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Le Chef at Camp John Hay Golf Club

22 June 2011 No Comment

The Veranda at CJH Golf Club is a great place to dine and make merry

There’s so much that defines the ultimate golfing experience at Camp John Hay Golf Club; we’ve gone into the weather and that glorious golf course, but there’s also the rustic clubhouse, the expansive veranda with marvellous views of the sunset and oh yes; the food.

The best thing that happened to Camp John Hay was Billy King moving there to handle the food. I’ve long been admirer of Chef King; when I moved back from the United States back in the early 90’s, the restaurant at which my coming home party was held was Le Souffle in the old Greenbelt of the Ayala Center. His food was exquisite then and it remains so to this day.

Chef King once told me that he was nothing without his people. He was quick to praise each of his chefs for the fine work that they did and this inspired unwavering loyalty from all that worked his kitchens with him. He was one of the best at finding and nurturing budding culinary talents and I was gratified to discover that he remains so to this day. His company, Le Chef handles the restaurants at both Camp John Hay Golf Club and the Manor and both offer dining experiences that will not soon be forgotten.

On this trip up, we were entertained by at Camp John Hay Golf Club by Le Chef’s assistant food and beverage manager Maya Pacalso who graciously looked after our every need while we were at the club. She introduced us to Chefs Lawrence Lugo and Lydel Laylo; the executive and pastry chefs respectively. Chef King’s prodigies more than proved themselves worthy of his trust in our eyes. The food they prepared was absolutely delicious!

We started with the Duo of Baked Salmon & Tuna Roulade in Eel dressing – Marinated fresh salmon and tuna, stuffed with asparagus, carrots celery, shitake mushrooms, topped with spicy mayonnaise then rolled in nori and baked to finish. A play on sushi these delectable bite sized morsels seemed to melt in our mouths.

Then came the Farm vegetable and fruits salad with roasted prawns in sesame vinaigrette dressing – A delightful assortment of garden vegetables and fruits in season tossed i sesame vinaigrette, topped with roasted prawn and crispy papadum. If there’s one thing you must have when in Baguio it’s a salad. I’ve yet to taste crisper, fresher greens than when I’m here and this combination hit all the right senses.

The main courses were the Local Duck Adobo and the Baked Lamb Chops in balsamic and rosemary jus topped with buffalo cheese salsa. The duck was cooked to falling-off-the-bone perfection and the lamb chops! I’m searching for the words to describe just how good they were. Needless to say, both disappeared in a hurry.

Baked lamb chops in balsamic and rosemary jus topped with buffalo cheese salsa

An order of Bagnet with laing and Le Chef’s special salsa followed. I thought it would be a bit anticlimactic after the duck and lamb but it held its own. One of our companions remarked, “All that fancy stuff pales in comparison to the goodness of this dish.” It was hard to disagree.

Bagnet with Laing and Le Chef’s special salsa

Then the dessert. My word! Ube Cheesecake topped with macapuno and chocolate, Cassava Cake topped with caramelized sugar and the best Sapin-Sapin I’ve ever had the pleasure of sticking a fork into. Of the sapin-sapin, Camp John Hay Golf Club general manager Steve McDonald remarked, “It’s so good, they named it twice!” We all roared with laughter.

It’s easy to just grab a post round snack then run off to dinner elsewhere in the City of Pines after your game but the next time you come to golf, take your time, hang around for a bit and enjoy some of the best food available anywhere in the City of Baguio.