Sweet dreams are made of chocolate

Andrea Spagoni and Rhea Rizzo team up for a special dinner highlighting the best of Philippine cacao this coming chocolate month

Among the greatest culinary inventions of all time, chocolate can be traced back to the Aztecs. The ancient civilization regarded chocolate as the elixir of love and even used cacao seeds as currency for barter. Today, this confection is much enjoyed everywhere as a romantic present and an indispensable ingredient mainly for dessert.

In the Philippines, premier integrated resort Solaire ceremoniously observes chocolate month each July. This year, the five-star entertainment complex will be holding a collaboration dinner between Andrea Spagoni, known for previously heading the kitchen of the Michelin star-awarded Beefbar in Hong Kong, and Rhea Rizzo, the restaurateur responsible for one of Cavite’s top bespoke private dining spots, Mrs. Saldo’s.

Six months ago, Andrea assumed the role of executive chef at Finestra Italian Steakhouse. Before the pandemic, in 2020, he was first tapped by Solaire to open the Culinary Masters Series with equally decorated chef Alan Marchetti. Among the other notable restaurants he has been associated with are Le Siepi and Pier Bussetti, both in Italy.

On the other hand, this was the first time Rhea conducted business with the hospitality and leisure brand. “I always want to make sure that they [Solaire] achieve their goals more than mine. Having said that, sometimes there’s anxiety. I get scared,” confesses the globetrotting gastronome. “I did not expect that they [everyone in the Finestra kitchen] would be like my older brothers. Every time I get nervous, they would ask me if I was all right. Everyone was caring and sensitive.”

Andrea lauds his co-chef for the seamless collaboration. “I enjoyed this partnership. Rhea is very easy to work with,” he says.

Available on July 26 and 27 only, the four-hands meal aims to bring to the fore the premium tree-to-bar chocolates of Auro, supporting sustainably farmed and sourced cacao from the Agravante farm in Davao. Dinner comes with drinks curated by Solaire Resort director of beverage Daniel Blais and a dessert by executive pastry chef Ben Haslett.

From the hors d’oeuvres alone, the dishes are apples and oranges. Andrea whips up three spoons, a tomato mousse that’s to die for, a pork loin slow-cooked in cocoa butter, and a tuna tartare garnished with radish, orange zest, and dark chocolate.

The first of Rhea’s canapés is the pan de coco with fried shrimp, shredded coconut, and Auro roasted cashews white chocolate. There’s a muffin of smoked bacon and guava, topped with roasted cashews and cacao powder as well. My favorite is the creamy and rich white chocolate matcha burrata with balsamic pearls, extra virgin olive oil, basil, and sea salt. On a separate plate is a chocolate and saffron tart stuffed with chicken, cream cheese frosting, micro cilantro, and mangoes to cut through the chocolate.

For the degustation, the resident chef shows his purist side. Andrea stays faithful to how Italian cuisine is prepared, using simple techniques to emphasize the ingredients. “It’s a chocolate dinner, but chocolate is just the final product,” he says. “We use every part of the cacao, from husk to nibs, and spread.”

Rhea, meanwhile, takes inspiration from her culinary journey and inherent love for food. “My dream as an eight-year-old was to either become an archaeologist, a flight attendant, or to open a restaurant,” she says. After going to culinary school, however, she had to devote herself to taking care of her children. A decade later, once she had paved the foundation for the therapy of her daughter who has autism spectrum disorder, Rhea went back to the restaurant industry and took her stagiaire at Bangkok’s Gaggan. Throughout her travels overseas, Rhea would also enroll in cooking classes to further improve her skills and her portfolio.

Andrea kicks off supper with a salad of carrot, yogurt, and Auro 32 percent white chocolate cashew spread. Riesling “Bay Mist” from Monterey, California makes the starter even more refreshing with its touch of sweetness. The acidity of the vino also cuts through the spectacular root vegetable.

Inspired by her former boss’ hamachi crudo, Rhea creates her version with cocoa pulp ponzu, beurre blanc, cara cara orange, cilantro, and wakame oil. Yuzu curd, jelly, and ikura, which bursts in the mouth, add dimension to the dish.

To fully appreciate this pairing, take a nip of the bare hamachi first, then a sip of Bouzeron white wine. Have another piece of the Japanese yellowtail but this time with the broth. This kills the hallowed Domaine de Villaine-drc. Mix the chocolate salsa matcha of Auro 50 percent single-origin Luna dark milk chocolate and brown butter that’s resting beneath the fish to further enhance each bite. Doing this resurrects the aligoté, like a Jesus wine as Daniel puts it.

The Italian chef answers with a three-meat ravioli. As a master of everything meat, this would be the feather in Andrea’s cap on the menu. Silky pasta hides a tender mélange of slow-cooked beef, pork, and chicken beneath a thin game jus. The tiniest Auro cacao nibs are sprinkled over it to give it a bit of crunch. Notes of black currant and berries from the chewy and fruity Nebbiolo complement the savory and meaty pasta.

Rhea’s second dish is also influenced by another one of her chef bosses in Bangkok. Covered in a rich Nantua sauce made from all parts of the prawn and Auro 70 percent single-origin Paquibato dark chocolate, lush Hokkaido scallops blend well with corn puree, cara cara oranges, sorrel, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil. The smooth and velvety “Argiles Rouges” French Pinot Noir balances and lifts the bold flavors of the sauce.

Andrea’s finishing dish is the Pacific cod. Fish smoked in cacao husks swims in light Sambuca sauce. It comes with king oyster mushrooms and fennel. The Saint-émillon Grand Cru has a black fruit scent that rounds off the aniseed aroma of the dish while its fleshy mouthfeel accentuates the cod’s fine texture.

Rhea’s wagyu beef cheeks braised in Massaman curry are a killer dish. This is her favorite. She calls it “a labor of love,” fired up with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, meticulously chopped, diced, pounded, roasted, repounded, and cooked in coconut oil and latik. Gata (coconut milk) is wrung out. The beef is braised “lovingly” for three hours. Auro 70 percent single-origin Saloy dark chocolate gives the sauce more body and a dynamic taste. On the side are nam jim pickles and blue pea coconut rice to tame the savoriness. If the first two dishes were about her bosses, the third represents her spirit of learning. “I went back to Bangkok to study this recipe. I then gave it my vision,” she says. Daniel partners the curry with “Saldo” Zinfandel from Napa Valley, the same wine after which Rhea named her restaurant in Cavite.

Ben, the pastry chef, gives the collaboration dinner its finishing touches with his decadent coconut rice born from his trip to Auro Chocolate’s

Everywhere in the world there are tensions, economic, political, religious. So we need chocolate. —Alain Ducasse

plantations in Davao. The gooey treat mango purée lies beneath a thin disc of Auro 95 percent Davao cacao, further topped with pomelo, crushed cacao beans, puffed black rice, and dehydrated cacao powder. Paired with a smokey pineapple rum from Plantation Distillery, this intersection of two magical worlds generates a sensory spectrum difficult to match.

Email restaurantevents@solaireresort.com for reservations. www. solaireresort.com