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by > Stuart Hooper
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Let
me start this post by saying that my cooking is the worst cooking that exists
in this planet. Cup Noodles are a real challenge for me. Grilled cheese
sandwiches have become my best friends in the kitchen. Luckily, I’m a very low
maintenance guy when it comes to food.
But
these days I’ve been wondering & reading about “fashion food”, “l’art de la
cuisine” & the match of cultures in just one delicious dish.
It
was a surprise then, when the PR people from Tantalo Hotel / Kitchen / Rooftop
sent me a message; inviting me to taste some dishes & cocktails they have
in stores for everyone that gets to enjoy the Panamanian scenery.
Owned
& partly designed by one of the biggest up-and-coming real state moguls,
Matthew Blesso (a co-owner of FIP Ventures) who along with Seth Weissman &
Andrew Kirtzman own & administrate Fire Island Pines, a gay paradise in New
York (I so wanna go this September).
With
a very eco-friendly & wanna-make-a-statement mind, Matt created Tantalo. A
DIFFERENT hotel from all the one’s we have here in Panama. With the only fact
that the 12 rooms that they have available were decorated & customized by
Panamanian artists you can get the point of how different the hotel is.
+
after the jump
So,
that sunny afternoon I just took a cab I went there, excited to know what
Pierre (the maître chef) was going to teach me. Also, I was a little bit
scared, kitchen accidents often happen to people like me, very often! I was
going to end up paying the entire kitchen by the end of the day.
To
my delight, I was welcomed with a Zengito, a perfect mix of cucumber juice,
gin, lemon & mint (seriously guys, the best drink I’ve ever had in town!)
That’s
when Pierre told me that an 8-armed friend was waiting for me in the kitchen.
My first try at cooking was going to be with the Tantalo Octopus, a
va-va-voom-fair-of-tastes tapa composed by coconut milk, gin (I’m loving the
alcohol influences), grilled coconut, Peruvian yellow chili, white vin,
coriander & the octopus itself. As I
told you, the melting pot of cultures is what really got my attention;
Caribbean, south & Central American influences were clearly noted in the
perfectly combined lunch.
Chef Ramsay looks like an ant next to me
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What I loved the most was that it’s a well-sided lunch, affordable & pret-a-partager way of eating, not forgetting the stylish side, you know, always keepin’ it classy!
As a dessert, they hit me with one of my favorites, Banana French Toasts. C’est merveilleuse!
And for all the party people, every Thursday, Friday & Saturday there will be an event, DJ, or something cool happening at the Rooftop. What more can you ask for!?
Great experience! and your plate and dessert looks delicious! I'm fan of this dessert too, plus the hot version in contrast with the Vanilla Ice cream simply amazing, I'm happy for you, the kitchen is great! I love cooking too!
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