Divine Ducasse

I met the celebrated modern French chef Alain Ducasse and all I could say was, "Bonsoir Miseur Ducasse!" There was never a time in my life where I wished I could speak a little more French.

In town for some events at Enderun Colleges at the Fort, the culinary school that could give Hogwarts a run for its money, Alain Ducasse came to Manila, ate, spoke and conquered. Ducasse and Enderun have had a special relationship for some time now, since Enderun partnered up with the Alain Ducasse Formation (ADF) in 2007 so that its culinary students could learn some of the practices of one of the best in the industry.

He arrived on the morning of the 23rd (I had lunch at the Makati Shang and saw its GM Reto Klauser standing outside the hotel in the blazing heat awaiting something...only after cocktails did I understand why). There was a press con that afternoon and I had attended cocktails and dinner that evening.

Enderun was all lit up like a birthday cake for the evening's festivities and when the master finally came out, I was surprised to see him dressed simply. I had imagined the Alain Ducasse of Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, London and Monaco and 20 restaurants bearing his name and stamp of approval on it to be a suave sophisticate wearing a cravat and smoking a pipe.

He spoke in his native French, which had to be translated, and this is what he said prior to the unveiling of the Enderun Culinary Center:

Dear friends, welcome, thank you all for being here. I’d like to thank especially Ambassador Philippe Lhuillier, Jack Tuason, Javy Infante and all his great team at Enderun, the team at the Shangri-La Hotel, especially Reto Klauser for his great welcome earlier today.

The dinner tonight is the climax of a very intense day, a day full of rich encounters of Javy Infante and his great team at Enderun Colleges. A day full of sharing with college students and finally a day full of questions from journalists who are closely following our moves.  

Infante’s work has inspired me at least three times I’d like to share tonight. Firstly, the relationship between ADF and Enderun is a success. It was obvious when I met the teaching team, they are passionate, talented and achieving great work. I also felt that success when I met with the students. They are following the hands-on program which is already being recognised in this school. It will be a major asset to them in their career.

My second thought is about the success which is mainly based on trust and mutual respect. Our two institutions bring their knowledge, skills and sweat and both then take advantage of the outcomes. Trust and respect are the two most precious ingredients of a collaboration. With them we build and everything is possible.

My third thought is a little more personal. As a chef, I look at this partnership as a French chef: the partnership is indeed a sign of the dynamism of the French cuisine. Not an arrogant or outdated French cuisine, but one open to the world adapting to influences. A cuisine that shares its knowledge and gets enriched through cultural openness.

Special thanks to the chefs of the night that are in the kitchen right now. Chef Sy, Chef Mark, our Formation’s collaborator, Tim and Nicolas, the chefs from ADF who have flown in for the dinner, thank you all for being here and have a wonderful night.

Then after a brief picture taking, we all filed into the room to meet the man behind the legend and enjoy a meal like no other. This meal was inspired by all of Ducasse's Michelin-starred restaurants, and you could feel the anticipation of all the foodies there to try it.

The first course was a Wild Salmon A la Nage with Green Olive Oil Dressing served with Scramsberg Blanc de Blanc 2005 from Napa Valley. 

This dish was my favorite of the evening. The wild salmon was perfectly marinated and tasted super fresh. The green dressing that accompanied it had everyone guessing its ingredients. Hint of chive? Hint of parsley? Then was that potato with the half olive. It had a taste of something salty/ something briny. I was lucky to be sitting next to Chef Sau del Rosario of M Cafe and Bistro Vert on my left. He guessed it was anchovy. I thought it was shallot. Turned out to be herring, and they called it herring potato.

The next dish was Spiny Lobster in Coco Bean Puree and Chutney.

Now this was simple but stunning. I can still remember that lovely lobster tail; cutting into its firm, fat texture and dredging it into the mystery that was chutney! It turned out to be that this chutney was a process, and not the dish that accompanies curries. Chef Sau and I and the rest of the table were amazed at all the little nuances of flavor that was in that sauce. Some citrus was detected...little soy (for me). Our server said it was just the lobster broth which was reduced. Later, we found out from Bel Castro, Enderun professor who has an MA in Gastronomy, there was orange in it. 

The next dish was the main course of Rack of Lamb Served with Simmered Vegetables and Black Truffles served with a Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Knight's Valley.  

Just look at those beautiful slivers of truffle. So perfectly round, they reminded me of the Chinese Haw flakes I used to eat in grade school. To top it off, they encrusted the lamb with black truffle as well. Heaven! Chef Sau, who used to live in France, told me that the French really like their veggies soft and palatable, not crunchy and almost raw like other cuisines (such as Chinese veggies). Wonderful, wonderful!

  

The wine was perfectly medium bodied and set off the truffle and lamb perfectly. The sweet temptation to end the meal was a Crusty Praline Bar Covered with Ganache and Gold Leaf paired with Echeverria Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2005, so sweet it was almost like a port.

Look at it glisten at you. Doesn't it look like a little Moulin Rouge dancer doing the can-can? This too, was gobbled up and every bite was savored.

Fully satiated, I went home happy after a day of rich encounters, with food prepared simply yet full of soul, trying to think of how a man compares to his food...how such simple food from a simply dressed man could speak volumes....

Thank you Enderun for this once-in-a-lifetime experience!