Sampaguita: What You Can Cook with the Philippine National Flower
“I’ll never take a look at Sampaguita the identical way again,” says Socrates Alvaro, Cluster General Manager of Food and Beverage for Megaworld Hotels and Resorts (MHR). When asked why, he answers with a smile “I’d fairly eat it – mainly because we’ve discovered that the sampaguita is a flexible flower with many applications in food and beverage”. True enough, the country’s largest homegrown hospitality management chain (MHR) heats up its kitchens and offers the Philippines’ national flower a date along with your tastebuds.
“There’s more to the local Jasminum sambac, a wide range of Sampaguita that grows within the Philippines. Our goal is to get the conversation going and educate guests about its iconic aroma that adds a latest layer of flavor to 1’s local dining experience,” shares Alvaro, with over 30 years of experience within the industry.
The hotel group now offers its guests their Sampaguita Menu, made available every day across their 12 properties situated in Boracay, Cebu, Iloilo, the National Capital Region, and Tagaytay. The road-up features heirloom dishes all infused and garnished with food-grade Sampaguita extract and blooms. The complete selection includes options for appetizers, salad, soup, mains, desserts, and baked goods. While lounging on the bar, guests may even check out cocktail creations with notes of the Sampaguita.
When asked how they do it, Ariel Castaneda, Executive Chef of Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, shares, “we’ve tried the brining and pickling process, by which we infuse salt to the fresh flower and extract the total flavor”. Considering other options, they’ve also tried dehydration “We dry out fresh flowers, petals and leaves and steep them into our mixture to provide body to the dish”. Over time, they’ve gotten more success doing the smoking process. What they do is “Use fresh and dried Sampaguita petals, to smoke meats, fish, and sauces to reinforce the aroma of the dish.”
“We get all kinds of reactions from guests,” says the young and promising chef who conducts exclusive monthly dining events. He shares “guests would try different sampaguita dishes and would normally be amazed of different flavor profiles it gives when mixed with other ingredients”.
In additional ways than one, the sampaguita shares an uncanny similarity with Filipinos, says Alvaro. Each are resilient as they bloom more in difficult conditions, he explains. In the long term, ”we aim to diversify how our guests can higher appreciate the flexibility of the Sampaguita and produce it back to a wider audience. Being a proud homegrown brand, we seek to raise what we’ve locally for the remainder of the world to taste and appreciate.
To enjoy this offer, guests may book a table directly with any Savoy and Belmont properties situated in Boracay, Cebu, and Manila. They can also try it out of their Richmonde Hotels situated in Eastwood, Ortigas, and Iloilo or possibly drop by the Hotel Lucky Chinatown in Binondo. Others may consider Kingsford Hotel Manila in Paranaque and lastly Twin Lakes Hotel in Tagaytay overlooking the Taal Lake. For more information visit www.megaworldhotels.com or visit any of Megaworld Hotels and Resorts and their properties’ official Facebook page.
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