JETRO PH Brings You A Taste of Japan with A Seafood Festival at Prologue d'Fined in Mitsukoshi BGC

Hokkaido Hamachi, Hotate, Honbinosu and Gindara. The prized catch of Japan's succulent seafood takes centerstage once more at Mitsukoshi BGC with A Seafood Festival at Prologue d'Fined in another collab with JETRO PH. Ready to reel in your fresh catch?

JETRO PH (Japan External Trade Organization) unveils another layer in the intricate and colorful tapestry of Japanese culture and culinary traditions with the launch of A Seafood Festival at Prologue d'Fined along with other selected restaurants in Mitsukoshi BGC from Friday to Sunday of the festival period starting February 20 to March 15, 2024. The elegant and sumptuous seafood festival highlights some of Japan's finest and freshest catch of the day from succulent Scallops, plump Clams and Japanese Amberjack to the coveted Sablefish along with a selection of fine sake and wine. At the exclusive preview hosted by JETRO PH at Prologue d'Fined, a lavish menu of exquisite seafood courses paired with sake offered a memorable taste of Japan expressed in five masterfully executed courses. Read on for a tasty peek...

Located at the Ground Floor of Mitsukoshi Mall in BGC, Prologue d'Fined reinterprets traditional Japanese flavors with contemporary French culinary techniques and inventive flair for a unique and novel dining experience setting it apart from the usual options. Following the success of last year's sake pairing menu (more on my post at A Taste of Japan: An Elegant Cocktail Pairing Dinner at Prologue d'Fined in Mitsukoshi BGC from October last year), Prologue d'Fined takes you once again on a flavorful journey of innovative and creative dishes using the finest seafood from the cold and frigid waters off Hokkaido to celebrate the famed flavors of Japan starting February 20.

A true taste of Japan no longer requires a plane ticket, you'll find it here at Mitsukoshi Mall. For this year's edition of A Seafood Festival, JETRO PH teams up with three of the finest Japanese restaurants in Manila including Prologue d'Fined by Chef Hiroyuki Meno, Bijin Nabe by Tsukada Nojo and Sen-Ryo from the same restaurant group behind popular Japanese sushi chain Genki Sushi in addition to Mitsukoshi Fresh at Mitsukoshi Mall. The first ever all-seafood festival at Mitsukoshi Mall, JETRO PH promises an epic feast anchored on Japan's finest and freshest seafood catch. Each participating restaurant prepared and created a special new menu for the seafood festival available to diners until March 15. 

Completing the culinary experience is an array of premium Japanese spirits and sake paired with each course, taking diners in a unique and deep immersive dive into Japanese culture and culinary traditions. These same selections are available at Mitsukoshi Fresh in Mitsukoshi Mall in BGC. 

This year, JETRO PH lines up a seafood spectacle for diners and mall goers starting with the Build Your Own Chirashi Bowl at Mitsukoshi Fresh everyday from February 20 to March 15, 2024. How? Simple. First, select your base donburi from mouth-watering options like Salmon Buri Don, Hokkai Don, Salmon Hotate Don, Chirashi Don, and Kaisen Don. Then, simply pick three toppings from Unagi, Salmon, Hotate, Miyabi Dai or Sea Bream, Buri Fillet, Amebi or Sweet Shrimp, Ikura, Hanasaki Shigure or Crab Sticks and Tako Wasabi. Then, your customized Chirashi Bowl is ready. 

At Bijin Nabe, diners can enjoy a Special Seafood Combo of Hamachi or Scallops with premium crabsticks, tofu, Shiitake mushrooms, Mizuna, radish and cabbage. At Sen-Ryo, mall goers can indulge in premium Snow Crab Nigiri, Fried Hokkaido Cod and Seafood Yakiudon. Over at Prologue d'Fined, mall goers can choose from Hokkaido Octopus, Kujukushima Oysters Ahijo and Hokkaido Scallop Risotto. 

And it gets better. Each dish from the Limited Edition Festival Menu comes with a complimentary glass of sake or selected non-alcoholic drink to complete your Japanese dining experience at Mitsukoshi Mall. The promotional offer is available from Friday to Sunday during the festival period.

At the formal launch of A Seafood Festival, successful entrepreneur and restaurateur Alyanna Uy of Prologue d'Fined and reigning Miss Sake Japan Kotoko Yamada welcomed guests for the special preview...

...alongside key executives from JETRO led by JETRO Director Makoto Sudo (extreme right) and Takato Ishimoto of Mitsukoshi Fresh (third from left). Tasked with the promotion of Japanese products, mutual trade and investments between Japan and the rest of the world, JETRO continues to drive Japanese exports abroad while supporting small to medium scale Japanese enterprises with direct foreign investment to maximize their global export potential. 

