Discovering Canadian Beef, Seafood and more - a palatable journey
With the purpose of allowing us Filipinos to discover how complimentary Canadian ingredients in enriching our ever-growing love for gastronomic adventures, the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines (in collaboration with Canada Beef, Hightower, McAsia Food Corporation, and province of Prince Edward Island) hosted a night of socially-distanced festivity. Of course, there was no better way to showcase this other than personally experiencing it yourself.
Hence, in this night of discovery, culinary giants Chef James Antolin and Chef Carlo Miguel incorporated these Canadian selection of world-renowned ingredients including Alberta beef, Pacific and Atlantic seafood, canola oil from Western Canada, wild blueberries from Prince Edward Island, ciders, wines and icewines from Ontario. Join me in discovering these via this blog post!
The Ambassador of Canada to the Philippines, Peter MacArthur graced the event as he welcomed everyone and sharing some insights regarding the growing trade relationship of Philipines and Canada when it comes to the food industry. Did you know that our coconut products (such as coconut water) is widely consumed in Canada?
As we wait for the line up of dishes to be prepared, we were served some ciders which currently is not yet available in the market, but hopefully will soon be. Personally, I really do hope that this becomes available since I really loved how there was less bitterness in this. The taste was suave further cushioned by its subtle sweetness.
The first dish served as Hokkigai (Clams) Carpaccio which featured New Brunswick clams, fresh, tender and rich in it own.
The second dish was the Seared Scallop, Sweet Shrimp and Clams on Tonkotsu Broth. Truly heavenly with its immense seafood goodness. All of the seafood used were sourced from East Coast of Canada.
By the way, this entire event was held in Ikomai Tochi restaurant in Makati.
Thirdly, we had the Spot Shrimp Sushi. It featured the same shrimp used in the previous dish, and it was creamy-sweet slowly melting in the mouth as you consume.
The fourth dish was Green Pea Risotto featuring a lightly seared Canadian Scallop and Pancetta Crisp. Again, the scallop was a true gem. I thought that all scallops were created equal, but this one was bigger, fuller yet tender giving a pleasurable mouthful experience.
One of the primary highlights of the night was the roast beef, and everyone was really growing all excited in anticipation. Chef James Antolin was happy sharing more about the excellent quality of the beef, and how he and Chef Carlo Miguel managed to make a masterpiece out of it.
This was the 5th dish (the last before the dessert) - 3 Kind Mustard Crusted Canadian Triple A Ribeye in Peppercorn Sauce. Quality was exceptional as the meat was extremely juicy and tender giving a fantastic journey for the palate. My mouth is watering as I recall the experience.
Interestingly, other than being the venue, Ikomai offers this Canadian Roast Beef to-go, seasoned and roasted by Chef Carlo Miguel. This is only available until January 3, 2021, so grab the opportunity to personally experience the excellent quality of the beef.
To cap the night of festive dining, Frangipane Tart was served with Lemon Curd Gelato. The tart featured the wild blueberries of Canada which, as you may see in the photo above, are smaller than the usual blueberries we are familiar with. It also had less of the bitter aftertaste and more of that plumpy fruity sweetness.
If you happen to be in the food industry (supplier, restaurateur, chef) and you are interested to explore Canadian ingredients/products, you may want to work with these brands/companies: Hightower, McAsia FoodTrade Corporation, Pilliterri Estates Winery, Growers Ciders, Royal Star Seafood, PEI Mussel King and Wyman's.
Thanks for reading!
