Argentine Entrana Steak with Mofongo
CHEF Eugenio “Gene” R. Gonzalez inherited a passion for good food and cooking from his forebears and grew up in a home in Sulipan, Pampanga run by his grandmother. Here, he recalls how fastidious the household staffs were with the delightful family fare and the hearty provincial cooking. Sulipan is no longer on the map where only the towns of Calumpit in Bulacan and Apalit in Pampanga exist. But Chef Gene enshrined Pampanga’s centuries-old rich recipes in his cookbook, Cocina Solipeña, in the pursuit of what can make the Philippine cuisine an haute cuisine.
Blazing a culinary trail in renowned turn-of-the-century restaurant Café Ysabel, which Chef Gene established 30 years ago in San Juan, Metro Manila, the need to professionalize his increasing number of apprentice applicants in his restaurant gave rise to his culinary school, the Center for Asian Culinary Studies (CACS) in 2000. With his vision to provide quality, up-to-date culinary education specializing in Asian cuisine at a reasonable price, CACS in Manila opened branches in Davao, Pampanga and in Cebu.
Sulipan Style Lapu-Lapu al Gratin with Roasted Vegetables
Chef Gen Gonzalez in partnership with accomplished couple, Dr. Marty Villarica and his wife, Udsie, opened CACS Cebu in November 2015. The culinary school is conveniently located in CACS Building behind QC Pavillion along Gorordo Avenue. CACS offers full range courses in cuisine, pastry, wine appreciation, nutrition, chocolate artistry and food business management. More importantly, the inimitable and multi-awarded Chef Gene unselfishly shares centuries-old dishes and its culinary lore, not to mention culture and refinement. And what better way to experience such culinary grandeur than enjoy an intimate lunch prepared by Chef Gene himself in CACS kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment.
Chef Gene, assisted by a few of his students whipped up an exquisite four-course menu, complemented by the gracious hospitality of Dr. Marty and Udsie, a very refreshing Watermelon Pandan Slush welcomed us on the chef ‘s table. For starters, Baked Crab with Infused Vietnamese Butter Noodles amused our palates. This is similar to Rellenong alimango but more crabmeat, so sweet and fresh that was picked out of freshly steamed crabs.
Baked Crab with Infused Vietnamese Butter Noodles
The next course was Sulipan Style Fish al Gratin with Roasted Vegetables. Chef emphasizes that he only settles for what is fresh from the market, which was local fish lamlam or molmol (parrot fish) that day. The white fish was delicately crusted with cheese on sofrito sauce. Freshness was bursting once again in our mouths, the blandness of the fish rendered very savory by the sauce. The lunch was even made more interesting since we were free to watch Chef Gene and his assistants prepare the dishes. Kiwi Sorbet refreshed our palates for the next course, the hearty Argentinian Entrana Steak with Mofongo, Caramelized Red Wine Sauce and Balbacua Sauce.
Entrana, Chef Gene explained, is skirt steak or a thin long cut of beef found in the diaphragm muscles prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. Using molecular gastronomy technique, sous vide, the meat is rendered evenly tender for a few hours. The cut is pan grilled to our liking, rare, medium or well done. The melt-in-your-mouth Foie Gras topped the meat served with Mofongo, a Puerto Rican dish of fried and mashed green bananas with salt, garlic and olive oil. The dessert with burnt sugar theme left us speechless: a 200-year old recipe of Tocino del Cielo, Antebellum Crepes and Burnt Sugar Ice Cream. Manyaman!