In the biggest culinary event since Madrid Fusion Manila, Filipino cuisine once again takes the spotlight in a lavish spectacle spread out in four days at Newport World Resorts. The first ever International Manila Food Festival headlined by the country's best chefs both here and abroad shared a variety of flavorful expressions inspired by nostalgic memories and creativity in celebration of the local culinary heritage.
Any local cuisine, they say is an eclectic collection of stories and memories passed down from countless generations retold in a dish. It's our identity and DNA, exquisitely plated representing who we are in multiple layers of comforting notes. At the launch and opening dinner of the International Manila Food Festival last August 7 in Casa Buenas of Newport World Resorts, guests were served a sumptuous preview of Filipino cuisine reimagined by the country's very best chefs joined by a new generation of rising stars from abroad with their own fresh, novel and creative perspective on traditional flavors. With a free reign on interpretations unbound by unwritten rules yet rooted in tradition, the formal media dinner opened up exciting possibilities on the state of Filipino cuisine on the global table. That memorable evening, new stories on local cuisine were shared and elegantly served...
Hours before the formal dinner, the elegant space of Casa Buenas in Newport World Resort became the stage highlighting both national pride and a renewed mission to take Filipino cuisine to the next level on a par with the world's best. History and geography have shaped and defined our unique culinary heritage with diversity represented by the most iconic staple adobo prepared in different ways in each region and home kitchen. It's this colorful tapestry of regional variations that binds us, reflected in each dish served during the International Manila Food Festival. And Filipino cuisine continues to evolve, with even more stories yet to come.
Soothing libations flowed freely at Casa Buenas as the Liquido Maestro Kalel Demetrio performed his style of wicked alchemy at the bar...
...with refreshing concoctions like the Dark and Stormy blended with Bonifacio White Rum from Destileria Limtuaco, the oldest and proudly Filipino owned distillery established in 1852. The spirited libations set the tone for a much-awaited rediscovery of familiar and comforting local flavors at Casa Buenas.
The formal dinner, dubbed as Tita Baby Dinner, is a nostalgic homage to traditional cuisine reinterpreted with a modern and contemporary spin by Chef Christoni Esstocada of Newport World Resorts' Casa Buenas joined by Fil-Am Chefs Tara Monsod from San Diego's Animae and Melissa Miranda of Seattle's Musang. It's an opening act in the four-day festival that offers a glimpse on Filipino cuisine reimagined from a fresh perspective by a new generation of talented chefs. And there's no better way to open up the palate with more wine...
...or a few rounds of the new San Miguel Cerveza Blanca, a Belgian style wheat ale with a balanced and harmonious blend of spicy, fruity and smoky notes with subtle hints of citrus and mint.
Inside the semi-open kitchen of Casa Buenas, the culinary team led by Chefs Christoni Esstocada, Tara Monsod and Melissa Miranda are all fired up for the evening's feast...
...as the kitchen served tasty appetizers lifting a page from the voluminous book of local flavors setting up a recurring theme for the opening dinner of the International Manila Food Festival...
...like the Oyster Kilawin with the briny sweetness of the succulent Irish Gallagher Oyster kicked up by the subtle sharpness of the vinegar, onions and fresh chilies.
The Crispy Taro Duck with a dab of sweet chili sauce is another savory nibble by Casa Buenas will soon have you going for seconds. And another round of cocktails.
Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet and lead organizer of the culinary event formally announced the opening of the first ever International Manila Food Festival at Newport World Resorts. A pioneer in the local blogging scene long before the era of so-called influencers and staunch advocate of the rising Filipino food movement, Anton Diaz seamlessly weaves the culinary community and various stakeholders in a united and common cause during the four memorable days of the International Manila Food Festival.
Then, the kitchen is fired up as new expressions of Filipino cuisine are reimagined, prepped and plated by Chefs Christoni Esstocada, Tara Monsod and Melissa Miranda at Casa Buenas to kick-of the International Manila Food Festival.
The feast began with a savory bite of the Adobong Baboy by Chef Christoni with tender, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork jowl adobo hash coated in rice crisp and finished with black garlic aioli. The familiar flavors of the adobo comes through with that first bite followed by a light and delectable crispness for textural contrast. The flavors are then capped by the deep nutty and creamy notes of the black garlic aioli for an impressive start to the Tita Baby Dinner for the International Manila Food Festival.
Chef Christoni then served the Banagan, an elegantly plated creation with Dinagat Island Spiny Lobster, smoky foie gras brulee and sweet mango chutney paired with Grant Burge Benchmark Chardonnay. Feeding first the eyes before the palate, Chef Christoni teases the appetite with exquisite execution for her seafood course.
The play on subtle and delicate flavors and luscious textures driven by the freshness and quality of ingredients delivers an elegant and flavorful burst draping the palate with its indulgent richness. Pride in local produce from the fresh lobster to the sweetest world famous Philippine mangoes shine in this elegant dish by Chef Christoni.
The Seared Local Scallop by Chef Tara Monsod of San Diego's Animae brings modern culinary techniques and execution inspired by nostalgic memories and a childhood love for corn guinataan comes together in yet another flavorful story and presented on a plate. The plump and succulent scallop with its delicately seared edges releases fresh and bold briny sweet notes complemented by the creamy corn guinataan, lemon and Thai basil. The rich layers of flavors combine in a delicate medley with each bite in a masterful play on both textures and contrasting yet balanced notes. The corn guinataan adds a special touch to the dish, warming the palate with its homey back story.
Chef Melissa Miranda of Seattle's Musang takes the timeless bistek tagalog and elevates it with the use of premium Ribeye pan-seared to perfection with its juicy pink center supported by an equally stellar cast of local flavors with the calamansi, caramelized onions, miso, soy sauce, chives, grilled yellow and red onions, garlic chives and pickled shallots paired with Trapiche Broquel Pinot Noir.
The use of premium Ribeye is a deliberate upgrade, elevating the popular staple up a notch. Then, the familiar notes from the calamansi, soy sauce, onions, garlic and shallots just brings you home taking you back to countless childhood summers. It's Filipino flavors reinterpreted for the global stage, masterfully executed by Chef Melissa for the International Manila Food Festival.
For dessert, Chef Christoni caps a memorable feast of local flavors with the Panghimagas, a pili nut caramel tart with kapeng barako coffee cream, watermelon basil and gin sorbet paired with Fonseca Tawny Port Wine. The layers of sweetness comes in multiple forms from the different components of the elaborate dessert, yet each comes together seamlessly with each decadent bite for the perfect sweet ending.
Is Filipino cuisine ready for the global stage? We've heard it countless times before, that finally Filipino food is the next big thing. Yet, recognition and awareness for our local cuisine still lags far behind our regional neighbors. Maybe rediscovering familiar flavors with a fresh perspective without rules yet inspired by tradition should strengthen the case for Filipino cuisine, as seen from the stories and nostalgic memories of Chefs Christoni, Tara and Melissa. Tradition with a modern and contemporary twist is, after all part of the on-going evolution of our culinary heritage. And this was elegantly showcased at the inaugural dinner for the first ever International Manila Food Festival. With a new generation leading the charge, exciting things are bound to happen. And yes, the time is now for Filipino food to shine...
For more information from the recent International Manila Food Festival, visit their FB Page and IG Feed at https://www.facebook.com/manilafoodfestival and https://www.instagram.com/intlmanilafoodfestival/
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