Brian Kennett
Amateur Chef and Boozy Traveling Foodie Extraordinaire
University of Bohol: Michelin Stars of the future...
University of Bohol: Asian Menu Review. In the bustling heart of Tagbilaran City in the Philippines, the University of Bohol recently transformed its campus into a gastronomic battleground, hosting an Asian cuisine cook-off that left us all wanting more. With ~25 chefs and ~20 wait staff orchestrating a six-dish Asian menu, the event was a feast on Michelin Star levels.
What made this extra special and a very proud moment for me and my wife, Wifey, was that our very own daughter, Jhea, was the supervisor of the whole show. What an incredible job she did, and all of her university cohort. It was just brilliant, as you’ll see… Read on…
University of Bohol: Kitchen Nightmares? Nah, they rocked!!!
As the sun rose over Tagbilaran, the Philippines, casting a golden hue over the university grounds, the atmosphere became electric. The Chefs sharpened their knives, ready to slice through the pressure of the event, while wait staff rehearsed their best “lettuce serve you” smiles. Parents, teachers, and pupils gathered, their appetites whetted and their senses on high alert for the food adventure awaiting them.
Here’s our Chefs, Master-Chefs-all, taking a well-earned break for a quick snap for me. They all did such an excellent job. The food was really good: #BeProud guys. And below you can see them in full-flow cooking mode, as the orders were flying in from the customers in the dining room.
Would this have been a Kitchen Nightmare if Gordon Ramsay had been in the room? Nah, the guys were all gliding around executing their roles in perfect harmony of food theatre. It looked like a perfectly functioning Michelin-grade kitchen. Great work.
Food theatre at University of Bohol
I could have peered through the windows of the kitchen all day watching these guys prepping and cooking, but then I would have missed the food. It looked super-coordinated to me, expeditors were shouting out and the crew were responding in unison ( I saw the Dean was also ‘helping’ with that). Food was flying out the window including a major amount of takeaway. Nicely done Team.
University of Bohol, where waiting is a great thing...
How wonderful do the crew look? Super-professional, and so very smart and accommodating. One missed order, but that’s fine, as it was well worth the wait. We all felt like VIPs as we were welcomed to the dining room, shown to our seats, and attended to: that feeling lasted until we left the campus. Great job to one and all, total professionals.
University of Bohol: the Asian Menu
The menu was a culinary tour de force, featuring dishes that spanned the Asian continent. First to Japan with Katsudon, Tonkatsu and Chicken Teriyaki, then off to China with Sweet and Sour Pork and beef Hoisin, and then finally to Korea to get stuck into Beef Bulgogi. I am digging this already; so much Instagrammable food, as you’ll see from the photos.
I wonder if influenced by the Dean who has a Japanese restaurant: perhaps she’s training her future Chefs? I’d hire these guys in a heartbeat for my place.
Maybe Home of the Kapre has some future employees from here? Now there’s a thought, perhaps I can train them up on a few of my dishes whilst here, haha… How does Sisig with Kimchi grab you? Perhaps we could do a pop-up while I am here: Dean + Kapre?
The Asian Menu of the University of Bohol
Beef Hoisin: Stir-fried beef in a savoury-sweet hoisin sauce served over jasmine rice. One little observation was that the rice was a little ‘wet’, but the beef was super.
This was rather tasty, with a beautiful sweet curry gig going on, and incredible savoury veggies. It was almost like a curry char siew, and that’s quite a unique flavour pairing: and it just worked so well. The Beef Hoisin had a delicious curry edge to it. I had one server ask me: “Curry-OK?”, I replied, “Let me finish the food and I’ll do one song for you…”
Beef Bulgogi: Pan-grilled marinated beef with soy, garlic and sesame, topped with green onions and sesame seeds. Served with rice.
This bad boy came out sizzling like a sisig, wafting its aromas all over the dining room, and that really got us bought in immediately to this dish. Only complaint, it was a little small, and we wanted more more more of this one. It was an absolute cracker. Salty, and ever so savoury, with the fried egg too it was killer. BOOMSKI!!!
Tonkatsu: Golden, breaded port cutlet with a side of tangy tonkatsu sauce, served with rice and shredded cabbage.
Yeah, we really enjoyed this. Super crunchy breadcrumbs, and a perfectly cooked moist pork cutlet within. That’s a skill not to make it dry (even professional restaurants make that mistake): this was a country mile from that. It was really so very good. Delicious!!! WOOF!!!
University of Bohol: the menu items we did not devour....
- Katsudon: Crispy pork cutlet simmered with onions and egg in a sweet soy-based sauce, served over rice. In fact, our Jhea had this as a takeaway. Perhaps I need to ask her for her review.
- Sweet and Sour Pork: Crispy pork in vibrant sweet-and-sour sauce with peppers, and onions, served with rice.
- Chicken Teriyaki: Juicy chicken glazed in teriyaki sauce, caramelized to perfection, served with rice.
Dealing with the 'problem customer' is tough, especially when it's your Mum...
University of Bohol: Conclusions of the Asian Menu Cook Off
As the event drew to a close, in the Philippines attendees left with full stomachs and a newfound appreciation for Asian cuisine. From the start, it became clear that this wasn’t just a menu tasting. It was a cultural food exchange, and a geography lesson rolled into one delicious package. Students who entered as culinary novices left as global gastronomy enthusiasts, their taste buds educated by their peers.
The University of Bohol’s cook-off was a resounding success, proving that when it comes to food and fun, they really know how to wok and roll.
The University of Bohol has successfully transformed a simple menu tasting into an unforgettable experience – proof that education isn’t just about what you learn in textbooks, but also about the unexpected adventures that happen when you’re brave enough to try something new. Many congratulations. to everyone, family Kennett had such a lovely lunch: Thank you!!!
Bon appétit, or as they say in the Philippines, “Kain na tayo!” – Let’s eat!
