Makati Shangri-la’s Circles Event Cafe takes you on a trip to the Down Under with their Australian Sojourn food festival. The food festival features dishes by Chef Matthew McCool of Shangri-la Sydney and will run from September 26 to October 2, 2014 only. Chef McCool specializes in modern Australian and Pacific Rim cuisine which is a blending of East and West cuisines and focuses on the main ingredients.
I got to taste a couple of the dishes that will be featured on the Australian Sojourn food festival in a specially prepared media tasting towering with the Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddell.
Tomato Soup with Damper and Dukkah. A spiced tomato soup that warmed our bellies for the dishes ahead, served with an Australian soda bread and dukkah nut and spice dip.
Beetroot Cured Salmon. The colors the beetroot adds hues of orange and red to the Tasmanian salmon that are just mesmerizing. Silky smooth and fresh flavored salmon caught from deep waters of Tasmania. If I have unlimited servings of this, you can chuck me in a corner and I’ll be in bliss.
Cheese Board. A selection of delicious Australian farmhouse cheeses. A tip by my Australian embassy seat mate had me combining two different soft cheeses to make a surprising match.
Quinoa Salad. Quinoa with preserved lemon salad, bright and citrusy to complement the healthy and textured quinoa. I’ve fallen in love with the taste and texture of quinoa and I encourage people to give this healthy ingredient a try. You can check out Irene’s interesting recipe here.
Roasted Lamb Rack. Roasted Darling downs lamb with lemon myrtle and other bush spices. Gamey and tender, this totally blew away its fishy main course counterpart. Gamey, tender and smoky with a nice savory glaze, you can’t stop at just one piece.
Steamed Snapper. This dish had evident flavors of Pacific Rim cuisine with the lovely flavors of ginger and umami mussels. The dish did not really feel extraordinary
Lamington Platter. A traditional Australian dessert that I’ve had before but these were the best version so far. I love the pink colored lamingtons which I’m guessing were raspberry flavored, covered lots of dessicated coconut.
Native Finger Lime Pavlova. A citrusy dessert with lots of different textures and sweet flavors served as a fitting end to the dishes that served as our introduction to Pacific Rim cuisine.
Circles Event Cafe’s Australian Soujurn is also sponsored by Cebu Pacific who flew in Chef Matthew McCool and his exotic ingredients for the week long food fest. Guests who spend at least P2,000 during the food festival will get a chance to win 1 round-trip ticket to Sydney, Australia via Cebu Pacific with and accommodations at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. The buffet is priced at P2,149 nett for lunch and P2,395 nett for dinner.
Australian Sojourn
Circles Event Cafe Makati Shangri-La Manila Lobby Level Ayala Avenue corner Makati AvenueMakati City 1200, Philippines Contact No.: (632) 813-8888
Facebook Page: Makati Shangri-La, Manila
Website: Makati Shangri-La Manila
Instagram: @MakatiShangrila
Twitter: @MakatiShangrila
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