Marielle Po’s Birthday Dinner!

One of my favourite women recently celebrated her birthday with a very special dinner composed of her closest and dearest “girl” friends which included Nix and I!  LOL!  I always enjoys evenings with Marielle as she is not only one of the most generous women I know but a true blue certified foodie.  It’s really amazing to me how she keeps her figure that way it is because she and her husband Leo really loves to eat.  Marielle & Leo compose what I call our “eating gang”!  Good thing that we only see each other occasionally because if we see each other more frequently it would be the end or my weight  management challenge.

The view from where I sat.

The dinner was one of those magical evenings filled with great conversations, heart filled laughter and some of the most beautifully prepared food I have eaten in a really long time.  Leave it to Marielle to share with us her fabulous chef Ms. Farah Ylagan.  Chef Farah is a talent that should be celebrated!  Her cuisine is delicate, precise, pristine and really a thing of pure joy!  She has trained under some of the best chef’s and kitchen’s all over Europe and I am so happy that she has decided to come home and share all her culinary talents to all of us.

The meal began with an amuse bouche of Caviar Tempura which was so good I had to have a second serving.  Crisp, tangy and with that sharpness from the caviar.  Then she gave us a shot of Shitake mushroom Cappuccino which opened up my palette to the glorious feast that was about to begin.

Started our meal with these 2 amouse bouche's a caviar tempura and a shitake cappuccino. Both were equally delightful.

The menu!

The couples newest acquisition. A lovely Gus Albor.

The whole dinner was this journey through 8 courses.  We began with this gorgeous gratin of Enoki, Shitake and Erigne mushrooms enveloped in a sea urchin hollandaise sauce brushed with edible gold!  It looked and tasted like pure luxury.  I took photos of most of the food so will explain each of the courses via the photographs.  I failed to catch one dish though which was the white grape sorbet which was a bit too sweet for my taste.

In between the beautiful dinner I had to take a bit of a walk and move around, so I entertained myself by enjoying the art collection of Marielle & Leo which is really firming up.  Filled with strong bold graphic artist’s like Soler, RM de Leon, Albor, Pacita Abad  and several gorgeous Luz’s.    I am so happy for them as their art collection is very personal and meaningful, the way a true art collection should be done.

First course! 3 mushroom enoki gratin with a sea urchin hollandaise sauce! I love that gold leaf touch. True luxury on a plate.

This beautiful dish came next. It looked liked a little garden on a plate. It even had a lily pad. This was the cold crab salad encased in cucumber with avocado and green apple. It had a dressing with a hint of curry oil which just added that perfect kick. I loved this dish as it was so fresh and light.

We then had the bisque with a lobster quenelle which was so perfectly made. The soup was dramatically poured on the table.

The soup was full of flavour and the combination of the quenelle with the soup was spot on!

The next dish was my favourite! I love coddled egg! This version of Chef Farah Ilagan had some asparagus, brined butter with a truffle vinaigrette and some Jamon Serrano jabugo! YUM!

It was so gorgeous I had to instargram it! LOL!

Although I am not a foie gras fan ( It somehow gives me a head ache) I still wanted the dish to be served so that I can take a photo of it. It looked so well made. The foie was seared to perfectionist had some cherries and fruit with some hazelnuts and a side salad. Good thing the ladies of the table love foie so I was able to pass this entree to one of them.

I had to take a bit of break and walked around to admire the art around the house. This one was done by Soler. It was a strong and graphic piece.

After a cleansing sorbet made from white grapes came the main course which was a delicate lamb dish with a trio of beautiful bites on top of a creamy polenta. I liked the dish very much. The flavours were so balanced and it had me wanting more. LOL!

I also saw this RM de Leon piece which had good proportions. It also transitioned flawlessly with the red of the Soler.

Imagine this beside the Rm de Leon. I think it a good match.

We ended the evening’s celebration by meeting the chef Farah Ylagan.  I had to shake her hand and tell her how truly wonderful her cooking was and how grateful I am to have been able to experience her talent.  I am so happy that she is home so that more of us can  taste and learn from her expertise.

Bravo!!!! Chef Farah Ylagan!

Talent like hers has to be celebrated!

Thumbs up indeed! Here I am a full and happy camper!

Happy birthday Marielle with her besties and chef's! Thank you so very mucho!

I just want to greet my friend Marielle a happy happy birthday!  I know that she is happy and I consider her friendship a blessing!

HUGS,
RAJO!