Los Angeles restaurants cleaned up when an estimated one million fans descended on the city to participate in Michael Jackson’s memorial service. But that was a one-shot deal. Why not follow the lead of Filipino restaurant H & E Rockstar, an all-day breakfast spot whose fast-acting chef quickly developed a special Michael Jackson-themed menu in the wake of the pop star’s passing. Now it’s packed with fans happy to have an outlet that will enable them to pay tribute to Jackson any way they can.
Consider what Jackson fan Lorna Dosado told website channelnewsasia.com while dining at the H&E unit in Makati City, the only branch of this chain featuring the Jackson-centric menu. “It’s like his spirit is with us while we are eating,” she said. “We see him in his music videos and we feel his presence in the food.”
That food is the invention of chef Peter Ayson, who came up with several Jackson-themed dishes. The list includes the “Beat It,” a combination of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon; “MJ’s Black and White,” double stuffed Oreo pancakes topped with cookies and vanilla ice cream; and the “Thriller,” a double waffle accessorized with peanut butter, dark chocolate and raspberry syrup.
The key non-breakfast item is a cheese fondue labeled “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.” “It’s a lot of food and a lot of dip,” says Ayson. “You can dip sausages, ham, bread, potato, and it’s made of four kinds of cheeses mixed together. It was his comfort food. We want it to be something fun to celebrate his life, not mourn.”
Here in the U.S., there’s an equally vast reservoir of affection for the King of Pop and few means of expressing it. Could a Michael Jackson-themed item or two find a home on your menu?
