Metiz x Metronome: Stephan Duhesme and Miko Calo’s 4-Hands Dinner

While one claims to be distinctly modern Filipino and the other is deeply adherent to classical French techniques, these two chefs share profound similarities which brought them together for this highly-successful, one-night-only gastronomic event

Chef Miko Calo has earned the title to—as well as eternal bragging rights for—having popped chef Stephan Duhesme’s cherry. “My ‘collaboration cherry,’” Duhesme clarifies with a chuckle. His Makati restaurant, Metiz, serves a tasting menu that they describe as focusing “on our memories and nostalgia of Filipino flavours,” is highly personal and experiential by nature. It is driven by Duhesme’s culinary journey as well as his unique cultural background, made distinct by his almost draconian utilization of local ingredients and a penchant for ferments. By contrast, Calo’s work in Metronome is undeniably French, conjuring flavours out of anything from the unassuming haricot vert to the prized langoustine. A firm grasp on classical techniques was harnessed from years working in multiple Joël Robuchon kitchens, reaching junior sous chef status at L’atelier de Joël Robuchon in Singapore before coming home to slowly, carefully, and meticulously open her own bastion of modern French cuisine.

Despite what seems to be an intense polarity when it comes to cooking styles and flavour profiles, Duhesme admits that what convinced him to finally do a collaboration are the intangibles. There is a natural ease between them, a relationship clearly devoid of ego. “I just knew I had to be comfortable,” Duhesme admits, “and I am completely comfortable with Miko.” Calo also points out that while their styles are very different, they share the same ideals when it comes to the hows and whys of their food. “At the end of the day, it’s the same principle,” she starts. “The attention given to the preparation of our dishes. Using the right ingredients. The process… Our values. It is all very similar and in this sense, we are truly a good match.”

While they claim they wanted this collaboration to be “fun” and a way for them to work outside of the constraints of their respective cuisines, this nine-course degustation menu was not, as Duhesme put it, “half-assed.” This was months in the making, beginning, as many things do, with the idea. Both chefs wanted this to be a true collaboration wherein each dish is truly a product of their shared creative process and execution. They went on eating trips, most poignantly to Arayat, Pampanga visiting an ancestral home where they sampled Kapampangan cuisine at its finest and most traditional, served as they would have been centuries ago to the wealthy landowners of the province. They took this inspiration back to their kitchens and worked closely together on what, to me at least, must be one of the more (if not definitely the most) successful collaborations I tasted this year.

The success, I believe, is thanks mostly to one thing—that both chefs understood the assignment and trusted the other to deliver on them, truly affording both the comfort level they require to perform at their highest level. This allowed them to truly collaborate on each dish without the fear of either overcompensating or overshadowing.

This being Duhesme’s bailiwick, his arsenal of ferments, infusions, and foraged greens have come out to play. The first dish features the tomato’s full range, from bright and fresh when it is raw, to bold and dense once fermented. A mackerel gravlax displayed good texture, wrapped in parachute weed, then given punches of flavour with Sagada oranges and red chilli. My favourite dish was the scallops, cooked delicately in butter, its natural sweetness enhanced by a milky foam I would normally roll my eyes at. However, lightly infused with lemongrass oil, it deftly enfolded the earthiness of the Jerusalem artichoke and the richness from smoked patis yolk and crab fat, tying together what could have been a dangerous coupling under the command of less-experienced hands.

Calo’s mastery of French cuisine ensured that the maximum flavours from their reductions and sauces are conjured, and that the diner will be able to unravel these layers with every bite. Take, for instance, the aged fillet of local sea bass, artfully plated with swirls of burnt eggplant condiment, coriander sauce, a beurre monte of spiced fumet, punctuated with snow peas and kasubha oil. Brushing a slice of fish across the plate to pick up all those elements will demonstrate its balance, proof that classical training shines through when sauces are done well. Abalone and foie gras are ingredients not normally present in Duhesme’s kitchen, but he and Calo decided to be playful with the seafood by serving it atop a foie gras sauce given the Mang Tomas treatment, cooking it in vinegar. For texture, some beautiful lechon skin. The suam na mais is a dish, our server imparts, that chef Miko insisted on offering, and the hearty Kapampangan corn soup was definitely a highlight with the chilli leaves giving it a refined kick and some herbaceous notes. It was the perfect prelude for the Kombujime pork tomahawk that was grilled just over pink, benefiting from the complexity of fermented rice and tamarind.

With such show-stopping savoury courses, one would think the two desserts are there simply to provide relief for our chaffed palates. Calo brings in the best Mara de Bois strawberries from France for her restaurant, stewing them, layered with fermented sampinit, and then topping simply with whipped coconut cream and pandan oil. Refreshing and satisfying enough, and really they could have ended there, but it seems these chefs will not settle for anything less than a knockout punch. This they achieved with their reduced carabao milk ice cream on top of white bean paste, which they then walled off with shards of corn milk meringue and corn husk chips, adorned with a leche flan gel. You know how during the 15-minute fireworks display on New Year’s Eve, they save the most spectacular lights show for the last few minutes? This dessert is something like that—the fitting spectacle to end a meal filled with memorable highlights.

Some things in life just come together easily and naturally. Clearly, a Duhesme and Calo collaboration is something that needs to happen again in the future since they cook so beautifully together. I can keep talking about the flawlessness of the meal and the blinding talent when you combine these two and their teams, but as they said, it really is about the abstract. Judging by the vibe that evening, where some of the earlier guests refused to leave as the next seating anxiously waited outside with their cocktails, it just felt right.

NOW READ

What Actually Goes On at a Wine Masterclass

You’re Invited: The Singleton Social, A Foodie Gathering for Every Whisky Lover

Where to Order Turkey for Thanksgiving 2022

Topics

Four Hands Metronome Metiz Miko Calo Stephan Duhesme

Tatler Asia

Inside Chefs Miko Calo and Stephan Duhesme’s Four-Hands Dinner at Metiz