The Farm at San Benito hosted a special two-night dinner series prepared by unconventional cookbook author and Le Cordon Bleu Paris alum Simran Savlani, who took over the kitchen of The Farm at San Benito’s iconic ALIVE! Restaurant, and served a stunning seven-course vegan-vegetarian dinner last September 1-2, 2022.
The Farm brought out its signature flare, with gorgeous natural tablescapes inspired by the colors of Savlani’s “A Spark of Madness,” an Asian-Vegetarian cookbook she authored with 116 recipes covering regions from Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, Seoul, Singapore, and beyond.
The dinner was attended by a flurry of traveling foodies, wellness enthusiasts, and media personalities, and was even graced by FIBA World Cup Gilas Pilipinas star Scottie Thompson, who was at The Farm following the national team’s decisive victory against Saudi Arabia.
Notorious for not following recipes while melding a wealth of cuisines, flavors, and ingredients, Savlani dazzled the crowd with a feast comprised of her signature A Mad Gin, Scallion Pinwheels, Soba Salad, Gochugaru Spiced Corn Ribs, Sheet-Pan Baked Tofu, Curd Rice, Macau Café Portuguese Curry, Cointreau Spiked Clafoutis, and Simcello.
The Farm’s resident sound healer LJ Navera, played live soul-enriching music to complement Savlani’s colorful and flavorful dishes.
Social media was ablaze with posts and stories from happy diners who had the opportunity to interact with Savlani herself during the event. One diner reported amazement at not feeling bloated after finishing all seven courses, 6-time PBA Champion Thompson posted his plates finished, while a couple mentioned A Mad Dinner was the perfect way to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary.
Food and travel vlogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet posted an immersive reel describing the dinner as the “Best vegetarian tasting menu we tried,” and that he “didn’t realize vegetarian food can taste this good!”
Diaz recommends Savlani’s Curd Rice and Gochugaru Spiced Corn Ribs with Chimichurri as his personal favorites.
Savlani also made “A Spark of Madness” and her signature line of “Spark Sauces” available for purchase at The Farm, with the cookbook retailing for PHP 2,600 and the sauces retailing at PHP 2,900.
The cookbook contains all of the recipes in “A Mad Dinner,” making it possible to recreate this unique dining experience at home.
Savlani has launched a series of restaurants across Asia and Africa, using her philosophy of making dishes three-dimensional; bringing together elements of sugar, spice, and salt to create memorable culinary experiences.
The dinner was done in collaboration with The Farm’s Vegan Vegetarian restaurants ALIVE and PRANA, an Ayurveda Restaurant serving Indian-Vegetarian cuisine driven by the which mission of providing life-giving energy through food; directly in line with Savlani’s foolproof and flavorful vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free range of dishes.
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