed by Oyster Mousse in Dashi Pie Tee (a Peranakan pastry wrapper). The oyster mousse dripped tantalizingly from the pie tee, providing a contrast in texture from the noisily crunchy wrapper, that evening shaped like a flower and colored a chic gray. This tempered the aggressively flavored taco.
Heavy crystal ashtrays were brought out to serve one of Mr. Chong’s most famous dishes, a trompe l’oeil “cigar” stuffed with snow crab, truffle, and foie gras, wrapped in a Peking Duck pancake browned to mimic the color of tobacco. Guests nibbled lightly and savored the luxurious dish, at once novel and familiar — it did after all, feel a bit like lumpia after one gets past the presentation.
Next came a Bak Kut Teh, a pork bone broth simmered for 48 hours (two whole days!) served with potato cream, white peppercorn, and truffle oil. It had an exquisite mouthfeel and a clean and very rich taste. Despite that, it proved to be comforting, like something to be had on a rainy day.
Next came cured Shirodai (a Japanese fish) served on a betel nut leaf tempura. The fish felt almost alive, and even jumping, thanks to the invigorating flavor of the leaf, which was strongly vegetal with a hint of mint. Mr. Chong also served a childhood favorite of his, a spicy pineapple sauce with kaffir lime and cod, and this opened up the nostrils slightly with its gentle heat. Scallops followed. They came with a delicately smoky eggplant puree, which gave the dish some sharpness.
Japanese milk bread (shokupan) was served with coconut and curry butter, the spiciness of it lending some gravitas to the very soft, fluffy bread, which guests shared with each other (each piece was designed to be broken apart by two people, leading to a bonding experience of sorts).
Them came lobster tail, with assam curry lending it some heat. There was a short rib topped with grilled watercress, and it was beautifully brutish, showing off an aggressive beefy flavor. It was served with a pineapple achara (pickle), with each element working well together and as their own — summarizing what a collaborative dinner is all about.
We had a palette cleanser made with lemon jelly flavored with sampaguita and elderflower, and we feel now that this should be a standard. However, the multiple courses of the dinner made us begin to forget what the shokupan tasted like (one guest remarked that it felt as if she had eaten it weeks ago), and led us to feel that the next dish, a mild crab claw in mung bean noodle soup with collagen, was neglected. At least we went back to firm ground with the Chicken Rice, with multigrain rice and a light chicken sauce. The dessert was a Pandan Custard Ice cream, and so we got up fuller than we had been in three days.
Proceeds from the dinner were donated to the Ateneo de Manila University’s Lipad Foundation, meant for scholars and retired teachers.
Mr. Comsti discussed the aims of the culinary exchange, which he had been running since 2018. “The chefs get to really collaborate and learn from each other in the kitchen,” he said. “Every year, since 2018, I’ve been bringing in chefs from all over Asia so that we can do a conference. An exchange of ideas, trends; and then after that, follow it up with collabs.”
Mr. Chong remarked on his experiences in a Manila kitchen: “Normally, in my restaurant, I use ingredients from different countries,” he said. “It’s my first time in the Philippines. I feel that Philippine ingredients are way, way interesting. Like the crab, I didn’t expect the meat to be so sweet.”
Alongside more Singaporean and Filipino chef and restaurant collaborations happening throughout the year, Serve It, Singapore! has cooked up partnerships with food and travel media outlets and content creators to showcase unique and lesser-known Singaporean flavors. To give Filipino partygoers a taste of the Lion City’s nightlife, STB will also be organizing Singa-Pob, a forthcoming takeover of select establishments in Poblacion, Makati, which will be held in August. — Joseph L. Garcia