Through the years, the Manila office of JETRO has grown in both size and function since it opened back in 1956 establishing vital linkages between Japanese and Filipino small and medium scale entrepreneurs. This commitment is seen in a wide range of activities with the current seafood festival as just one of many events under its integrated "Bringing You A Taste of Japan" campaign (for more on the previous events hosted by the Japan External Trade Organization or JETRO, see my earlier posts Bringing Love From Japan: JETRO Hosts the Nukumori Valentine's Festival at Mitsukoshi BGC from February last year and JETRO x Sakagura: JETRO PH Presents The Art of Japanese Liquor, An Elegant Sake Pairing Feast at Sakagura from February this year). 

The Japanese sake culture is deeply intertwined with the culinary traditions of the Land from the Rising Sun, and the current seafood festival at Mitsukoshi Mall includes a curated selection of fine Japanese sake to your dining experience. Sake, after all is "the best of all medicines" transforming and elevating your feast up a notch for a truly memorable experience. 

In a special preview of what diners and mall goers can expect at A Seafood Festival in Mitsukoshi Mall, a lavish five-course sake pairing and seafood feast was served at Prologue d'Fined to showcase the prized catch of Hokkaido's abundant coast. The seamless and elegant weave of distinct yet complementary notes from the exquisite dishes and sake selection are one of the many highlights at the seafood festival in Mitsukoshi Mall. That evening, Alyanna Uy of Prologue d'Fined and Miss Sake Japan Kotoko Yamada detailed the sumptuous pairings for the evening's luxurious feast describing each intricate detail and process behind each dish and featured sake for the perfect match. 

A pre-dinner tipple to open up the palate? Yes, please...

The Nippon Premium Chu-Hi is a refreshing libation with its modest ABV content of only 3% for the perfect starter. Light and easy with a sweet fruity finish, the Nippon Premium Chu-Hi comes in four variants namely Hokkaido Furano Melon, Aomori Fuji Apple, Fukushima White Peach and Ehime Iyokan Orange. The complete line of Nippon Premium Chu-Hi is also available at the well-stocked shelves of Mitsukoshi Fresh. Ready for a sip? Pick your fruit and enjoy...

...as the first course course for the evening's feast was served. Like many traditional Japanese dishes, the beautifully plated Kagoshima Hamachi Carpaccio marinated in white soy sauce, Yuzu, vegetable crudité and ikura first feeds the eyes before the palate. The first course also reflects the unique culinary style of Chef Hiroyuki Meno and his masterful blend of classic Japanese flavors with French techniques and execution at Prologue d'Fined. 

The bold briny sweetness of the Hamachi from Kagoshima comes through followed by subtle salty hints from the white soy marinade for that delicately balanced finish. The stellar cast of other ingredients complete the delectable play on textural contrasts and flavors to open up the palate with its fresh and clean notes. From the vibrant citric hints of the yuzu, the intense bursts of flavors from the ikura and the garden-fresh sweetness of the medley of vegetables, the Kagoshima Hamachi Carpaccio is a fitting prelude to an elegant all-seafood and sake pairing feast at the seafood festival in Prologue d'Fined. 

Clearly, the freshness and quality of the various ingredients deliver all the flavors. Like they say, freshness is flavor and this first course is validation. One more bite of freshness and unrestrained flavors washed down by a soothing Nippon Premium Chu-Hi Aomori Fuji Apple becomes the opening salvo in an epic all seafood and sake pairing dinner at Prologue d'Fined. 

The Chateau Taisetsunokura Junmai Daiginjo Ginpu 50 from Hokkaido was then served for the second course of the evening...

...paired with the Hokkaido Hotate & Shirako Frites with nori cracker, lotus root and broccoli over a swirl of Yuzu Kosho Tapenade. Known for its large succulent scallops, Hokkaido's cold waters is home to many of Japan's popular and coveted seafood. The buttery scallop is clearly the star of the dish with its lingering briny sweetness perfectly complemented by the mildly sweet and fruity hints of the Chateau Taisetsunokura Junmai Daiginjo Ginpu 50 for another seamless pairing at Prologue d'Fined. But the elegant dish also offers a flavorful surprise...

