Rediscover Culinary Connections with the Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival at Diamond Hotel Philippines

The story of any country's cuisine is an open book, shaped by the land and history yet constantly evolving and changing with the times. Filipino cuisine in particular is a multi-faceted canvas of both indigenous and foreign influences constantly simmering in a melting pot of flavors. Diamond Hotel Philippines revisits that moment in our history when a diversity of culinary influences converged at the ports of old Manila...

From Acapulco to Manila, the epic route of the Galleon Trade across the vast Pacific brought countless treasures, produce and ideas from different parts of the globe and in turn, the varied flavors and culinary traditions came along for the ride forever changing and enriching our own. Diamond Hotel Philippines takes you back to the heyday of the historic trans-Pacific trade route with Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival, a sumptuous Lunch and Dinner buffet at Corniche by Guest Chef Christopher Carangian from June 26 to July 7, 2024. Rediscover nostalgic local flavors and its shared history in a unique Filipino food festival at Diamond Hotel Philippines' all-day dining and buffet restaurant. And come hungry. 

Diamond Hotel Philippines is all set and primed to delight your palate once more with its regular themed buffet offerings at Corniche. The launch of Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival in Diamond Hotel Philippines brought back countless memories from the early days of my own food blog's journey. Eleven years ago, I featured a memorable and epic lobster feast at Corniche marking a long love affair with one of the finest buffet dining options by the bay (more on my post Awesome Lobster Buffet at Diamond Hotel's Corniche from 2013). 

This time, Corniche takes you back in time when our own culinary tapestry of vibrant flavors slowly defined our own identity with the seamless infusion of influences from the Galleon Trade. Leading this nostalgic journey back in time is Guest Chef Christopher Carangian with his own personal take on classic and traditional local flavors. 

From 1565 to 1815, the flourishing trade route across the wide Pacific was more than just an economic link but a cultural bridge leaving a lasting legacy felt to this day. Empires and fortunes were built by the Galleon Trade along with the exchange of ideas and traditions including the unique flavors of the major ports of the route. We've long had our own culinary traditions, but the Galleon Trade spiced up the flavors from different foreign influences forming the flavorful base of our own national cuisine. 

Reenactors recreated the exchange of goods and ideas from the colonial era adding a festive vibe to the launch of the Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival at Diamond Hotel Philippines. Like stepping back in time, the mood and tone for the latest buffet offering at Corniche were soon set in motion. Take a step back in time with tasty bites and rediscover culinary connections from the distant past at Diamond Hotel Philippines.

Noted local chef and passionate history geek Christopher Carangian leans on his wealth of experiences in the kitchen starting at the young age of seven to his volumes of research on local history for his lavish feast of local dishes at Corniche. The founder and president of Razorchef Philippines and Punong Heneral of the Culinary Generals of the Philippines, preserving authentic and traditional dishes has always been an advocacy for Chef Christopher Carangian. I first met Chef Chris back in 2019 also at Corniche for The Philippine Culinary Heritage festival and his masterful execution of traditional local dishes for the buffet spread immediately reconnected me with the nostalgic flavors of comforting Filipino staples (more on my post, Local Flavors of the Past, Revisited: The Philippine Culinary Heritage Filipino Food Festival at Diamond Hotel's Corniche with Guest Chef Christopher Carangian from five years back). 

At the latest edition of the themed buffets at Corniche, Chef Chris takes you on a memorable and flavor-filled trip back in time with the Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival. Chef Chris will also be hosting the Malolos Congress Wine Dinner on July 9, 2024 recreating the flavors of the 1898 Independence feast at Diamond Hotel Philippines. 

Bannering the lavish buffet spread at Corniche is the always impressive Fresh Seafood Station where guests can prepare their own customized bowl of Quilauin or local ceviche with a wide selection of the day's freshest catch along with condiments and other fresh ingredients like red onions, fiery chilies and spiced vinegar. It's the perfect first course to your all-Filipino feast by Chef Chris at Corniche. The local kilawin or quilauin is said to be the first Filipino dish observed by Antonio Pigafetta and later referred to as adobo. 

One of the premier buffet dining restaurants in the city by the bay, Corniche also offers an equally impressive selection of international cuisine including Chinese, Japanese, Western and Indian dishes as well as a savory Carving Station and indulgent Dessert Station. Whatever your craving, Corniche definitely has it on their impressive buffet spread (more on the extensive offerings at Corniche on my next post at Perfecting the Delicate Balance Between Quality and Quantity at Corniche in Diamond Hotel Philippines). 

But today until July 7, my palate is fixed on reconnecting with our culinary past with the sumptuous spread by Chef Chris at Corniche. Back at the Fresh Seafood Station, haul in your fresh catch of succulent crabs...

...plump shrimps and large fresh water river prawns or ulang...

...and sweet and briny oysters on the half shell. Other tempting options include a variety of shellfish like mussels and clams. 

A half-dozen freshly shucked oysters opens up the palate with its clean notes for the lavish Filipino feast ahead at Corniche. Follow it up with your own bowl of kilawin with fresh fish like tuna at the Seafood Station. Sour, tart or spicy? Your call. 

The Salad Station and the Cheese & Charcuterie Station at Corniche are also excellent choices for a second course. 

Salad days just doesn't get fresher than this. Making your own bowl with garden-fresh greens and vegetables plus an equally extensive selection of dressings allows you to prepare your salad just the way you like it. 

For the savory main courses by Chef Chris, start with the Ciento Quince Piezas. Chef Chris recreates this succulent seafood medley of shrimps, crabs, mussels, clams and pork simmered in coconut milk and unripe jackfruit. 

