ANGUS rib-eye
There are two things to remember when you embark on the culinary adventure offered by Ibiza Beach Club’s Balearic-inspired dinner: come hungry, and pace yourself.
A week ago, I found myself at the very Instagrammable beachfront dining venue at the Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu with two friends from University.
Dennis and Cheng Robles, college sweethearts who have since moved to Canada to raise a family, came home for a spell.
All three of us had grown rotund over the years, and you would think we would slay a 15-course dinner just like that.
You would be sorely mistaken.
Cheng and I delighted initially at the prospect of the salad bar, heaping greens and capers and bacon and dressing on our plate.
As we arrived at our table, our waiter laid out a generous selection of sauces and dips ranging from hummus to marinades to pimenton-fired hot sauces, explaining to us the ceremonious pairing of this meat to that sauce. We nodded, tucked into our salad, and waited.
And then came the parade.
Chef after chef came in a relentless dance of meats skewered on metal rods innocently enough in what appeared to be manageable portions, served right onto your plate.
First, the filet mignon, followed by a slice of salmon, then roast chicken, and yes, pork belly.
Laid out on the empty plate, they seemed like a good enough selection, and we began to feast.
DINNER SHOW and an endless parade of perfectly-grilled meats at Mövenpick’s Ibiza Beach Club make for a doubly fiery evening!
But not unlike those infomercials that keep the surprise until the end, there was an almost audible…but wait, there’s more!
And thus began a carnivore’s dream in slow motion, arriving to the beat of Ibiza’s fiery Latin night onstage entertainment, doubling the sizzle: Angus rib-eye, baby back ribs, ostrich meat, New Zealand lamb, buttery rock lobsters, tiger prawns, cuttlefish, and Beef Short Ribs.
By the time their dessert came—a unique grilled Queen pineapple—also served in a skewer, I was already bursting at the seams.
You know how we always joke about staying for hours at a buffet so we can sample everything? This dinner was designed with that indulgent thought in mind, and specifically for that carnivore in your life with fortitude.
On a personal note, I thought it our best compliments to the chefs that the meticulous array of sauces remained untouched: the perfectly-seasoned prime cuts needed no embellishment.
(The entire dinner with free-flowing house wine and a dinner show is a steal for only P3,100 per person. For reservations and inquiries, email hotel.cebu@movenpick.com or call +63 32 492 7777or follow @ibizacebu and @movenpickcebu on Facebook and Instagram)