Prologue d'Fined adds another prized and traditional seafood delicacy to the dish with the Shirako Frites. The creamy notes of the crisp fried fish's milt or sperm sacs brings a luscious layer of richness with each bite lining the palate with a buttery egg-like finish. If you enjoy the local bagaybay from your favorite grilled tuna joint, the textures, consistency and flavor of the premium shirako should be comfortingly familiar. But the shirako's flavors are delicately finer with a silkier finish tempered perfectly by the sharp citrus notes of the Yuzu Kosho Tapenade. And a sip of the refreshingly crisp Chateau Taisetsunokura Junmai Daiginjo Ginpu 50 followed by a palate pleasing sweetness. 

For the third course, the Kuheiji Eau Du Desir Yamada Nishiki Rice Polish 50% from Nagoya was served...

...with the Chiba Honbinosu, Hokkaido Hokkigai Risotto, an inventive dish with Shirasu, arugula, Enoki mushrooms and rich clam juice. The dish features the famous clams from Honbinosu and Hokkigai of the Chiba Prefecture for another creative rendition of Japan's abundant seafood in a bowl. The dish is served with a broth of clam juice which can be poured directly to the bowl of risotto or enjoyed in sips after each bite. 

The briny richness of the clam juice ties everything together in this hearty dish punctuated by the bold notes of the shirasu or anchovies, the deep earthy and nutty hints of the mushrooms and the sweetness of the asparagus. Each distinct flavor is absorbed by the rice releasing a flavorful burst. 

The more pronounced flavors and depth of the Kuheiji Eau Du Desir Yamada Nishiki Rice Polish 50% balances the briny sweetness of the clams and anchovies for a rounder and a more complex finish. 

Miss Sake Japan Kotoko Yamada then explained the subtle nuances and changes with each crop of rice in producing every batch of the fine spirits served that evening adding deeper insights and perspectives to an already memorable experience. The flavors of Japan comes through with each soothing sip and tasty bite at Prologue d'Fined for a preview of the seafood festival at Mitsukoshi Mall. 

The fourth and main course for the evening is announced with the pouring of the Coco Farm Winery Kaze no Etude, a refreshingly crisp dry white wine made from Chardonnay grapes from vineyards in the Nagano and Yamagata Prefectures.  Each sip drapes the palate with a medley of fruity notes from apple and mild pear hints to a gentle whisper of citrus and lemons. 

The light and delicate sweetness of the Coco Farm Winery Kaze no Etude opens up the palate for the main course...

The Miyagi Gindara Coulibiac is a rustic yet elegant rendition of what almost resembles a seafood version of the iconic Beef Wellington with its thin, light and crisp puff pastry. The fish mousse made from gindara from the Miyagi Prefecture is the flavorful base of the dish with a layer of mushroom duxelles and spinach laid on house-made Albufera sauce. The vibrant colors of the dish offers a visual clue to the flavors, with fresh and clean notes with every bite. 

The deep buttery hints of the gindara hits the palate with its moist velvety texture followed by the nutty notes of the mushrooms and the bold peppery hints mellowed by butter of the Albufera sauce. Chef Hiroyuki Meno of Prologue d'Fined paints a colorful palette of rich flavors in this dish, with the freshness of each ingredient bringing layer upon layer of indulgent flavors. 

The finest Japanese produce paired with masterful execution shines with each course served at the seafood festival preview in Prologue d'Fined. 

The seafood festival is a unique opportunity to experience the flavors of a rich culinary heritage anchored on the finest and freshest flavors of the season for a true taste of Japan. The fine selection of seafood showcased in the special menus for the festival are also available at Mitsukoshi Fresh. 

For dessert, the Kagoshima Matcha Tiramisu with Mascarpone, Kuromitsu or black sugar syrup, crumble and tuille becomes the perfect and appropriate epilogue to a lavish seafood sake pairing feast at Mitsukoshi Mall. The gentle sharpness of the famed Kagoshima matcha is mellowed by the luscious Mascarpone and deep sweetness of the Kuromitsu. The crumble and tuille brings textural contrasts into play for that picture-perfect sweet ending at Prologue d'Fined. 

Reel in your fresh catch of succulent seafood from Japan with the special new menus at Prologue d'Fined, Bijin Nabe, Sen-Ryo and Mitsukoshi Fresh at Mitsukoshi Mall from Friday to Sunday starting February 20 to March 15 and experience a taste of Japan with A Seafood Festival by JETRO PH. 

Prologue d'Fined is located at Ground Floor of Mitsukoshi Mall, BGC, Taguig City. You may call 0927 322 5052 for inquiries or reservations. You can also visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/prologue.ph/ for more updates and information. 

For more on JETRO PH, visit their website at https://www.jetro.go.jp/philippines/

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