The beautiful dishes at Baguio’s Le Monet Hotel, from chef Marie Jo Camarista

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – More than 5 years ago, an online magazine came out with the “10 Prettiest Chefs in Manila.” It may sound harmless but the comments that followed were spirited, questioning, and even nasty. Some said that the list was too Manila-centric and that rich did not equate to pretty.  

Although the list still triggers debate, at least two of the commenters mentioned a name – someone whom they said was not only beautiful, but also a hands-on (not glamorous) chef. She is Marie Jo Camarista, who 3 years ago, was last seen working as a chef for a restaurant The Fort

And then nothing was heard about Marie Jo or MJ until last month, when we heard she was working at one of the Baguio hotels. We checked it out and indeed the elusive Marie Jo was up and about. (READ: Baguio City: Your complete weekend itinerary)

She was all but a blur while we dined at Le Monet Hotel at Camp John Hay, in her apron, moving around, sprinkling spices and giving orders to her staff.

Her parents are based in Sydney and she’s of Filipino-Japanese and Spanish descent. She shuttles back and forth from New York City, Europe, and the Middle East.

Upon vacationing this summer in Manila, she met Kristine Meehan, head of  Artstream Hospitality Management Group Inc. and she was persuaded to stay a little while to be the chef consultant and fix up Meehan’s menus for the hotels she is managing.

And that’s why we were suddenly feasting on 25 gastronomic pieces which is part of the new menu. For Le Monet Hotel, she wanted a French-dominated menu. We first sampled the three Le Monet Tarts including the “Shiitake, Chantarelle, Mushrooms and Asparagus,” “Four Cheese” and “Cherry Tomatoes, Ricotta and Herbs.” (READ: 15 amazing Baguio City eats)

To describe them as “mouth-watering” would be self-explanatory because they were piping hot and literally dripping with cheesy gooeyness.

Their other appetizers were fried calamari,

Le Monet shrimp cocktail (3 dips), shrimp scampi gambas,

and spinach and ricotta ravioli. 

We next tasted the salads including the Oriental Chicken Almond Salad, Nicoise Salad, Shrimp and Watermelon Salad and Roasted Fresh Veggies. The Salade Nicoise is a French salad of cherry tomatoes, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies and Nicoise olives.

We then had Chargrilled Tuna in French Oregano and Tilapia Gratin. The tuna looked like a minimalist sculpture with a bouquet of oregano. And the tilapia covered in cheese is indeed the best way a tilapia can go.

The main dish was stuffed lamb in seasonal vegetables, which the maître d told us, is their bestseller. Then this is followed by twice-cooked pork knuckles which is your deconstructed pata tim which we still finished despite our bloated stomachs.

Her fish and chips were more Scottish than London-ish, with the Buguias fries and fish blanketed by the batter.

Her other sandwiches are BLT, Grilled chicken Pesto, Pan-Seared Tuna and Grilled Cheese. 

You should be staying a week to savor all these. As for Marie Jo or MJ, she said she will be going back to Santorini soon, so savor her presence while she is delightfully still here. – Rappler.com

Editor’s note: We corrected some personal details about Marie Jo Camarista, and a few items on the menu. We regret the errors.