GLORIOUS FOOD. Chefs Thanh and Dinh with Holiday Inn-Clark’s F&B Director Maria Thelma Valdepenas
welcome foodies at Mequeni. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON
CLARKFREEPORT – Fresh. Fragrant. Fit. Three adjectives that modify, indeed define, Vietnamese cuisine. Fresh ingredients – from fish, meat and vegetables.
Fragrance from a variety of herbs – in fact, rau thom, the collective term for Vietnamese herbs translates to “fragrant leaves” – cilantro, coriander, basil, and mint, chief among them. And the condiments, as much common as varied in the Asian kitchen, of fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, and vinegar.
Fit – as in healthy – owing as much to the profusion of leafy greens as to the minimal use of oil in Vietnamese cooking. All the above comprising a recipe that brings out the inherent flavor in the food. Thus, the mouth-watering aroma, the tastiness of even the simplest preparation from the Vietnamese kitchen.
Nothing simple but the best of Vietnam’s culinary delights are celebrated – and served – at Holiday Inn-Clark’s Mequeni Restaurant from August 25-September 7, 2014. At the buffet: Banh khot (small, fried rice pancakes with shrimps), Bo kho (spicy beef stew with carrots), Ca kho to (caramelized fish), Bun cha ha noi (grilled pork Hanoi style), wok-fried prawn with tamarind sauce which Vietnamese name skipped the mind, the iconic Nem cuon or spring rolls, and the divine Pho bo (beef noodles soup).
Holiday Inn-Clark spared no quarters in presenting the perfect Vietnamese cuisine at Mequeni – importing Chefs Dinh Hung Tran and Thanh Nguyen Ho from the Intercontinental Hotel Nha Trang to supervise what is turning out to be more than a simple dining experience but a full blown food festival, serving as it does the unique flavours of Southern, Central and Northern Vietnamese cuisine.
Enthused Michael Melzer, general manager of Holiday Inn-Clark: “Due to the success of our fi rst Vietnam Food Festival, we are celebrating it again for you to experience authentic Vietnamese cuisine, one of the highlighted events of our restaurant for 2014” Lunch and Dinner buffet for the Vietnam Food Festival are priced at P1,225 and P1,325 respectively, inclusive of one round of iced tea, chilled juice, or soda.
This food promotion is presented through Holiday Inn-Clark’s partner airline, Cebu Pacific, and the newly opened Intercontinental Hotel Nha Trang in Vietnam. For reservations and inquiries please call +63 2 845 1888 or +63 45 599 8000.
