The Westin Manila collaborates with chef, TV host, and writer, Sharwin Tee, for CuiSCENE no.2: Farm-to-table Contemporary Chinese Degustation Menu, which will run for two nights only on January 31 and February 7, 2024.
Offered at the Seasonal Tastes, the eight-course Chinese-inspired vegetable and meat pairing highlights farm-sourced ingredients in partnership with Agribusiness and Countryside Development Foundation (ACDF).
Executive Chef Rej Casanova shares his excitement for this project, which is rooted on the Westin brand’s sourcing promise. “As a chef, I want to create dishes that are delicious, nutritious, and sustainable. One of the ways to achieve this is to source ingredients directly from local farmers who can provide you with fresh, seasonal, and organic produce. This benefits the community by providing farmers with jobs and income, reducing food miles and carbon emissions, and safeguarding biodiversity and agricultural land. There are numerous advantages to sourcing food from local growers. We also get to channel our inner creative by cooking with seasonal, regional, and unique varieties of vegetables and herbs that are not available in conventional markets.”
Sustainably sourced ingredients
“We partnered with Agribusiness and Countryside Development Foundation to help source our ingredients directly from farmers who they work with,” explains Casanova.
“The Agribusiness and Countryside Development Foundation is dedicated to linking farmers and agribusiness owners and practitioners to people who can support them,” says Yvette Tan, a journalist and board member of the foundation. “If a regular Filipino wants to help a regular Filipino farmer, buying with their fork—which means buy local, or if possible buy straight from farmers or patronize restaurants that you know support local farmers.”
Tee gives an overview of the dinner menu, which will be paired with natural wines. “For this particular collaboration, we thought it would be nice to celebrate our local vegetables. We highlight one vegetable per dish and apply different cooking techniques. That way, we can really show how versatile these vegetables are and how delicious they can be.”
Kitchen curiosities
For CuiSCENE no.2, Chef Sharwin Tee prepared four dishes: Lettuce and Kiniing (poached romaine, iceberg, and lolo rosa lettuce, Benguet Kiniing XO Sauce, lollo rosa oil), Tofu & Mushrooms (twice-cooked tofu, mushroom tofu mousse shitake mapo sauce, fried oyster mushrooms), Beef and Broccoli (Angus Rib-eye steak, roasted broccoli, oyster-flavored oyster sauce, cauliflower purée, “Gardinera“ cauliflower), and Carrot and Egg (carrot noodles, carrot ginger sauce, cumin BBQ carrots, 63°C sous vide egg).
Known for his previous TV show “Curiosity Got the Chef” and his quirky and innovative twists on traditional Filipino and Chinese cuisine, Chef Sharwin Tee graduated with school honors from the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver, Canada. He owned and operated his own restaurant, The Quirky Bacon in San Juan, Philippines. He has worked with multiple food brands, conducting seminars and cooking demonstrations, and was featured as guest chef in various restaurants at local and international branded hotels.
Tee also works as a restaurant consultant, conducting research, staff training, and menu planning. He has hosted more than 20 successful pop-up dinners in the Philippines and overseas.
Farm-fresh produce
Chef Casanova’s culinary career with Marriott International spans over fifteen years. Prior to that, he was assigned in Malaysia and worked for a property which offered menus strongly influenced by Chinese cooking. “I was assigned in the banquet kitchen, and I was particularly fascinated by their emphasis on using farm-fresh vegetables and how this quality enhances the whole flavor and experience of every dish. This experience resonated with me over the years.”
For this wine pairing dinner, Casanova and his team will start the dinner repertoire with a Handcrafted Dimsum, a triple treat with Pork Siomai with seared goose liver and black vinegar glaze, Mushroom and Peas with truffle essence, and Lobster and Chives. This will be followed by Chicken and Corn (poached chicken terrine in sesame sweet corn glaze, marinated cucumber and cabbage salad, sesame dressing) and Fish and Kale (sous vide Asian sea bass, organic kale XO sauce, kale purée, crispy rice cracker, fish milk broth, scallion oil). Dessert comes in the form of a Mango and Sago in 8 Textures (mango parfait, pomelo salad, tapioca crisp, mango caviar, mango cream).
As part of a Chinese dining tradition, the restaurant team will give out homemade fortune cookies bearing well wishes and messages.
“We invite everyone to join us for this two-night wine pairing event for a chance to win an overnight stay in a Deluxe Room,” says Eicha Medina, the hotel’s Assistant Manager for Food and Beverage.
CuiSCENE no.2: Farm-to-Table Contemporary Chinese Degustation Menu is available at Seasonal Tastes on January 31 and February 7, 2024, from 6:00PM to 10:00PM. The dinner is priced at P4,800.00 nett per person.
For table reservations and inquiries, e-mail westinmanila@westin.com or call +632.8256.2020 or +63.939.926.2157 (Viber, WhatsApp).
