Let's Talk Irish Beef...at the Bord Bia Dinner in Discovery Primea's Flame.

The pristine and lush natural beauty of the famed Emerald Isles with its temperate climate, fertile soil, fine air quality and endless verdant fields of green grass have long been the source of some of the world's finest produce. And you can include Irish beef in a long list of fine Irish products... 

The Irish Food Board, Bord Bia, recently hosted a lavish dinner at Discovery Primea's Flame Restaurant featuring Ireland's famous beef.  It's been said that to bring out the finesse in meat requires a fine natural environment. Ireland, and the rest of the EU member states, offers diverse and unique environments reflected in both the taste and quality of their beef. Managed with the most stringent European Union food safety legislation, the EU Pork And Beef, Excellence in Quality & Production Standards is a pork and beef joint initiative between the European Commission and Ireland, the largest net beef exporter in the EU. Let's talk Irish beef...

What makes Irish beef special? The natural environment and an uncompromising commitment to safety and traceability are just some of the factors that set Irish beef apart. The European Union is committed to sustaining the highest international standards of food safety and animal health standards through viable "farm to fork" systems with continuous monitoring. Animal identification and traceability are strictly implemented throughout the whole beef production system. The European Union implements standards and guidelines for the cycle of production of food animals from their birth and eventual  processing ensuring both safety and quality at every stage. 

In Ireland, every beef animal is tagged at birth and issued an individual passport to record all farm movements and health history during its lifetime. No animal can enter a production facility without a passport and a verification process through the Irish Department of Agriculture's extensive database. Exclusively grass-fed, the key to producing quality grass-fed beef is to raise the animal in its natural habitat and by its natural behavior. Irish cattle graze outdoors for an average of 300 days with a 95% grass-fed diet. The result? Irish beef is always tender in texture and rich in flavor with a fuller, more robust and meatier richness. It's no wonder that Irish beef is among the world's best and the top-of-mind choice among the world's top Michelin star chefs and leading retailers.

In 2012, Bord Bia launched Origin Green, a national food and drink sustainability programme. The ambitious programme brings together farmers, producers, retailers and food service operators for the common goal of sustainable food production. Currently, Origin Green has over 300 companies with independently verified and annually monitored sustainability plans representing 90% of total Irish food and drink exports. It's a timely initiative, and Ireland has been one of the most carbon-efficient producers within the European Union.  

That evening, CCA Program Director and key market advisor Chef Philip John Golding, Bord Bia Manager for EU Programmes Asia Kieran Fitzgerald and Discovery Primea's Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco collaborate for a special dinner highlighting Ireland's famed beef with special guests.

Discovery Primea's Flame Restaurant was the perfect setting for a casual yet elegant dinner. Chef Philip John Golding and Allan Morris, Managing Director of John Stone Fine Foods Ltd. (L), catch up and talk Irish beef as Kieran Fitzgerald of Bord Bia (R) chatted with guests over cocktails.

Kieran Fitzgerald then shared an overview of Bord Bia's quality commitment with the European Pork and Beef Excellence in Quality and Production Standards agenda to guests, which included local trade partners, media and the Honorary Consul General of Ireland to the Philippines, Mr. Robert Trota (R). 

In between cocktails, a special dry-aged beef demonstration was included in the evening's program. Allan Morris, Managing Director of John Stone Fine Foods Ltd., led the demonstration with a premium slab of 28-day dry-aged Irish beef.

The deep and vibrant hues of the slab of beef is a visual cue on its quality and freshness, with a mildly fragrant aroma teasing the senses for the evening's dinner.

Allan Morris then carves the slab with masterful precision, honed by years of experience... 

...carefully trimming the slab...

...and presenting one of many choice cuts from the impressive 28-day dry-aged Irish beef.

Allan Morris makes short work of the massive slab of beef, presenting the choice cuts along with Bord Bia's management team, Malcolm Leoi of Bord Bia Singapore, Ciaran Gallagher, Jack Hogan and Kieran Fitzgerald of Bord Bia, to the guests. Dinner's looking good...

Kieran Fitzgerald gives the guests a closer look of Ireland's famed grass-fed beef, inviting them to take a whiff of the fresh, clean and fragrant aroma. That uncompromising commitment to quality at each step of the production process is clearly seen, laid on a silver tray.  

As the tray with freshly carved cuts of 28-day dry-aged Irish beef is brought back to the kitchen's Josper Grill, guests were treated to tasty bites of Ireland's equally famous dairy products with a selection of gourmet cheeses. Made with the freshest milk from grass-fed cows, the assorted cheeses delivered clean and rich yet delicate notes. 

Earlier, Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco served Flame Restaurant's signature starters using Irish beef like the Beef Curry Puff and Beef & Mushroom Vol-Au-Vent, but it's the Beef Yakitori with beef tenderloin slathered in a thick and mildly sweet sauce with leeks and sesame seeds that highlighted the succulent flavors of Irish beef. Juicy and fork-tender, each bite drapes the palate with a savory richness that can only come from premium beef. 

The Chilled Asian Salad with garden fresh and crisp baby greens and compressed watermelon drizzled with ginger-sesame dressing cleansed the palate, opening it up for the next course...

...a rustic and comforting Spice Roasted Pumpkin Soup (L) with toasted pepitas and rich curry cream. In between sips and bites, the festive Irish vibe flowed with cocktails like the Bailey's Espresso Martini (R) and St. Patrick's Fave Cocktail with Midori Melon Liqueur, Bailey's Irish Cream and Irish Whiskey.    

For the main course, Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco served his elegant Duo of Irish Beef...

...with tender Grilled Striploin...

...and 6-Hour Soy-Braised Brisket with Dashi Gohan, charred leeks and fresh mushrooms. The bold beefy notes of the Irish beef come through with a flavorful punch, complemented by the Asian-inspired notes of Chef Luis Chikiamco and a glass of Arrogant Frog Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot.

But there's more. From Flame Restaurant's Josper Grill, the 28-day dry-aged Cote de Boeuf was served. Carved by Allan Morris earlier in the evening during the dry-aged demo, the Josper Grill does its job on the Irish beef finished to medium rare perfection with a juicy center. And no, you don't need any sauce at all for beef this good. A pinch of rock salt is all you need.

One bite delivers a subtle nutty sweetness followed by bold, beefy and butter-like richness, the flavors you'd expect from premium grass-fed beef. It's a distinctive flavor that began in the lush grasslands of the Emerald Isle, nurtured by Ireland's temperate climate and passionate farmers. This is Irish beef, the culmination of a sustainable farm-to-fork philosophy working with nature, and one of the world's finest.  

The rich flavors of the Irish beef linger long after the last bite. Our dinner ends on a sweet note with Flame Restaurant's indulgent Chocolate Marquisse (L) made with Irish Whiskey Creme Anglaise and pistachios paired with Irish Whiskey Coffee (R).  

One more round of The Harp Cocktail? Absolutely. A soothing blend of Irish Whiskey, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, cucumber slices, mint leaves and soda water will give the Irish gift of gab in just a few sips. 

That evening, connections were established to pave the way for premium Irish produce in the local market. Soon, more diners will experience the rich flavors of the Emerald Isle in a variety of expressions, from dairy to pork and their world-class grass-fed beef. 

But this savory Irish tale doesn't end here. With Philippine beef imports up by almost 10% versus last year and local beef consumption on the rise, you can expect to hear more from Bord Bia and their Irish beef.

For more on Bord Bia, visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/BordBia/ and their website at https://www.bordbia.ie/ for more information. You can also check out https://www.facebook.com/EUPorkandBeefPH/ for more local updates.

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