A decadent dinner

By Dinna Chan Vasquez

Lolo Dad?s Brasserie at 6750 Ayala in Makati City was the venue for Snake River Farms? dinner featuring its American Kobe Beef and Kurobuta Pork. The special menu was prepared by Chef Ariel Manuel, whose Lolo Dad?s in Manila is a popular destination for foodies and gourmets.

The original Lolo Dad?s is housed in the ancestral home of the Ayuyaos, Manuel?s in-laws, while Lolo Dad?s Brasserie is in a modern building. Thus, the look of the two is very different. While the Malate restaurant is very Old World in appearance, the Makati brasserie is very contemporary. Even the menu is a bit different with the Malate outlet geared toward those who prefer fine dining, but the taste and quality of the food, judging from the Snake River Farms dinner, is the same.

Guests, including chefs, restaurant owners, and members of media, were welcomed with Champagne Jacquesson Cuvee no. 732 NV Brut, France after which the tapas or appetizers were served with Saintsbury Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir Napa Valley, CA 2006 and DR Stephens Chardonnay Napa Valley, CA 2005.

The Roast SRF Beef Sirloin Flap Sandwich, SRF Beef Top Blade Gold in Jar and SRF Beef Chuck Short Ribs Gold Pomegranate-flavored Muffin were very good but the Confit of SRF Kurobuta Pork Belly with Cracklings was simply the best. Had the meal ended there, the guests would have been quite content but, of course, there was so much more ahead.

For the salad, Manuel and his team served SRF Beef Cheek Meat Black Mushroom Terrine and SRF Beef Rib Eye Gold-Citrus Salad with Rose Syrup, which was a complex dish that combined different ingredients that one would have thought would clash but amazingly didn?t. The salad was served with St. Rogue Red, a specialty beer, and Bodegas Felix Callejo Reserva Tempranillo Ribera del Duero, Spain 2004.

The first main course of Butterscotch-coated SRF Beef Tenderloin Black with Three Pea Flan was, in my opinion, the best dish of the night, excluding dessert, which was brilliant, but that?s another story. This tenderloin was cooked perfectly with all its juices intact and while the thought of eating meat coated in butterscotch may make one cringe, Manuel came up with the perfect combination with this one.

The second main course was SRF Kurobuta Pork Jowls Pie and SRF Kurobuta Pork Barbequed Spare Ribs served with Paul Hobbs ?Crossbarn? Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, CA 2005. This dish was simple and unpretentious and again, the meats were cooked perfectly because if there is one chef who knows how to handle meat, it?s Manuel.

The dessert of chocolate and almond bar with fruits and ice cream was beyond delicious. The chocolate and almond bar could have actually stood alone and almost didn?t need the fruits and ice cream.

The subtle sweetness and lingering finish of the Snake River Farms American Kobe Beef were hard to ignore. Alternatives Food Corp. (which distributes Snake River Farms meat in the country) managing director Kawshik Sehwani says these are because of the many aspects of the heritage-steeped Japanese feeding method that Snake River Farms has adopted. This includes a slow-paced, all-natural production method where the cattle is fed a natural diet of barley, golden wheat straw, alfalfa hay, and Idaho potatoes. No growth-promoting hormones or animal by-products are found in the feed, Sehwani stresses. Snake River Farms cattle grow slowly and naturally, a process that can take up to four times as long as traditional United States feeding production.

?Prime,? the highest USDA grade for beef, cannot define the quality of Snake River Farms. To accurately grade Snake River Farms beef, a combination of Japanese and US grading systems is utilized. The Japanese rating system includes several marbling scores higher than the USDA. Prime and meeting Japan?s exclusive marbling requirements means that Snake River Farms American Kobe Beef far exceeds the quality of all other United States beef brands, a level of distinction is possible because Snake River Farms uses only the finest stock and carefully manages every step of the production process from start to finish.

During the second century AD, a legendary breed of cattle?called Wagyu?was brought from their home on the Asian mainland to a new life in Japan. The breed was refined in the Kobe region of Japan over hundreds of generations and has become famous around the world for its intense flavor and supreme tenderness. This ancient breed from Japan is the foundation for the elite quality of Snake River Farms American Kobe Beef. Japanese Wagyu is often crossed with dairy cattle in Japan. Snake River Farms crosses its premier Japanese Wagyu cattle with premium American Black Angus.

Snake River Farms American Kobe Beef also offers nutritional benefits since Wagyu cattle are genetically predisposed to a higher percentage of unsaturated fat?more than any other breed.

While other cross breeds are available, Snake River Farms is also one of the few brands offering 100-percent purebred Berkshire breed pork. Kurobuta Pork is celebrated for many reasons as it is lean, with small, fine streaks of marbling that make each cut sweet, tender, and juicy. Unlike traditional white pork that tends to be bland and dry, Snake River Farms American Kurobuta Pork is darker in color and richly flavorful.

Among the famous establishments abroad that serve Snake River Farms are the Bellagio and the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. In the Philippines, Snake River Farms meats are served at Aubergine, Florabel, Restaurant Cicou, Josiahs Restaurant, 9501 Restaurant, Itallianis, Myron?s Steak House, Inagiku at Makati Shangri-La, Senju at Edsa Shangri-La, Gaudi, Tsukiji, Cirkulo, Thousand Cranes, Mr. Rockefeller, Tower Club, Embassy Cuisine, Mamou, Cuillere, Zao, In-Yo, Kimpura, Massimos, Chelsea, M Caf?, Madison Grill, Bistro Filipino, Chef?s Quarter, Duo Steakhouse, Zuni, John N Yoko, Ruby Tuesday, Mini Shabu-shabu, Ilustrado, Sumo Sam, Brumms Winery and Restaurant, Black Angus Steak House (Cebu), Mulberry Suites (Cagayan de Oro), Al Dente Ristorante (Iloilo), Bourbon (Iloilo), Nanohana, Sakae Sushi, Umu at Dusit Thani Hotel, Wazen Restaurant, Kimono Ken, Sandaya, Tajima, 21 Prime at Discovery Suites, Discovery Shores, La Bellevue and Yurakuen at Manila Diamond, Mandarin Deli at Gateway Mall, and Terry?s Deli for retail packs of rib eye.

For information, call 631-7228 to 30.