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I don’t know about you guys, but out of all cuisines, Italian holds a close place in my heart— or tummy. One of my oldest friends, Kaydee, has been studying International Culinary Baking and Pastry Arts & International Culinary Arts at Lyceum of the Philippines Davao since the year started. She, along with her batchmates, had an Italian-themed Fine Dining Event last Saturday, July 16, 2022, and we were too excited to support her.

This event had been planned for quite a while now and our circle of friends know what it took to create the successful night. A lot of sleepless nights and early mornings came into play and I was even able to hangout with Kaydee while she created her dessert, the Dome of Dreams. (It was delicious, btw.)

I was able to attend with our friends Shannen and Carina and we were seated with her mom and brother, Andrew. While the night was met with heavy rain and thunderstorms, the dinner was truly spectacular. We entered the cute little cafe area and the tables were adorned with tasteful centerpieces and plates. We honestly couldn’t wait to try the dishes we know they worked hard for.

Let me go over the dishes and the event’s menu:

The event started off with welcome drinks; the Strawberry Italian Soda was a great pair for the majority of the courses. We particularly enjoyed how the fizz wasn’t too strong. The lone strawberry in the drink looked cute, too. The Antipasto were Salmon with Sour Cream Cheese Bruschetta served with skewers of caprese and Italian deli. I enjoyed the skewers and the cheese (which I later learned were mozzarella and cheddar).

The first course was a Truffle Soup topped with bacon and garlic bread. I liked how creamy the soup was and how the truffle didn’t overpower the dish. There are a lot of people who forget that when it comes to truffle, a little goes a long way. The creamy base made room for that subtle umami flavor of the truffle.

The second course was Beef Saltimbocca with Roasted Vegetables and Spaghetti Aglio E Olio. Loosely translated as “a jump in the mouth”, this tender and tasty dish was a welcome jump. The beef was very tender and was a perfect blend of tangy and rich. The Aglio E Olio was a great match and complemented the beef well. It was so good we all honestly wanted more. (If Kay is reading this, can I have recipe, please? Lol)

After the second course, they served us a Lemon and Cucumber Sorbet as an intermezzo and it was a perfect palate cleanser. The tart lemon taste paired with the refreshing punch of the cucumber perfectly cut back the beef and pasta’s oil and it made us ready for….the dolce!

The Dome of Dreams is mascarpone mousse cream in a dark chocolate dome with the outside adorned with candied pistachios, strawberries, and whipped cream. The mascarpone mousse cream wasn’t too sweet and brought out the decadent taste of the dark chocolate dome. The graham crust, along with the candied pistachios, was a welcome change in texture. You know me, your girl loves the crunch.

Overall, the event was truly spettacolare! We can’t wait to try more of these events. It was fun to dress up a little bit fancy for a change. For more details about LPU’s Culinary Institute, visit their Facebook page here.