We had an incredibly indulgent dinner featuring Mayura steak as presented by Chef Mark Tan of Allium.
Dinner started with appetizers of nigiri sushi.
First, GenSan Tuna sushi. We really must be proud of our tuna from Mindanao!
But the real treat was the third of the lot: Mayura rib cap nigiri sushi. It doesn’t get better than this. I’ll just let the picture speak for itself! Taken with just my iphone.
Next, Chef Mark treated us to some lobster. That small ball underneath is Brittany Lobster. Served with a touch of Hokkaido uni. Given another dimension with black figs. And to top it all off, homemade caviar by the chef. “When we have female lobsters with eggs, we salt cure the eggs,” explained Chef Mark.
Instead of soup, we were served Chef Mark’s version of Chawan Mushi. This was umami central! But here is the chef’s genius: he made a relish using French summer truffles and – get this – fresh wasabi and Pedro Ximenez sherry. Who would ever think of mixing summer truffles with wasabi?! My thought bubble was, what a waste of summer truffles! But I am equally blown away by the chef’s commitment to creating art.
What I loved about this chawanmushi were the bits of crab. As if it wasn’t enough to just use Philippine crabs, Chef Mark indulged us with Hokkaido snow crab and Brittany ocean crabs. What a treat!
Also from Hokkaido – fresh scallops! This was just perfection. The chef also added white fungus (stop snickering, Beavis) for texture and a yuzu sauce “for richness”.
The piece de resistance was the duo of Mayura wagyu (later) but this Mayura sirloin tartare held its own!
Chef Mark brilliantly mixed it with (hold your breath) oysters! So that the guest would not “get ‘umay'”, there is Pommery mustard. And for depth, that orange thing on top is not what guest of honor Scott de Bruin, owner of Mayura, thought was tomato … it is salt cured egg yolk!
And now for the piece de resistance: the duo of Mayura wagyu.
Mayura steak is really distinguished. It has a unique depth of flavor and richness.
The piece on the right was the picanha (aka rump cover aka rump cap aka coulotte), rated Gold while the piece on the left was the platinum rib fillet.
The rib was more tender but both were incredibly flavorful.
That puddle on the left is a chestnut puree but I didn’t even touch it! I was just obsessed with the meat. It is honestly, sincerely, truly excellent.
I learned last night that this meat is also used by Burnt Ends in Singapore and 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong. David Pynt and Umberto Bombana sure know good meat!
I had no more room for dessert. Just enjoyed the rest of the Brunello di Montalcino that our hosts Rey and Joy (and daughter Ella) Co served.
An excellent, excellent dinner.
#ThankYouGod 🙂
Margaux Salcedo 