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Last year when I moved to the Philippines I spent a lot of time searching online. I was here in a relatively unfamiliar country and was looking to get to know people and to find all of the things I might want. I began to wonder what other expats have done in this  situation.

That’s when I discovered Internations.org. Internations is a worldwide organization that helps connect expats through its website and events. I was a quiet stalker member for a year before I started attending the events a couple months ago.

The events are pretty fun and I can always find interesting conversation. The people in attendance can be from literally anywhere in the world and in most cases the Philippines is not the only country in which they have lived abroad. Each has a story, a meandering path which has ultimately lead them here, for more reasons than can be imagined.

Forgoing the chef coat for a casual dinner, photo credit: Alexis Kayanan

So when I was approached by an Internations member about cooking a dinner for her DinnerNations sub-group, I was happy to oblige. We settled on a casual buffet menu based on comfort foods, which gave me the opportunity to prepare my second test batch if corned beef.

After slow cooking for five hours

Here’s the menu from Saturday’s event:

Guinness Braised Philippine Wagyu Corned Beef

Cabbage, Baby Carrots and Potatoes, Poached with the Corned Beef

Cauliflower Cheddar Gratin

Roasted Beets with Arugula, Local Goat Cheese, Roasted Pecans, Honey and Mint

Classic Caesar Salad

Mushroom Barley Risotto with Roasted Eggplant and Leeks

Spiced Ginger Cake with Vanilla Custard Sauce

Photo credit: Alexis Kayanan

Much of what I do here is to advocate what is good and local in Philippine agriculture. If ever faced with a decision between an imported product and a high quality local product, the choice is clear to me. This is the core principle behind my brand Mr. D’s Artisanal.

My first product is a Philippine Wagyu Corned Beef. My beef brisket is Kitayama Beef sourced from Mindanao. Kitayama Beef is the local beef brand owned by the same owners as Malcolm’s. They raise their cattle, which are a cross breed of local and Japanese, near Cagayon de Oro. Their cattle are pampered and raised with the same methods as Kobe, which results in fantastically marbled meat that melts in your mouth.

This marbling makes it ideal for a slow-cooked corned beef. The fat slowly melts and holds the flavor of the beef and the spices. I will do my final tweeks on the recipe before I launch, but I’m pretty damn happy with the results already.

I will begin producing this in very small batches that will be completed each Thursday. The price will be p475 for 500 grams or p925/kg.

Please contact me for order information. You can easily feed a crowd with this so if you have a upcoming party contact me in advance to ensure supply.