Multi- Sensory Experience
With a new look and the savoir faire of its new chef de cuisine, Frederic Thevenet, The Tasting Room has made a bold comeback. Indulgent and inventive, the sensory experience is certainly something to be stricken off one’s dining bucket list, writes Shauna Jay Popple Williams
Of all the chefs that Frederic Thevenet has had the honour of working with—including gastronomic icons Alain Ducasse and Pierre Gagnaire— Chef Bruno Cirino has yielded the biggest influence on him. Thevenet was most notably the chef de cuisine at Cirino’s eponymous restaurant in Provence when it earnt its Michelin star and subsequent acclaim as one of the best truffle restaurants in the world. “From Chef Bruno I learnt that the produce always has to be fresh; and that the better the produce, the less I have to ‘hide’ its flavours,” he recalls.
Thevenet’s culinary philosophy now stamps its signature on The Tasting Room, a restaurant in the City of Dreams Manila’s 5- Star Nüwa Hotel, being its newly-appointed chef de cuisine.
Recently reintroduced to Manila’s discerning diners, The Tasting Room now inhabits a bigger high-ceilinged space and boasts a brand-new look to boot. Moving to its new location just across its previous one, City of Dreams Manila’s modern European restaurant now offers a 56-seat capacity: the main dining area for 40, a semi-private area, and a sophisticated bar that boasts of several signature cocktails including the popular Smoked Whisky Sour, which can each accommodate eight.
It is here where Thevenet surprises and tantalises the senses—from sight, to scent, and taste—with a mastery of the variance of textures and temperatures.
Thevenet’s bill of fare mirrors his learnings from Cirino and a back-to-basics way of thinking—quite deliciously so. “My obsession for quality and use of modern French culinary techniques is the foundation of my culinary philosophy in creating each dish. I cannot over-emphasise the importance of capturing the essence and flavours of each herb, spice, grain, meat, or liquid,” he says with undeniable passion and intense conviction.
Now that the seasoned chef is based out of Asia, his contemporary take on haute French cuisine is cleverly infused with Asian influences. He employs only the season’s best produce from both the Philippines and abroad.
Thevenet recently left Gagnaire’s fine-dining restaurant, La Maison 1888, in the award-winning luxury resort in Danang, Vietnam. Here, he worked in tandem with Stephen Moroney, The Tasting Room’s incumbent restaurant manager.
“I wish to make French contemporary cuisine accessible to Filipinos... and create a Michelin experience here that is similar to what I have come to know”
To his sublime tastes, there is a clear stratagem per dish. “If I serve lobster to our guests, they must taste the freshest lobster, even when paired with a sauce or side dishes. If I serve truffle, they must savour the best truffle there is. If I serve asparagus, I cook it at the last minute before serving, to bring out its full flavour.” Essentially, it all painstakingly boils down to that one star-of-the-show quality that will be reflected in each dish.
Combining his biggest—and best—takeaways from all of his mentors, it becomes evident that Thevenet’s style is a superbly filtered version and an authentic process that is all his own.
Thevenet starts with his insatiable thirst to find the best ingredients in season (“This is inspired by Ducasse’s Cuisine de la Naturalité philosophy,” he shares). Then, he applies his aforementioned modern French techniques from preparation to exquisite presentation, deftly combining and contrasting flavours for a full sensory experience.
“I balance out this great emphasis on freshness of produce with how I present it. My training and years of experience with Gagnaire has taught me that each dish should be crafted like a work of art,” he says.
Employing this formula developed by all the influences in his culinary life, Thevenet has masterminded a four- and six-course menu, as well as an à la carte one, to tantalise and delight guests at The Tasting Room with his unique viewpoint. He forewarns us, however, that he “will be changing the menu from time to time, depending on the seasonality of ingredients.”
Currently, the tightly curated menu is, from top to bottom, basic yet indulgent all at once.
Classic French, of course, but with a local twist. From the Lobster with curry and apricot to the Pigeon with stuffed cabbage and mostarda di Cremona, Thevenet’s dishes all speak of an impressive prelude and tasty longevity. Equally popular numbers on the degustation and à la carte menus are the Foie Gras with apricot, figs, brioche, black olives, coco royale, crab, ham, and cuttlefish; Oyster with grey shrimp, apple, cauliflower, beef gravlax, and Sarawak pepper; and Haddock with egg and caviar.
Top this off with an impeccable, curated wine list—several bottles of which are the best pours in the world and only available here—and a refined yet warm service.
“We endeavour to add a dimension to the dining experience, what with the well-orchestrated yet graceful serving of each dish and wine,” says Moroney, who has also worked with Thevenet not only in La Maison 1888 but at Ducasse’s restaurant in London as well. “The interactions with guests ought to illuminate the concept and creativity behind each meticulously prepared dish by Chef Frederic and his culinary team.”
Of this reinstated jewel in the property’s fine-dining crown, Kevin Benning, senior vice president and COO, has this say: “We proudly reintroduced the new The Tasting Room in its new and more elegant interiors, showcasing the exquisite cuisine of Chef Thevenet. His elegant and innovative interpretation of contemporary French cuisine is to be experienced. It supports the vision of Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s chairman and CEO, Lawrence Ho, to always create ‘something different, something better.’ We aim to deliver on this promise.”
Being that every dish that emerges out of The Tasting Room kitchen is inspired by his more than three decades of culinary experience in Michelinstarred restaurants from all over the world, Thevenet says, “I wish to make French contemporary cuisine accessible to Filipino diners, and more than that, create a Michelin experience here that is similar to what I have come to know.”