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.
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!
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!)
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.
And here was our lovely 5-course dinner :
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.
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!
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Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue, Makati City
Tel (02) 813 – 8888