THE CHARITY bug has contaminated all industries, including the restaurant industry.

The Miele Guide, which is slowly but surely earning the reputation of being the most respected and respectable restaurant guide for Asia, has just launched its Restaurant Month. It is an entire month wherein participating restaurants offer special set menus or promotions from which 15 percent of the profits will go to the United Nations World Food Programme.

In the Philippines, the participants are the following restaurants: Antonio?s Fine Dining in Tagaytay, Bizu Bistro, Chatteau 1771, Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino, Cirkulo, Kanin Club, Le Soufflé at Fernando?s, People?s Palace and Sentro 1771.

Antonio?s is sticking with their six-course set menu but others have opted to serve special set menus.

Bistro Filipino is serving a set menu that will include a trio of shiitake mushroom, tomato mongo and chicken binakol soups; a Mesclun salad tossed in Laudico?s own Dijon Bagoong vinaigrette; a fish main course of Lapu-Lapu escabeche served with blue cheese and a kamote puree (sounds classic Laudico to me); and a meat main course of US Angus kare-kare (beat that!). For dessert, he is serving panna cotta but using suman. Word. All this for only P1,500.

Meanwhile, Le Soufflé?s set menu will include Roast Supreme of Organic Maawi Chicken for the main course. This is an organically grown chicken which Chef Jessie Sincioco will serve splashed with black truffles. Before this, she will serve a soup she has named the Miele Surprise. It?s bound to be flavorful because the soup broth is from deep shank but the surprise is... I?ll just keep it a surprise. Before that, as you decide on what you want to eat, your table will already have a smoked salmon caviar pie for everyone to munch on.

After the main course, the dessert will be the big treat. It?s a Grand Marnier orange souffle spiked with dark chocolate couverture. A very rich menu, indeed. Unfortunately, it?s also just for the rich. This eating event for charity at Le Soufflé is going to cost you P3,000. But hey, at least it?s purposeful eating!

Maybe to divide the bill, you could opt to go as group to El Cirkulo whose contribution is their Cochinillo Asado. This will cost you P4,500 but it?s a whole suckling pig so you can gather your friends for a group contribution to charity.

At People?s Palace, the offerings include the chicken and pork satay with cucumber relish and peanut sauce, the crispy catfish that this restaurant has perfected, pad thai, and the classic Thai dessert of sticky rice with ripe mangoes.

Kanin Club is offering their curious dish the Sinigang na Sinangag while Sentro 1771 is offering their famous Sinigang Corned Beef.

These special menus and offerings will be available only this August as the Miele Guide has chosen the month of August to be Restaurant Month. The profit contributions will go to the World Food Programme?s operations in East Timor. You might rather feed a hungry child right here in the Philippines but, hey, a hungry child anywhere is still worth the aid. It?s a small world after all! ?