A DELICIOUS WAY THROUGH GUANGDONG

Celebrity master chef Jereme Leung made his highly anticipated return to Manila with his newest limited edition menu for China Blue this summer

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARBEE SHING GO

Jereme Leung is not just any master chef. He rises above as he thinks outside the box. The Hong Kong-born chef is one of the most creative Asian pioneers of Modern Chinese cuisine, and yet, he still pays reverence to traditional Chinese culinary arts. This he does through working with the masters of classic Chinese cuisine. His passion for presenting regional Chinese delicacies while fusing them with modern and innovative techniques has let him perfectly blend the concept of old and new Chinese cuisine.

Chef Jereme’s masterful talent was evident last April 3 to 7, when he was in town once again for the launch of his vibrant summer collection, which was inspired by cuisine from Guangdong province, at Conrad Manila’s award-winning China Blue by Jereme Leung. Together with the hotel’s Executive Chinese Chef Eng Yew Khor, Leung made culinary masterpieces that featured fresh, seasonal ingredients through exquisitely crafted set and à la carte menus available for lunch and dinner.

Chef Jereme noted that prior to creating the restaurant’s summer menu, he, Chef Khor, and China Blue by Jereme Leung’s Manager Jane Domingo went to Guangdong province in China to taste the local specialties. What they learned and tasted became the inspiration for the dishes they have created in the limited edition menu.

The Moon Face Clam Soup, called so because the clams used can only be harvested from the sea at night

The summer menu—which runs until the end of April—highlights Chinese tofu pork knuckles, Guangdong dry shrimp in silky chicken stock, baked live garoupa clay pot with shallots, garlic, and coriander spices, double-boiled moon fish clam with healthy dendrobium herb, and black chicken consommé, among others.

As part of the restaurant’s recent limited engagement offering, Chef Jereme also led a group of lifestyle journalists in making a special dessert (included in the summer menu) from Guangdong province—crispy milk custard fritters.

In the traditional version, this custard is made from buffalo’s milk, but for our class, the chefs prepared regular cow’s milk, which was then boiled and blended, then steamed and chilled to become a custard jelly. We proceeded to cut, coat, and roll the custard jelly onto thick pieces of bread and deep fried it till it turned golden brown.