Pairing chocolate with ‘laing’ and other savories
“Chocolate is not only chocolate. Chocolate needs to be experienced,” says Giovanni Battista Mantelli, Venchi’s co-founder and brand ambassador, who was recently in Manila to host a unique tasting. The Philippines was the last stop of his Asian tour, which included Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan.
The luxury chocolate brand from Italy presented six decadent chocolate pairings to go with sweet and savory Filipino dishes at M Dining + Bar. Yes, instead of having them for dessert, they were eaten alongside items like laing and chicharon.
For some, the idea might seem weird, but for those who got to experience it, it was a pleasurable revelation.
Nutty richness
Each plate represented a particular meal in a day. Things kicked off with brunch in the form of taho and a trio of kakanin—puto, sapin-sapin, and kutsinta. They were paired with Cremino 1878, Venchi’s smooth, three-layered Piedmontese chocolate featuring alternating double layers of gianduja. The confection added nutty richness to every bite, making the street snacks more indulgent.
The guests were also served a cocktail composed of Don Papa Rum and earl gray-coconut soda for a clean and refreshing finish, washing down any notes of sweetness in time for the next course, which was lunch.
This started with Venchi Pistachio dressed in Guianduiotto. The diners were asked to take a tiny bite of the chocolate followed by some of the savory dishes—gising-gising, distinctly marked by the subtly grassy taste of the winged bean and the creamy coconut milk, as well as the salad of salted duck egg with roasted tomatoes, the umami of which became more prominent with the presence of the nutty chocolate.
Rounding off this number was the Masskarita, a tropical cocktail featuring pineapple-infused Don Papa Masskara, agave nectar, lemon juice, and a dash of siling labuyo.
For merienda, two small servings were sent out along with the Chocoviar Arancia. The confection’s bright, citrusy notes coming from the Sicilian blood orange center paired well with the sharp tanginess of the manggang hilaw with bagoong and the calamansi jelly on toasted coconut. They all had varying levels of acidity, which was tamed with a sip of the Don Papa Rum and ginger beer blend.
Decadent counterpoint
As a pre-dinner bite, the Nougatine, caramelized hazelnut crumbs in smooth 60 percent dark chocolate, was accompanied on the plate by honey-roasted pili nuts as well as crispy chicharon with spiced vinegar. It was a clever play, with the bold bitterness of the Venchi product well-matched with sweet nuts and sour-salty pork rind.
Grilled liempo glazed in muscovado, and laing with toasted sesame and chili flakes, were enhanced by the addition of Venchi’s Chocoviar 75 percent, a rich, creamy dark chocolate in an extra dark shell. Its slightly bitter profile acted as a decadent counterpoint to the smokiness of the pork belly and deep earthy flavor of the braised taro leaves.
To cap off the meal, we returned to having something sweet—a midnight snack of muscovado ice cream with latik and toasted barquillos with Venchi’s Espresso Caffè, composed of 75 percent extra dark chocolate and crunchy cocoa beans. Coffee and cacao have always been recognized as a working tandem, and this pairing definitely exhibited that.
Pairing ulam with chocolates is something not typically done in the country. But in places like Mexico, where their mole is highlighted with chocolate as a pivotal ingredient, the combination is actually not so far-fetched.
Spending an afternoon trying Venchi chocolates with local dishes opened my eyes—and palate—to a lot more possibilities with our cuisine.
Venchi Chocogelateria boutiques are located in Central Square BGC and The Podium. Good Eats by SSI, a member of the SSI Group, Inc. is the exclusive franchise holder of Venchi in the Philippines.
Follow the author at @fooddudeph on Instagram.
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