It was the quintessential Filipino celebration for five-star serviced hotel Joy~Nostalg Hotel & Suites Manila Managed by Accor, marking a milestone with a fine selection of culinary masterpieces.
In line with the 15th-anniversary celebrations, Joy~Nostalg welcomed VIP guests and members of the media to the event called “Tapestry of Flavors” on 18 September at The Nostalgia Lounge & Bar. The night’s highlight was a brilliant full-course degustation menu, featuring modern Filipino cuisine as interpreted by the genius of Joy~Nostalg Executive Chef Gulshan “Gus” Mohamed and his team.
“What better way to celebrate 15 colorful years of Joy-Nostalg Hotel & Suites Manila than with an homage to the diverse flavors and textures of Filipino cuisine?” says Odette Huang, general manager of Joy~Nostalg Hotel & Suites Manila Managed by Accor.
Aside from focusing on flavor and presentation, the dishes featured responsibly-sourced local ingredients, tying in with Joy~Nostalg’s well-established sustainability efforts. The local ingredients include kiniing, or smoked pork from the Kankanaey tribe in the Cordilleras, and budbud,or artisanal sea salt from Iloilo, among others.
According to Huang, Chef Gus and his team were given carte blanche to create a menu that best showcases talent and creativity. The result was a remarkable combination of flavors of the refined selections.
“We tried to incorporate a lot of traditional Filipino raw products that can be categorized as slow food, or products grown in a specific region at a natural pace, without preservatives, without intervention,” Chef Gus said.
The degustation opened with Tuna Kinilaw as an imaginative amuse-bouche that set the tone for the entire night. Instead of the usual calamansi and vinegar, Chef Gus opted for raw mango as the sour agent, with a bit of passionfruit to introduce a distinct musky flavor.
Following the dish were the sumptuous back-to-back servings of Pork and Duck Liver Lumpia,” which used barako espresso dressing, foie gras and kiniing, and langkawas foam, and Mushroom Pastel with Moringa Adlai.
For the main dishes, eastern culinary practices and ingredients intersected with their western counterparts. The Slow-Cooked Barramundi came with the sublime pako fern and pili pesto, confit garlic, and smoked quesong puti. Then, the Kurobuta Pork Belly Lechon presented the dish in a most unusual form, served with salted egg bibingka, liver sauce, asparagus, and carrots.
Rounding out the memorable degustation was another iconic Filipino food, the turon. The deconstructed version involved no frying and no spring roll. Instead, it featured the banana as a mousse, with langka combined with durian to create a cremeux, served with sugar cane ice cream.
Chef Gus and his team take pride in their culinary creations, particularly in using local ingredients in the full-course menu. They put in the time and effort to properly source from the right suppliers whose beliefs align with theirs, from getting fish that is only line-caught, to fruits that are not imported to minimize carbon emission. Being able to support local suppliers was a nice bonus, as well.
Aside from celebrating with food, Joy~Nostalg Hotel & Suites Manila will also mark its 15th anniversary with other exciting events. Its annual Christmas Tree Lighting event will support a non-government organization.
For more information, visit www.joynostalgmanila.com or contact tel. no. (+632) 5318-7888 or email HB2D6-RE1@accor.com. Follow Joy~Nostalg Hotel & Suites Manila on Facebook, Instagram, and Viber for updates and exclusive offers.
