MOVENPICK’S 7 CLASSICS WITH A TWIST

Chef has just confessed he isn’t fond of almond flour.

The carrot waffle looks up at me forlorn. Made with almond flour, its fate hangs delicately in the balance, teeter-tottering precariously on the words of a chef.

Count on vanilla ice cream to right all wrongs. It sends my spoon racing way past cuisinier caveats, skidding through a generous dollop of milky cream down to its crustily soft waffle bed, swerving for a douse of mango compote, hitting the breaks for a caramelized almond, before finally revving off to my eager tongue.

Crash. Explosion of flavor. Collision of texture. Big burp.

With stomachs ready to burst, we had reached the end of our gustatory journey.

Marking 70 years in the culinary scene, Mövenpick recreates seven classic dishes with a twist towards health-conscious times, all in the spirit of founder Ueli Prager, whose casual dining restaurant was considered innovative and ahead of its time when doors opened in Zurich.

Savvy guide for the night was marketing and communications manager Meghann Hernandez, who hardly looked like she had just had her second beautiful girl. Occasionally stepping out of his kitchen, executive chef Christian Bouby navigated us through intricacies like caper berries versus flower buds, caviar of olive oil, Café de Paris butter and yellow chicken from France.

Among all-time favorites reinterpreted is beef tartare, rebirthed in scallops and avocado tartare, with nary a hint of

rawness that causes the squeamish to skip on to the next fully cooked item on the menu.

Smoked salmon gets a lighter yet richer reincarnation, bedded between layers of puff pastry, cream, horseradish, granny smith apples and lemon juice. Meg regretfully turns down another glass of wine, the sobriety of a six-month-old fully fed on mother’s milk foremost on her mind. It’ll be years before Audrey Sabine learns how a drunken night’s sleep feels like. But today, she will know the somnolence induced by a seven-course meal, be it, for the time she is wholly dependent on her conscientious mother, by osmosis.

Sleep well, dear Sab.

CARROT WAFFLE

FOTOS/ MÖVENPICK HOTEL MACTAN ISLAND CEBU CONTRIBUTED SEAFOOD CASIMIR. An exotic mix of seafood and citrus has curry, coconut and pineapples thrown in for good measure, paired with wild rice. Last day to sample the anniversary dishes. Served à la carte at Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu’s The Sails.

BARE BEEF BURGER Café de Paris. Slather Café de Paris butter over a miniature prime beef burger topped with melted cheddar cheese as the runny yolk of a quail egg drips down its side. Nearly carbfree, you will be able to afford the skinny...

SCALLOPS AND AVOCADO TARTARE

SALADE BELLE FERMIÈRE made with honey-smoked corn chicken breast cooked slowly in barbecue seasoning marries well with marinated pears.

MILLEFEUILLE SAUMON and caviar d’olive.

LARGE CARROT WAFFLE

MUSHROOMS AND VEGETABLE ZURICH STYLE, a meat-free version of Veal Zurich style.