Photos by: Nikki Collantes
Graphics by: Andrea Chan
Video by: Art Dalumpines
I’d give an eyetooth for 21st-century food to taste less artificial and more natural. It’s comical how many food and beverage companies make ‘food-taste-like-the-real-thing’ their selling point when there is the option of actually using natural ingredients.
With the mass production of artificial food, it makes all-natural gourmet food a scarce—something that we eat only occasionally or during times when something is really worth celebrating. But gourmet food is that something worth celebrating. Let Gourmet Bar by Novotel prove it well.
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Unmistakably, cooking up quality ingredients equal to quality food. Take Novotel food as a prime example of how a simple locally farmed produce can be the star of a dish so delish you can’t spell your name nor the name of the dish itself. Order their Stuffed Bravas and I guarantee, that first bite encapsulates how much of a difference organic food is from the instant food that we’re used to. And we all have to thank Novotel’s organic farm: El Dorado in San Mateo, Rizal for breeding greens with the highest quality.
Of course, nothing says healthy eating than organic food.
While some of us are going crazy over well-bred fresh meat, Novotel Gourmet Bar makes sure you don’t get to miss how our veggies can be equally flavorful as our lovely meat cuts. Each serving of what we had had generous amounts of succulent greens (and reds apparently—for the next dish I’m about to introduce). Their Homemade Bocconcini and Organic Cherry Tomatoes may not be the easiest dish to pronounce, but it definitely is the easiest to love. Soon as you bite the cherry tomatoes, you can feel the burst of its crisp juices rounded off well with the rich flavor of the mozzarella which the basil pesto and Balsamico oil bind together well.
This dish goes parallel with their Norwegian Smoked Salmon with Avruga Caviar. The best thing about this Salmon dish is how obvious the smokey flavor is. One tip though, to appreciate these dishes, you have to take each of its components because they’re made to complement each other!
But apart from the organic way that they grow their ingredients, what got my sweet spot is the international themes they have across their menu. They make it seem so effortless to introduce foreign flavors. We had the time to appreciate their Spanish Omelette, my favorite dish among the array of scrumptious dishes they shared. The crunchy organic greens enveloped with their light omelet topped with brittle Serrano ham left me, to this day, still craving it.
This next dish, although foreign, we have come to appreciate over time because of its familiarity. Burgers, a classic American dish. Instead of feeling appeased with doing a normal burger, though, Gourmet Bar altered their buns by using pandesal as the end to end component of their burger. How can you go wrong with pandesal? And their patties are cooked up with the highest sort of beef meat: grass-fed beef.
But if you prefer a lighter meal, you might be into trying their Bocadillos with Pimiento. It’s a crusty sandwich hugging finely cooked ham and spots of Manchego cheese.
Also, Italian food. How can you go wrong with Italian cuisine? Gourmet Bar by Novotel easily whips up a good Italian food like risotto. And Novotel has gone over the top with their Risotto alla Milanese too, serving it with smooth bone marrow and crispy Pancetta (a whole lot of textures going for you there!).
And for a great way to cap off a hearty meal? Dessert for the kids, cocktails for the adults. Novotel prides itself with their homemade gelato and freshly-pressed waffle cones, resulting in true and distinct flavors.
Mojito, anyone?
I know, I’m still digesting all the reinventions and new ideas I learned through Novotel Gourmet Bar’s food. And taking it all in, one thing I realized, is that food can be revolutionary. Because Gourmet Bar grows their produce organically, it makes the harvest healthier—plus it’s good for the environment.
While I wait for the organic and natural way of harvesting ingredients to be pervasive, you can find me savoring Novotel’s Spanish omelet while clinking my glass of Samosa—hoping that their gourmet eats would be the future of the food industry.
