Finestra’s chef Alan Marchetti at work on Italian degustation with Filipino chocolate flair
After a two-year wait and with Manila easing into relative calm and normalcy, Solaire is back to hosting one-of-a-kind events with its signature touch of luxury. One never thought the dining-out experience that everyone took for granted could feel special and liberating after a series of lockdowns.
Cacao beans freshly removed from harvested cacao pods in one of Auro’s partner farms
Solaire partnered recently with one of the country’s most sought-after chocolatiers, Auro Chocolate, for a one-night exclusive degustation dinner titled Chocolate Harvest: Farm-to-Table Degustation. At the luxury resort’s Finestra Italian Steakhouse, last April 28, guests savored the mix of Italian heritage and Filipino culinary expertise that’s directed at sustainability and upliftment of communities.
The special dinner served unique dishes made from cacao— a six-course menu of classic Italian cuisine revolving around the fine Filipino-made chocolate—a play of tastes and textures.
Chef Alan Marchetti drew inspiration from his native Italy, pushed the envelope, so to speak, by experimenting. He went through the painstaking process of reinventing dishes, having to go back and forth on the drawing board to deconstruct elements of his chosen dishes and rebuild each with a touch of non so che– to leave the mind and palate in awe.
Chocolate fagottini, foie gras, porcini
The six-course menu used different parts of the cacao. The starters were the staples of two distinctly different cultures: an earthy but refreshing tuna ceviche (Tonno al Cacao) with a tinge of spicy cacao—tuna ceviche, avocado, cacao pulp, raw cacao shavings. The second was an ox tail vaccinara (Coda di Manzo)—ox tail cubes vaccinara, dark chocolate sauce, crispy celery. The Finestra signature specialty, the pasta, was a highlight—the Pasta Ripiena, consisting of chocolate fagottini, foie gras, porcini.
The fish course (Ricciola e Cavolfiori) proved that cacao went best with fish—cocoa-crusted amberjack, braised white chocolate cauliflower, slow-roasted tomatoes.
The next (Agnello al Burro di Cacao e Patate), lamb tenderloin cooked at precise temperature and immersed in the dense silkiness of cocoa butter—cocoa butter confit lamb tenderloin, creamed cabbage, fondant potatoes.
Trio of Auro chocolates—dark; milk chocolate cake; white chocolate cheesecake
Dessert was a trio of chocolate concoctions: Auro dark chocolate with salted caramel popcorn, The Dalmore 15 Years, fluffy milk; Auro milk chocolate cake, Finestra olive oil, hazelnut; Auro white chocolate cheesecake semifreddo, fresh berries, dehydrated raspberries.
The new partnership of Solaire and Auro—both multi-awarded brands—was initiated by Solaire’s vice president for culinary, Chef Michael Dinges, a staunch sustainability advocate focused on farm-to-table practices to support local farms. Solaire’s kitchens use select ingredients sourced directly from the resort’s partners, incorporating these on the list of specialties of its 15 dining and beverage establishments. Auro Chocolate aims to promote sustainability and thus empower Filipino farmers— seamlessly aligned with Solaire’s Filipino-first ethos in this community-centric endeavor. Auro supports 60 local cacao-producing cooperatives and organizations, farmers representing more than 1,000 families covering 2,000 hectares of farm land. It has won over 50 international awards in four-year span.
Solaire’s Finestra has also introduced its signature retail chocolates crafted in collaboration with Auro Chocolate: exclusive and limited-edition chocolate bars in three decadent flavors and cocoa percentages: Olive Oil and Sea Salt (64% dark chocolate), Hazelnut and Mango (42% milk chocolate), and Calamansi and Basil (32% white chocolate).
Auro Chocolate offers a variety of single-origin white, milk, and dark chocolate whose flavors are indicative of its origin.
