Three countries, one table
Two French chefs, two nights, one historic hotel.
The Peninsula Manila is turning 50 this year, and one of the ways it has chosen to celebrate the milestone is through a culinary collaboration at Old Manila, the Michelin-Selected French restaurant which has been a fixture of the hotel since it opened its doors.
The Peninsula Manila executive chef Remy Carmignani welcomed Yohan Da Costa, senior chef de cuisine at The Peninsula Tokyo and cuisine head of Peter, The Peninsula Tokyo’s French restaurant, and together, the two presented a four-hands dinner on May 22 and 23.
Four-hands lunch
Members of the media got a taste of the collaboration, too, at a special lunch. We were greeted with flutes of Champagne E Duval Brut d’Eulalie and the meal started with a selection of canapés by Old Manila—tuna tartlet, a potato cube topped with a slice of wagyu, and leek vinaigrette. Each bite was delicate and divine.
Next came the L’Œuf de Poule by Peter, a perfectly poached egg topped with truffles and mushroom duxelles and bathed in a creamy champagne sauce. We paired it with La Tournée Blanc, a crisp and fruity French wine from Ferraton Père & Fils.
This dish is Carmignani’s favorite course. “Yohan’s egg dish is very classic and well done—the texture, the temperature, the flavor, the sauce. Sauce is one of the most important things in French cuisine and, of course, the touch of Japanese ingredients makes it even better.”
Old Manila then presented La Bouillabaisse, its take on the traditional seafood stew from Marseille, featuring a beautifully cooked Atlantic turbot, a Hokkaido scallop, octopus, saffron potatoes, fennel, rouille and toasted sourdough.
Da Costa enjoyed this course from his fellow chef. “It was like I traveled back to France—the texture, the seasoning. It’s a very, very good dish.”
The Ferraton Père & Fils La Tournée Rouge, a fresh and fruit-forward red wine, offered a lively contrast.
The meal continued with Japanese beef—an exquisite cut of wagyu served with white asparagus, carrot mousseline, yuzu-kosho and beef jus. For dessert, Old Manila served the refreshing Le Pamplemousse—grapefruit and wasabi sorbet with homemade granola, raspberry compote and lychee espuma—which we enjoyed with Hepp Distillery's Framboise Sauvage, a clear raspberry brandy.
It was a lovely meal, with three countries coming together dish after dish. You can expect more culinary journeys from Old Manila and The Peninsula Manila, said Carmignani. “My ultimate goal is to reestablish Old Manila as The Peninsula Manila’s flagship of refined French-inspired cuisine by integrating local premium ingredients, theatrical tableside service, and elevated ingredient storytelling—all underpinned by rigorous training. I think we are on the right track. We have a bright new talent on board, chef de cuisine Matthieu Fournier, heading Old Manila’s kitchen brigade. The Michelin Guide awarded us Selected status, and we intend to keep that or, better yet, get a star!”
