I had such a wonderful gastronomic experience the other day at Makati Shangri-La's Shang Palace, and I have Chef Anthony Dong to thank for that. I'm grateful that I was introduced to the fine flavors of Chinese cuisine called Huaiyang.
Huaiyang Cuisine is one of the four major cuisines in China; the other three are Yue, Lu, and Sichuan. It is also an umbrella term for cuisines from the cities of Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Nanjing, and Hua'an. Being a benchmark of great quality, this was the type of cuisine that was served at the Grand Banquet for the Ceremony of the Founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
The focus is on the freshness of ingredients, precise execution, and aesthetic impression. In other words, this is a far cry from the average oil-laden Chinese dishes. To attain 100% authenticity, Chef Anthony Dong brought in ingredients from China.
First up: a platter of appetizers designed not only to ignite the appetite, but to wow you with the presentation, as well.
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| Appetizer in Jiangnan Style |
Jiangnan-style appetizer: Stewed Snail with Garlic and Chili Sauce, Spinach with Green Mustard, Marinated Cuttlefish and Japanese Bean Curd, Marinated Chicken and Sliced Abalone with Wasabi, and Deep-Fried Fish with Five Spices.
The one that left a good mark on my palate was the Marinated Spinach with Green Mustard. I have low tolerance for anything spicy, but I was able to finish this small globular masterpiece despite. The amazing flavor overshadowed the level of zing. Once the heat subsides, the distinct flavor of spinach paired with hints of briny taste comes through. It was a worthwhile masochistic moment. Delicious!
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| Braised Bean Curd in Superior Broth |
Like I mentioned above, execution is one of the components that makes Huaiyang Cuisine superior. Take the case of this soup. Upon first glance, one cannot deny its similarity to mee sua. It turns out that the noodle-like component is actually sliced bean curd. Talk about blade skills.
Even while it was being described as bean curd, in my mind I was going like "yeah, okay, but that's mee sua". I was holding onto the visual belief that it was. All that changed upon first taste. Unlike the salted noodles, the bean curd melts easily. The broth was considerably delicious, clean, soothing, and light. It was both a great calmer from the powerful dish prior and a transition food for the next one.
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| Deep-Fried Shrimp with Oatmeal |
I fancy deep-fried shrimps with oatmeal a lot. This is one of the best renditions I've had in a while. Due to the superior quality of the fresh ingredients, the natural sweetness of the shrimp was evident. The thin, even coating sealed in all the amazing juices as well as adding subtle flavor.
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| Braised Beef Cheek with Red Wine Pear |
This was an epiphanic gustatory moment. It truly was for me. A big pat on the back to Chef Anthony Dong and his team for this stunning dish because it is wow! I did a mental high five upon first forkful.
Enclosed in red wine-poached pear is an extremely tender slab of marinated beef cheek. The clash of texture ~ crunchy vs. tender ~ was superb, and the taste heavenly. I'm going to run out of adjectives to describe how great this one was, so I'm going to go with plain old 'delicious'.
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| Braised Bamboo Asparagus in Superior Broth |
Colossal spears wrapped in bamboo pith with pieces of sweet goji berries peppered on top, creating a fine color contrast. Simple. Delicious. Genius.
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| Fried Rice with Preserved Meat and Shrimp |
I was overjoyed when this came out because rice is my obsession. It had that delicious distinct smoky Chinese fried rice taste {wok hei?}. The rice itself was lightly seasoned, making the salty taste of the dried shrimp and the sweet and salty bits of preserved meat noticeable.
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| Assorted Fruits |
The Huaiyang dishes that were served to us were all very photogenic, yes? They didn't just look beautiful with nary a strong follow through. They were a feast for both the eyes and the belly.
Dessert came with a tinge of sadness on my part because it signals an end to a wonderful meal. I didn't want it to end. Anyway, a light dessert composed of balled fresh fruits {dragon fruit, watermelon, honey dew} with a heart-shaped gelatin were the fitting symbolic finish to Chef Dong's "cooking from the heart" principle.
The curator of fine Huaiyang cuisine: Chef Anthony Dong. He is from Futian Shangri-La Shenzen. My sincere compliments to you. This is just between you and me, but I suspect that Chef Dong is Jet Li. He looks so much like him.
Shang Palace's Huaiyang Cuisine Experience will run from July 20 until July 30, 2014 only. For more information about this, please go here.
Makati Shangri-La Shang Palace Huaiyang Cuisine by Chef Dong
2/F Makati Shangri-la Hotel Manila
Ayala Ave., cor Makati Ave.,
Makati City, Philippines
Contact No.: (+632) 814.25.80
Website: www.shangrila.com
Facebook: Makati ShangriLa
Twitter: @MakatiShangriLa
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