Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu is inviting international guests
and local residents to come savour the tastes and flavours of the Mediterranean this autumn with
the launch of its latest global menu – ‘Pesto and Pistou’.

Marking another gastronomic triumph for a brand synonymous with culinary excellence for more
than 70 years, the expert chefs at Mövenpick have perfected a new innovative range of pestos
(Italian) and pistous (French) to create seven experimental dishes, available at The Sails
restaurant throughout the month of October 2019.

Chef Christian Bouby, culinary head at Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu, will lead the kitchen
in preparing the pesto and pistou based dishes. These two classic European sauces are based on
the aromatic herb, basil, which is harvested in late summer. Savoury favourites will include seared
Saku tuna with olive and eggplant pesto and seafood soup with tarragon pistou. For dessert, a
sweet treat with a real difference – Bundt cake with chocolate-mint pesto, served alongside a frothy
espresso.

Bundt cake with chocolate-mint pesto

“It’s always a thrill to work on new menu concepts, especially with the abundance of fresh produce
and seafood available which comes straight from local farmers and suppliers,” said Christian
Bouby, Executive Chef. “Discerning palates are in for a play of flavours, in ways they have not
likely experienced before, with the distinct color and character pesto and pistou infused into each
dish.”

General Manager, Max Huber, added “While our guests and our local fans love to return for their
favourite classic Mövenpick dishes, we always seek to surprise and delight with seasonal offerings
or special food related events. We are certain that our Pesto & Pistou menu will excite even the
most experimental foodies, while providing a fitting a tribute to the flavours that conjure up
Mediterranean sun and sea.”

Seafood soup with tarragon pistou

Pesto and pistou are two versions of a flavourful sauce based on basil, olive oil and cheese. Italian
pesto, which originates in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy, is blended from garlic, basil, pine
nuts, grated parmesan cheese and olive oil while its French cousin, pistou, is a Provençal cold
sauce with similar ingredients, but without the pine nuts and with or without cheese.

Mövenpick’s versions add surprising new ingredients to the blend, while preserving the essence of
both Mediterranean specialty sauces to create seven pesto/pistou-inspired dishes:

•  Saku tuna with olive and eggplant pesto: pan-seared tuna fillet with a modern
  interpretation of ratatouille, pine nuts and black tapenade;
• seafood soup with tarragon pistou: a touch of tarragon and a unique blend of sweet
  aniseed and saffron bring this specialty seafood dish to life;
• tagliatelle with walnut-basil pesto: walnuts replace pine nuts to create an imitable new
  pesto blend that is smooth, sweet and deliciously buttery;
•  Cod with pesto rosso: accompanied with risotto made from finest Arborio rice to absorb
  every ingredient and flavour in full;
• beef fillet with red cabbage pesto: a traditional winter vegetable with a sweet edge gives
  this pesto dish punch;
• chicken breast with bell pepper pesto: with peas, green beans, egg, a basmati rice
  galette and sublime bitter-sweet yellow-red pesto;
•  Bundt cake with chocolate-mint pesto: a timeless German cake with a cool mint and rich
  chocolate pesto twist, served with an Espresso.

For reservations at The Sails restaurant, please contact at +63 32 492 7777 or email
hotel.cebu.fandb@movenpick.com. For more information on Mövenpick’s Pesto, Pistou menu, available throughout October 2019, please visit: movenpick.com/pesto.