DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The celebrated chefs of the historic landmark Manila Hotel head south this month to bring in an extraordinary fusion of authentic Chinese cooking to the local dining scene exclusive for Marco Polo’s premiere Cantonese restaurant.

Chefs Wenceslao Gacutan and Executive Chinese Sous Chef Josephine Tangaco-Candelaria will be concocting Mabuhay Palace’s original creation from the freshest ingredients in Davao, said Marco Polo Davao Food and Beverage Manager Bernard Bulaong.

Chef Josephine, for one, will be using Davao’s fresh crustaceans in making Mabuhay Hotel’s well-loved Long Life Prawns. The Davao lifestyle writers were served Wednesday night with honey-glazed chicken fillet in crispy young ginger, slow-cooked pork belly simmered in shao sing wine, beef cubes in honeyed peppercorn sauce and braise lohan vegetable wrapped in bean cured skin as main course. We took delight in Chef Josephine’s Mabuhay Palace Golden Egg Ice Cream, which she said was a concoction out of her dream.