Plating Stories of Canada Beef: The Best of Canadian Beef 4-Course Wine Dinner by Chef Carlo Miguel at Sunae Asian Cantina

The story of Canadian Beef is one colorful weave with countless layers and threads coming together in a seamless experience called the Canadian Beef Advantage. One page from its voluminous story is retold and shared by Chef Carlo Miguel at Sunae Asian Cantina...

Sunae Asian Cantina celebrated its partnership with the renowned local culinary personality and award-winning chef, Carlo Miguel and Canada Beef with an inspired cross-cultural feast dubbed "The Best of Canadian Beef" in a lavish retelling of flavorful stories with each creative savory course. The 4-Course Dinner highlighted the world-class qualities of Canada Beef paired with wines from Moёt & Chandon, Philippine Wine Merchant and Wine Warehouse. Take a page from one of the world's finest with The Best of Canada Beef reinterpreted by Chef Carlo Miguel at Sunae Asian Cantina... 

Culinary stories of travel have always resonated with the unique and elegantly refined offerings at Sunae Asian Cantina helmed by Chef Christina Sunae. The acclaimed Korean-American chef who spent her formative years in Pampanga now living in Argentina shares her own distinctive culinary style defined and shaped by her own personal journey expressed in a wide repertoire of Southeast Asian and South American flavors (for more on Sunae Asian Cantina, see my posts, Weaving Asian Flavors in a Colorful Tapestry by Chef Cristina Sunae at Sunae Asian Cantina from late last year and Dining in the Next Normal: Sunae Asian Cantina Bounces Back with Vibrant Southeast Asian Flavors at One Bonifacio High Street Mall from 2020).

The collaboration with Chef Carlo Miguel and Canada Beef fits right in with the multi-cultural mesh of global cuisine at Sunae Asian Cantina.

With its open kitchen layout, diners are given a sneak peek at the magic behind each dish served at Sunae Asian Cantina...

...transformed into a stage showcasing The Best of Canadian Beef in a special dinner created by Chef Carlo Miguel. The vast lands of the Great White North, the second largest in the world, known for its seemingly infinite wide open spaces, cooler climate, fresh air, clean water, nutrient-filled grazing grounds and an enduring history and heritage of responsible ranching and farming form the multiple layers and very essence of The Canadian Beef Advantage (for more on Canadian Beef, see my previous post, The Best of Canada On Your Plate at a Chef's Table Dinner by Chef Josh Boutwood in The Test Kitchen from 2021). It's true what they say, the environment shapes the produce with Canada as the world's perfect place for raising beef showcased with its richly marbled grain-fed top-grade cuts.

With Canada Beef forming the foundation, Chef Carlo Miguel creates a luxuriously sumptuous menu woven with distinctive Southeast Asian flavors at Sunae Asian Cantina. 

Currently the LTB Philippines Chef Association President, Chef Carlo Miguel brings years of culinary experience to the kitchen and recognized as the key personality behind hugely successful and innovative dining concepts (for more on Chef Carlo Miguel, see my posts, New Wings on the Block: OMO! Korean Wings by Chef Carlo Miguel from 2021, All-Day Cravings Satisfied with 24/7 Eats by Chef Carlo Miguel from two years ago and Embark on a Flavorful Journey of Global Culinary Creations by Chef Carlo Miguel at The Food Hall in SM Aura Premier from four years back). That evening, Chef Carlo Miguel weaves a savory tapestry of Southeast Asian flavors in the second media dinner celebrating a collaboration with world-class premium Canada Beef in four masterfully executed courses.

The prep work began early, with the shifting light from the setting sun revealing both mastery and artistry at work...

...with Chef Carlo Miguel supported by the talented team of chefs at Sunae Asian Cantina. 

Meanwhile, soothing libations from Moёt & Chandon were served to open up the palate....

...along with a curated selection of fine Spanish, Australian and Chilean wines from Philippine Wine Merchant and Wine Warehouse.

As guests started to arrive, the grills were fired up and the kitchen comes alive in a blur of frenzied yet choregraphed movements...

...as the first course is plated with clockwork precision.

The first batch of plated courses are expedited...

...for the evening's first course, the Canadian AAA Picanha topped with garden fresh microgreens with a side of Green Mango Kimchi. Simply seasoned with salt and pepper, you don't need to complicate a premium top-cut slab of beef. Perfectly grilled to medium with a juicy pink center, each bite delivers a savory and buttery melt-in-your-mouth richness releasing even more intense flavors lingering long on the palate.

