It was an evening where good deeds came together as the Marco Polo Davao’s Lotus Court held a special fund-raising Chinese Lauriat dinner prepared by celebrity chef Sharwin Tee of Curiosity Got the Chef fame last July 29.
Together with the dynamic culinary team of the Marco Polo Davao led by its executive chef Alex Destriza, Sharwin created a unique menu which is inspired by the traditional Chinese dishes he tasted while growing up, as well as his own play on modern Chinese cuisine. “I wanted to bring in some dishes from my childhood as well as play with modern Chinese cuisine while also infusing a Davao twist,” said Sharwin.
The dinner started with a Suckling Pig Platter which featured century eggs, jellyfish, roast pork and tender suckling pig followed by Lian Ban Style Chicken Salad. The chicken of the salad was plump and juicy accented by a savoury spicy dressing which paired well with the crispness of the Finca de los Andes Suvignon Blanc by Lagarde wines. The wine also paired well with the earthiness of the Sibut Tang which followed.
The appetiser combination was followed by a trio of seafood with the Tuna Belly Char Siu getting the most adoration from the diners and rightly so. The fatty tuna belly was tender and was glazed by a delicious pomelo honey glaze. When cooked, pomelo can get bitter but the glaze prepared by chef Sharwin was balanced and added a unique Davao spin on a Chinese lauriat staple.
The star of the night for me though would be the deccadent Baked Chinese-style Wagyu Beef Curry. A melange of tender beef from Kitayama, fried potato slivers, and Malagos Chevre cheese all married together with a delicious curry sauce, the dish was flavourful and brought me back to my childhood. The dish was perfectly paired to the classic Hokkien Kiam Pung, a savoury glutenous rice dish, as well as a glass of Altas Cumbres Malbec. The Kiam Pung served as a good palette for the sauce while the mellow and smooth wine paired well with the beef without enhancing the spiciness of the dish too much.
The evening came to a close with Marco Polo Davao’s famous Buchi. This time though, it was stuffed with Malagos chevre and durian and topped with a Malagos chocolate sauce. It was an unexpected combination that worked, and when paired with the slightly sweet Altas Cumbres Voignier, it was like a beautiful dance on the palette.
“This evening is made to help raise funds to build libraries for less fortunate children in the Philippines,” said the chef “the proceeds of this evening will go to the Acts of Hope for the Nation (AHON) Foundation and we hope to build libraries also here in Davao to uplift the lives of Filipino youth through learning opportunities.”
Congratulations to the team of the Marco Polo Davao lead by its General Manager Dottie Würgler-Cronin and its dynamic RB&E manager Chele Galang on a wonderful culinary evening.
