There’s a fairy on the menu
Le Petit Chef, a magical dining experience acclaimed in many cities around the world, returns to the Grand Hyatt Manila for its fourth season this October. With a fresh new menu and storyline, those that have already enjoyed this combination of fine dining and fantasy have reasons to return.
The dinner, which has two seatings, takes place in a darkened room at The Peak of the Grand Hyatt Manila. An elevator exclusively for The Peak whisks you up quickly to the 60th floor, but you still have enough time to view your fellow diners en route. From families with children to stylishly dressed groups of friends, Le Petit Chef provides an enchanting evening for all ages, and especially for those who are young and young at heart.
The room reserved for Le Petit Chef seats only 20 so right away there is a feeling of intimacy and exclusivity. Yet there is nothing stiff or formal about Le Petit Chef, as a witch-like character named Jaya is there to break the ice at the beginning, the end and in between all the courses. Quizzing the audience about cooking matters and casting spells here and there, she claims the modern kitchen is beyond the realm of her understanding and experience: a microwave is a box where you put in food and it comes out hot (and sometimes still cold in the middle!).
But there was nothing medieval about the show, using 3D imagery and technology to make characters cook virtual food on your plate. As could be expected, the kids in the room squealed with delight as each new course brought forth a different part of the story with colorful and amazing visuals.
The meal started with a lovely parmesan soup, served in a miniature cauldron, and which we were encouraged to customize with chopped chives, chive oil, crispy bacon and homemade ricotta. This was delicious whether you ate your bacon separately or dunked it into the soup, and you should make use of all the chopped chives, chive oil and “fairy dust” (a little shaker of black pepper.)
In the story, the little chef encounters a fairy who grants him three wishes. Since his first wish is for a very modern kitchen, the fairy sends him an AI cooking robot and the little chef soon finds out this robot likes to have its own way. After they virtually prepare a poached Patagonian toothfish, better known to us by its inaccurate moniker Chilean sea bass, a real dish arrives at the table. The moist, perfectly poached fish is served with a beurre blanc and a puree of pumpkin, with a carrot and edamame to the side.
Next, the little chef tells the fairy that he is tired of being so small. She gives him an elixir to make him grow and grow he does, smashing through the roof and striding around the avenues of Paris as a giant. He virtually prepares the next dish, which is beef en croute or oxtail wrapped in puff pastry. This arrives at the table with the en croute sitting on top of medium-rare beef tenderloin, with a port wine jus and mushroom puree.
The final act, a dessert course entitled Candyland, is just that: a land brimming with candy, ice cream and other sweets. The actual dessert is a sophisticated plating of vanilla mousse and brown butter financiers with raspberry sorbet, a truffle of popping candy and even more sprinkles and chocolate balls that you can add to your plate.
To enjoy this fanciful show anchored by a seriously fine dining meal, contact the Grand Hyatt Manila through https://themagictable.com. The four-course menu is P7,000++ for adults and the children’s menu, which swaps salmon for the Patagonian toothfish and lasagna for the beef tenderloin, goes at P4,000++.