The tart sweetness and mild soothing heat from the Green Mango Kimchi cleanses the palate, and you're ready for another bite of the Canadian AAA Picanha. Complex yet delicately balanced, the play on delectable flavors is the opening salvo in an all-beef feast. 

Inspired by Brazilian traditions, the premium slab of Canada Beef is simply seasoned and romanced by the flames of the grill allowing you to experience pure and unrestrained flavors. The Canadian AAA Picanha by Chef Carlo Miguel was paired with a glass of Bodegas Celaya Bayanegra Tempranillo from La Roda, Spain with its bold, full-bodied notes tempering the savory richness of the beef for a balanced finish. 

The first dish in the special 4-Course menu sets the tone for the rest of the evening with Canada Beef as interpreted by Chef Carlo Miguel at Sunae Asian Cantina. 

Back in the kitchen, work begins on the next course...

...as Chef Carlo Miguel proudly shows off the lead star of the dish with the premium Canada Beef Bone-In Ribeye fresh off the fiery grills at Sunae Asian Cantina.

The second dish is then delicately plated in sharing portions... 

...for another creative spin with Canada Beef. The Canadian AAA Bone-In Ribeye, a reverse seared bone-in slab of Canada Beef Ribeye with fragrant and flavorful Crying Tiger Sauce and crisp lettuce and herbs presents bold Asian notes complementing the equally bold flavors of the beautiful slab of prime Triple A beef. 

The dish is paired with the soothing notes of the Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet from Australia adding even more layers of flavors to the experience.

First cooked in low heat in the oven then finished and seared on a cast-iron skillet to create that delicate crust sealing in all the flavors, Chef Carlo Miguel employs novel culinary techniques to highlight the clean flavors of the beef. Taking a cue from Asian styles, each fork-tender slice is wrapped in lettuce with a generous dab of the Crying Tiger Sauce.  

The Crying Tiger Sauce adds that solid flavorful punch to complete the flavors with each bite, followed by the fresh and clean notes of the lettuce wrap. 

That vibrant medley of flavors and contrasting textures teases the palate, and one more wrap is soon on the way for another big bite. The versatility of Canadian Beef with its rich notes is showcased by Chef Carlo Miguel with his Asian-inspired menu at Sunae Asian Cantina with one more savory course to be served. 

The Canadian Angus Ribeye served with a side of Rendang Puree, Jasmine Rice, pickles, kafir lime leaf and krupuk is the savory finale to a sumptuous and memorable feast with Canada Beef at Sunae Asian Cantina.

The beautifully marbled Canadian Angus Ribeye is impressive on its own while the supporting cast of sides transforms the dish with the mild heat from the rendang and crunch of the krupuk. The layering of Asian flavors becomes comfortingly familiar yet refreshingly different at the same time, with the use of premium beef elevating the dish with bold and real flavors.

The complex mesh of flavors come together anchored by the savory richness of the Canadian Angus Beef, a fitting finale to an all-beef feast. Paired with a glass of Errazuriz Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile's Aconcagua region, each sip brings that perfect finish with its equally rich and deep notes following each savory bite.  

For dessert, Chef Carlo Miguel caps his 4-Course Canadian Beef wine dinner with the silky smooth Baked Calamansi Souffle Pudding, a luscious pandan-infused coconut mascarpone creation paired with the Wyndham Estate Bin 444 Cabernet Sauvignon from New South Wales, Australia.

From the evening's first course at Sunae Asian Cantina all the way to the last, Chef Carlo Miguel weaves flavors of pure and unrestrained richness with Canada Beef smoothened by the curated selection of fine wine. 

At the end of another masterful performance in Sunae Asian Cantina, Chef Carlo Miguel wraps it up with good vibes all around. Experiencing premium beef executed in creative interpretations offers new ways of appreciating bold, fresh and real flavors. It's another story elegantly plated for Canada Beef and by no means the last with many more chapters to be experienced from one of the word's best.

For more on Canada Beef, visit their website at https://canadabeef.ca/. You can also check out their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/LoveCDNBeef/ and IG Feed at @loveCDNbeef. You can also follow the hashtag #loveCDNbeef and #makeitCDNbeef on social media for more updates.

Sunae Asian Cantina is located at the 2/F View Deck of One Bonifacio High Street Mall, 5th Avenue corner 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City or call 7746 9046 and 0916 607 4903 for inquiries. For more on Sunae Asian Cantina, visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/sunaeasiancantinaph/ and their IG Feed at @SunaeAsianCantinaPH.

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