Durianburg’s food scene is fast evolving, proof of that growth are the many restaurants opening shop in the city’s many districts. And as restaurants open, the need for high-quality ingredients becomes ever-more important.
Although fresh vegetables, herbs, fish and high-quality pork is easy to find in Davao one ingredient that is still difficult to find, in my opinion, is high-quality beef. Local beef can sometimes be tough and lean, lacking the necessary fatty marbling needed to do a proper steak.
All this is about to change as Mindanao Butchers & Company and Alternative Food Corporation (AFC), the exclusive distributor of Snake River Farm meats in the Philippines, hosted an exclusive dinner event last October 17, 2017 at Bondi & Burke which was attended by many of Durianburg’s finest chefs and food personalities.
The evening was a showcase of Snake River Farm’s American Wagyu as well as Kurobuta pork. Kawshik Sehwani of AFC explained that when it comes to grading beef, “Prime” is the highest USDA grade for beef of which only 3% of all the beef in US receives the designation. However, Snake River Farm’s beef exceeds the standards with more marbling in the beef.
“When using the USDA grading system, SRF’s “Silver” grade is already at Prime and if we use the Japanese grading system silver is at A2 with our “Gold” grade between A4 and A5, the highest grade in Japan,” said Kawshik.
The evening’s dinner, as prepared by Bondi & Burke’s Chef Wade was proof that beautiful, top quality ingredients make meals memorable. From the Rib-Eye Cap with a three-mustard crust, Roasted Striploin, Duo of Kurobuta Pork, Flank Steak, and Center Cut Sirloin, the evening showcased the versatility and intense flavor of Snake River Farm’s meats.
My personal favorites were the fatty Rib-Eye Cap which was soft and tender with a flavorful on the tongue thanks to the fatty cap of the meat, and the Flank Steak which was prepared so that the flavor of beef was clear and up-front.
All the meats were perfectly paired with some of the best wines by Argentinian winemaker Lagarde, making it an evening of celebrating the arrival of great meats to Durianburg.
Snake River Farms Wagyu beef and Kurobuta pork are distributed in Davao by Mindanao Butchers & Company
