Chef Olivier Rodriguez, a French chef who's received Michelin stars for his work at many restaurants around the world, most recently at the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo , is on a special stint at the Mandarin Oriental Manila through October 23, 2010. I and my dining companion visited The Tivoli , the posh restaurant inside the hotel, to find out if all the ado about the chef was indeed about something. Our judgment: his cooking is something else! I'll spare you the details of the events leading up to this dinner—how I learned about it, what I wore, etc.—and get right to the food. My friend and I both ordered the delicious-sounding 7-course degustation, or tasting menu. I tend to like these tasting menus better because I get to sample a wide range of the chef's repertoire. We were both glad we did. The night began with a rather complex amuse bouche of chocolate foie gras "truffle," foie gras custard with tamarind and ginger topped with a milk foam, and a wafer
eating around asia and beyond.