Farewell, My Mandarin

One lastlunchat Tin Hauin honor of Mandarin Oriental Manila and its tables laden with memories.

Over a multi-course lunch at Tin Hau on the eve of its closure, I was served all the memories that made me realize that Mandarin Oriental Manila had been such a landmark in my personal and professional life.

Peking duck with Chinese pancake and traditional condiments (1st way), followed bydouble-boiled sea cucumberwith nourishing herb soup

Ive indeed had many personal milestones at Tin Hau, the gourmet Chinese restaurant of the38-year-oldMandarin Oriental Manila,that I have come to think of it as convivial rather than elegant, warm and welcoming rather than refined. There is something very special about the white bone china and the other old-world charms, but I no longer notice that, nor do I notice the lightpouringthrough the windows and merging with the rich, velvety shadowstotake me back to theimaginedhalls of imperialChina, where Tin Hau, replete with its parquet floors,its antique brickwork,its colored linens, and the lanterns dangling from its ceiling, would have been no more than a lavish parlor in theForbidden Palace.

Steamed live lobster with garden mushrooms,Old Beijing Nobleman style, followed bysteamedlive green garoupawith superior soy sauce

I first met the late Hong Kong geomancerPaul Lauthere.At the doorstep of my career in magazine writing, I would meet him once every month for his feng shui advice column, which, in a nutshell, nowthat Imno longer afraid to put words in his mouth, I would sum up this way: Life isa luxuryyou cannot have forever, sotreasure itwhile you can.Singlehandedly, butnot withoutthe guidance offeng shui postergirlJullie Yap Dazaand the Mandarin Oriental Manila, particularly its then GMHelmutGaisbergerand its director of communication, then and now,Charisse Chuidian, Lau would spawn an entire industry and a new tradition out of the principles of feng shui, the 5,000-year-old Chinese art and science of going with the natural flow of the universe.

I would say that my education in the pursuit of the good life began over taro puffs and steamed barbecued buns at Tin Hau,wherePaul once told me, upon learning of my wanderlust, toput a horse figurinein the northeast corner of my bedroom.Blindly, I followed his adviceand so Itraveled extensively and, as a result,became a feng shui disciple as well as a fan and followerofPaul.

Pan seared beef with black pepper honey sauce, followed bybraisedabalone with bailing mushroomsin oyster sauce

Paul died in his room at the Mandarin inearly2000. He died in his sleep themorning after hosting abanquetfor his staff to celebrate his good fortune. Only two weeks before he passed away did I get to tell him about the miracle of the horse, again at Tin Hau, over mid-afternoon tea and a bowl of nuts. To my surprise, he told me,Not the horse, really. It was your dream. The horse only helped you keepyour dreamin mind.This last quote was the point of the article,The Gospel, According to Paul,that I wrote unwittingly asatribute to him in another paper only days before Charisse would find him dead in his sleep in hisMandarin suite.

Wok-fried minced duck meat servedwith Chinese bun Wo wo tou ( 2nd way ), followed bywok-fried fragrant rice with salmon and X.O. sauce

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Farewell, My Mandarin