What comes to mind when you say Canadian food? This recent lunch shows that Canada, known for its vast wilderness, clean environment and abundant natural resources, is teeming with more than just apples, potatoes and maple syrup.

Hosted at Felix Restaurant, Greenbelt 5 by the Hon. Minister Stockwell Day, Canada’s Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, the media gathering announced Oui, Canada!* a two-week food event that promotes Canada’s food products in the country. The menu showcases Chef Florabel Co’s culinary creations using Canadian food ingredients. Take a peek at what you could enjoy at Felix as well as Florabel Restaurant at The Podium in Ortigas from November 23 to December 06, 2009.

Grilled scallops with orange zest: Plump, juicy and tasted like they had just been caught in the ocean floor. Thanks to Canada’s cutting-edge technology and well established regulatory systems, individual quick freezing at sea seals in the scallops’ flavor quality and true form, arriving here ready for cooking.

I paired these appetizers with a glass of lightly oakey cranberry iced tea, alternating with my wine of choice, a Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2004 from the award-winning Okanagan Estate.* My very first Canadian wine made a bold statement at first sip, setting it apart from other Chardonnays I knew. It’s dry, full bodied, with lingering flavors of grapefruit and caramel and an elegantly bitter, dark toast finish.

I liked that I saw more pink flesh than white fatty strips on my piece of Canadian bacon wrapped in asparagus. Not overly thick or thin, it’s tender and savory without tasting over-processed.

Pacific king crab tempura served in a shot glass. Meat was firm, sweet almost — and not just for its accompanying sweet chili dip. The smooth egg-batter crunch made this demure appetizer more fun to eat.

Arugula salad with smoked salmon, roasted pears and apples in cranberry vinaigrette: The salmon didn’t hide in smoke, its flesh not too oily but light, as refreshing to the tongue as the clean, cool Canadian waters. No wonder the Minister likes to have this similar salad for breakfast (together with fresh blueberries). Canada is the world’s seventh largest exporter of seafood. A variety of these products are slowly being introduced to the Philippine foodservice industry.

The Filipino-Canadian connection: Canadian Minister Stockwell Day (right) with Ambassador Robert Desjardins and Felix’ Chef Florabel Co

Citing over 400,000 Filipinos presently residing in Canada, the Minister recognized the impact that this growing migrant population is having on Canadian eating. His big Filipino family has taught him and his Canadian wife to love siopao, pansit and Pinoy-style barbecue, symbols of a diverse, multi-cultural heritage that both races share. The cultural exchange through food continued over the Minister’s very short lunch visit in Manila:

From scarlet fields of cranberries floating beautifully in water, to Canada’s freezing nights and sunny days that bless them with many a nature’s wonder (maple syrup, nature’s prized nectar dripping into cans); centuries-old traditions (In a community activity called sugaring off, the harsh Canadian winter turns into fun when people come together and pour the warm, golden liquid over white stretches of ice and enjoy maple syrup as sweet popsicles); and major livelihood and industries (the great snow continues to bring sweet magic, turning frozen grapes into ice wines and making Canada the largest producer of this dessert wine variety in the world).

So engaging was the conversation that I forgot about the braised beef shortribs that had been served before me. I sliced through the now cold but glistening brown layers, and liked how slow cooking had rendered the meat creamy in taste. But the sliced fig perched awkwardly over the beef was shockingly sweet — it was too late for the juicy-crisp haricort verts and roasted tomatoes to soothe my disoriented senses. (This had me skipping the vanilla panacotta dessert altogether, although it did look inviting). Cooked in maple syrup, I thought that the intense caramel-like flavor was more than enough for the Filipino palate to appreciate this hearty main entrée.

The Minister’s wife, however, was sincerely impressed. To her, the maple syrup flavor was a refreshing contrast from how they usually have it back home — the beef always cooked with just vegetables, soy and garlic.

Overall, Chef Florabel Co’s execution did justice to the featured ingredients by bringing out and complementing their authentic flavors, and preserving their distinctly Canadian quality.

For the full Canadian menu at Felix and Florabel in the next two weeks, click: here.

Felix photo courtesy of the Embassy of Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service

After the lunch, the Hon. Minister Day together with his Canadian delegation toured some of the areas devastated by Tropical Storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng to pay tribute to Philippine rebuilding efforts after the recent floods. On this visit, Canada contributed up to $5 million in humanitarian aid for relief supplies, such as water and sanitation, food and non-food items, and shelter materials. The delegation’s one-day visit marked the 60th anniversary of Canada’s diplomatic relations with the Philippines. Oui, Canada! was organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service.

- www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/ph

Where to buy Canadian food products in the Philippines?

Market! Market!, Taguig
Earle’s Delicatessen, Ayala Ave, Phone (02) 901-8782, or The Columns, Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati, Phone (02) 900-3354

Foodservice, click distributors of Canadian food products in the Philippines

Read about award-winning wines from Canada here.