A spicy dish, the aptly named Ciento Quince Piezas is so named because of the 115 chilies added to the Cavite staple. The dish also traces its origins to Zamboanga with its Chavacano name. The bold and pronounced soothing heat from the chilies are perfectly tempered by the briny sweetness of the fresh seafood and silky smooth finish of the coconut milk. 

Considered by many as a nearly extinct Chavacano specialty, Chef Chris revives the once popular dish at Corniche for the Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival. 

Chef Chris then served a trifecta of classic meat in red sauce dishes starting with the Filipino Mechado. The dish draws inspiration from the Spanish word for "wick" or "mecha" to describe the traditional preparation of meat inserted with pork fat in the middle. The comforting braised beef dish with carrots, onions, potatoes and peppers is one dish that demands an extra serving of steamed white rice. The fork-tender beef and flavorful richness of the thick sauce combine for a nostalgic and hearty meal. 

Next up, the Caldereta. Spanish influences are a recurring theme in Filipino cuisine and Caldereta remains one of those household staples that warms the palate. The name of the dish comes from the Spanish word for "cauldron" or "caldera" and may use a variety of meats like goat or beef stewed with liver, tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, olives and thick tomato sauce. Almost similar to mechado, menudo and afritada (usually with chicken), the trio of meaty red sauce dishes like caldereta varies from region to region and household to household and often comes down to the meat used along with the vegetables. There may also be subtle even nuanced differences in the savory notes of the red sauce and level of spicy heat. Chef Chris allows you to explore the different homestyle renditions of these hearty dishes at Corniche. And yes, you'll need a second helping of rice to fully appreciate the differences of each dish. 

The Menudo Rojo prepared with melt-in-your-mouth beef tripe and red wine is one personal pick high up on my list. Almost like callos but without the chickpeas, the Menudo Rojo by Chef Chris is my hands down pick at the Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival. That unique textural finish and flavorful richness from the tripe is the dominant theme of the dish for my kind of menudo. 

Each savory rendition highlights the origins of the dishes we all love and grew up with at Corniche. And this is just the first salvo in a barrage of unrestrained local flavors by Chef Chris at Corniche...

As diverse as each of the 7,641 islands in the Philippine archipelago are the number of variations of the national dish. "Adobo" was first mentioned in 1613 by Franciscan missionary Pedro de San Buenaventura to describe any local dish marinated before cooking which was the common practice of the indigenous communities often with vinegar. Chef Chris recreates his own take with the Adobo de los Naturales, a dry yet lavish version with slabs of pork belly and chicken. The sauce isn't as much as the usual variation we know today but it's there. And when you get that thick and rich sauce together with the pork on a spoonful of rice, a refined and even elegant richness drapes the palate. This is one adobo with finesse. And it doesn't doesn't hold back on flavor with the pork and chicken absorbing the richness of the sauce. 

The blend of flavors exquisitely woven by Chef Chris brings salty, mildly sour and just a whisper of subtle sweet hints to complement the savory duo of chicken and pork for a balanced finish. Extra rice? Absolutely. 

Chef Cris then takes a page from the recipe book by Rupeto de Nola, El Libro de Cozina published in 1529 for another savory rendition of adobo at the height of the Galleon Trade. The Adobado de Gallina is an all-chicken dish prepared with bacon, almonds, liver, pears and honey. The mention of white vinegar in its list of ingredients clearly makes this an adobo. It's no doubt an elegant adobo dish...

The dish is said to inspired by the pipian of Mexico. It's a dish that offers a unique glimpse of the past with a Hispanic rendition of adobo. It's dishes like this that makes the dining experience special at the Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival in Corniche. 

They say good food transports you to another time or place, and Chef Chris takes you there one bite and plate at a time at Corniche. 

The Zapote Chicken BBQ is inspired by a heritage recipe from Bacoor with its familiar homestyle flavors. The juicy richness of the chicken and the contrasting hints of smoky notes from the grill completes the flavors. Simple and uncomplicated, this one's great with an ice-cold brew. 

You can never fully say it's a festive Filipino feast without Lechon, and Corniche has that covered at the Carving Station. Load up on a few thick slabs of pork and crisp crackling slathered in liver sauce and you'll want one more serving of steamed white rice. 

And there's so much more at the buffet spread and different stations of Corniche. Japanese, Chinese, Indian and western dishes? Go ahead and go on a global tour of flavors at Corniche. 

For dessert, tempting treats await at the Dessert Station of Corniche...

...but it's the Ensaymada Chocolate Eh Criollo...

...and the Ensaymada de Leche that draws you in. Known for their famous Ube Ensaymada, these decadent variations with the deep hints of chocolate and luscious leche flan pair well a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Like they all say, save room for dessert. 

Don't pass up on their ice cream offerings too...

...or make your own Halo-Halo with all the ingredients you need at the Dessert Station for the perfect sweet ending. The exploration, rediscovery and reintroduction of traditional local cuisine from the past provides unique insights to our own cultural identity, and you can experience each flavorful note with the various dishes by Chef Chris at the buffet spread of Corniche. 

The Galleon Trade: A Culinary Journey Filipino Food Festival by Chef Christopher Carangian at Corniche is available for Lunch and Dinner until July 7 for only P 3,880 net per person. The special Malolos Convention Dinner recreating the Independence Day feast of 1898 on July 9 is priced at P 6,800 net per person. Come hungry for learning the historic past and you're all set to savor the origins of Filipino cuisine at Diamond Hotel Philippines. 

Corniche is located at the lobby level of Diamond Hotel, Roxas Boulevard corner Dr. J. Quintos Street, Manila or call (632) 8528-3000 for inquiries and reservations. You can also email at guestservices@diamondhotel.com or purchase and book online at onlineshopping.diamondhotel.com

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