A Secret Dinner Made by 8 Hands

The idea was to just show up.

We were told to go to Makati Shangri-La Hotel for a special, one of a kind dinner, but we were not told where exactly it will be. As a longtime patron of the hotel, I didn’t realize that there were still other options for dining I hadn’t been to.

We were led not to a restaurant, not to a bar, but down to the basement of the hotel and past the busy wait staff  — the kitchen! And inside the hotel’s industrial kitchen, a center dining table was laid out for our small group of ten.

Guests

Our host for the evening was the General Manager of Makati Shangri-La, Mr. Alain Borgers, who made sure that all guests were taken cared of and made comfortable. The entire concept of this dinner was actually his brilliant idea!

And the idea was this : to surprise select guests to a never-before-done dinner in the hotel,  in a secret location, a place that customers don’t really see. The kitchen, as busy and significant as it is, is the place that is often most unseen… and yet I do believe this is the heart and soul of the hotel (as is in any home).

But before dinner started, we had a different kind of treat. A dance number from the “chefs” took us by surprise! It was a happy way to start the evening!

Dancing 2

Well, guess what? Those were not real chefs after all! We found out they were actually professional dancers! 🙂

(No wonder their moves were that good!)

Dancing Chefs

The dinner was composed of 5 courses prepared by 8 hands. When we say 8 hands — these are the hands of the 4 main chefs of Makati Shangri-La’s restaurants, namely : Sage, Inagiku, Shang Palace, and the Pastry Department.

Chef Serving

And here was our lovely 5-course dinner :

Dish 1 Ishikawa
Summer Savory Sushi Platter by Chef Ishikawa of Inagiku
Dish 2 Ben Shang Palace 2
Deep fried seafood spring roll wrapped in steamed rice roll by Chef Ben of Shang Palace
Dish 3 Romain Pastry
Apple and elderflower granite basil foam, polvoron and raspberry by Chef Romain, the hotel’s Pastry head
Dish 4 Gilles Sage
Chicken cooked in pig’s bladder with truffles, morel and vegetables by Chef Gilles of Sage
Dish 5 Romain Pastry
Dessert called Davao’s Garden made of mango, coconut, pineapple and pili nuts, again made by the hotel’s Pastry Chef Romain

When we entered the kitchen, we were given personalized aprons to wear. After dinner, we were led to the wall of handprints and asked to apply paint on our own hands.

On one of the walls of the kitchen is a gallery of handprints, on which we were asked to leave our own marks as one of the selected diners who experienced this surprise by Makati Shangri-La.

Hands

Thank you, Makati Shangri-La for continuously spoiling your customers with great food, warm hospitality and excellent service. No wonder we always feel at home here!

Keep on innovating, keep on growing and keep on surprising us!

Makati Shangri-La Hotel

Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue, Makati City

Tel (02) 813 – 8888

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The Spoiled Mummy