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| Cooking demonstration with Chef Mikel (left) |
The Spaniards are at it
again, trying to conquer the Philippines, not with galleons, swords and
arquebuses, but through the Filipinos’ heart, via the stomach. This
invasion, truly of a different sort, is led by Club Punta Fuego Resident
Chef Mikel Arriet Arruiz and his culinary team. This
traditional “welcome invasion” is called the “Flavors of Spain.”
Check out “The Flavors of Spain Goes to Clark” and “Flavors of Spain in Davao”
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| A delectable array of bite-size tapas |
Fuego Hotels, together with
the Trade Commission of Spain, hosts this much-awaited, 30-day traveling
caravan of rich and varied Spanish cuisine, now on its fifth year, to be held
at Punta Fuego Yacht Club in Nasugbu, Batangas.
Mr. Alfredo Roca (Chief
Operating Officer) and Ms. Michelle "Mitch" Garcia (Marketing Communications
Manager), both of Fuego Hotels and Properties Management
Corp., invited a media team to cover this event.
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At the Marina Bar, a table
filled with a dazzling buffet of irresistible wines and ingenuously-prepared,
delectable and tempting Spanish cuisine awaited us.
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| Pintxo de Ensaladilla Rusa |
Its numerous piece de
resistance included top of the line, dry-cured Real Iberico ham, chorizos
of every variant, manchego cheese, black blood sausage, charcoal tempura
shrimps and small but sumptuous, bite-size appetizers called tapas (called pintxos in
Basque).
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| Puding de Pescado |
These tapas included Morcilla de Arroz con
Tomate, Pintxo de Ensaladilla Rusa, Puding de Pescado, Pintxo
de Jamon con Atun, Pincho de Pimiento Asado con Anchoas, Tartaletas
de Marisco, Chorizo a la Sidra, Calamares Andaluza and Txistorra.
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| Puding de Verduras |
Tapas, when combined into a
full meal, made for a perfect repast. Tapas (called pintxos in
Basque and pulutan or pica-pica in Filipino), derived from
the Spanish verb tapar, meaning “to cover,” was said to have originated
during the reign of King Alfonso XII (1857-1885).
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| Chef Mikel Arriet Arruiz |
The king stopped by a
famous venta (inn) in the windy Andalusian city of Cadiz, where he
ordered a glass of sherry. To protect the wine from the beach sand, the waiter
covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the
king. After drinking his wine and
eating the ham, he ordered another sherry with the same tapa (“lid”
or “cover”).
Others say that, during long siestas or between sips, one would put a slice of
bread over his wine glass to prevent fruit flies or dust from falling into
one’s sweet sherry drink. Later, it became a habit to top this “cover”
with a snack.
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| Gallo Durum Wheat Spaghetti with Fresh Watermelon Balls and Saffron |
Chef Mikel, the star of this
running fiesta, arrived in Manila in 2004 by way of the lovely town of Andoain,
Gipuzkoa in the Basque Region of Spain, known for its gastronomic delights and
for having produced a good number of the world’s best chefs.
Young, hardworking,
good-looking, always smiling but soft-spoken, Chef Mikel also oozes with talent
and is passionate when it comes to his trade. He has worked in many
prestigious fine-dining restaurants in Ibiza, Tenerife and Barcelona in
Spain as well as the Martin Berasategui Restaurant in Lasarte, awarded
the highly coveted 3 Michelin Stars, the highest honor given to a
restaurant. Aside from Spanish cuisine, his expertise also includes
Italian and French cuisine.
After this late lunch, we
crossed over, by speedboat, from the yacht club to Terrazas de Punta Fuego
where we witnessed a cooking demonstration, again by Chef Mikel, at Café Sol.
Using Spanish Gallo durum wheat pasta and the freshest ingredients (basil
leaves, watermelons, mushrooms, native pechay, walnuts, etc.), he combined
and transformed them into full, delectable but healthy pasta dishes, using
traditional cooking techniques, saffron (the world’s most expensive spice),
garlic, blue cheese and a lot of olive oil.
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| Gallo Vegetable Spaghetti with Blue Cheese,Walnuts and Native Pechay |
After this cooking demo,
yours truly, Ms. Mira B. Gloria of Highlife and 13 others
sat as judges in the Wine Challenge, sampling shots of three red and two white
wines from ADP Industries, ATR-Torres and Barcino Gourmet, judging on the 2S
(sight and sound) and 3Ts (taste, touch and totality), the winner being
designated as the resort’s official red and white house wine for 2008.
Come sunset, it was party
time at Terrazas Beach Plaza, co-presented by Landco Pacific Corp., Prestige
Cars (BMW), the Trade Commission of Spain and Spanish Institute for Foreign
Trade (ICEX) and hosted by Mr. James Deakin. Again featuring a
sumptuous tapas spread, plus lechon, lengua, paella,
bottomless sangria and a host of desserts, it also featured a fashion
show by Waicoco Swimwear, the electrifying music of the Brass Munkeys and
a raffle draw of prizes including Nautica watches, gift certificates from
Washington Emporium, American Express, Digiprint, Taal Vista Hotel and Pearl
Farm Beach Resort and gift packs from SMART Infinity.
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| Fashion Show of Waicoco Swimwear |
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| The Brass Munkeys |
Fuego Hotels and Properties:
15/F, 139 Corporate Center, Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City.
Tel: (632) 750-1999. Fax. (632) 750-1893. Website: www.fuegohotels.com.
