Sunday, June 29, 2025

Taste of Artistry: A 5-Course Filipino Tasting Experience at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine in City of Dreams Manila

The delicate balance between tradition and inspired creative renditions plays out in an exquisite tasting menu showcasing Filipino cuisine. The bold reimagination in the presentation of local flavors becomes an elegant expression of our rich culinary heritage, exquisitely plated and presented where the familiar becomes refreshingly new at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine... 


Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine at City of Dreams Manila presents a refined and elevated snapshot of local flavors in an exquisite tasting menu dubbed Taste of Artistry, a lavish 5-Course experience featuring our rich culinary heritage. The special menu is a celebration of the flavors that continue to define and unite us with each course reinterpreted with the meticulous style and flair of Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine. Read on for a peek at a Taste of Artistry...


Located at the lobby level of five-star Nuwa Hotel Manila in City of Dreams, Filipino cuisine finally gets a proper stage at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine (for more on Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine, see my post Filipino Flavors Reimagined with a Contemporary Spin at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine of City of Dreams Manila from four years ago). 


Inside Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine, the luxurious space becomes the first lavish layer to your dining experience...


...with its impressive high ceiling and colorful art setting the mood for the restaurant's festive flavors. Open daily at 5:00 pm, Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine is City of Dreams Manila's tribute to the colorful and elaborate weave of comforting local flavors. And this is reflected in a curated tasting menu offering a variety of flavors in five elaborate courses. The Taste of Artistry tasting menu doesn't aim to reinvent Filipino cuisine, in fact each course reflects a deep respect for tradition. It's immediately familiar presented in a fresh and new creative way that adds to a memorable dining experience at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine


A well-stocked bar with its extensive selection of Filipino-inspired handcrafted cocktails matched by an equally impressive array of non-alcoholic mocktails teases the palate with its refreshing notes like the wittingly named Pop My Peach (P 270) with its blend of lime, fresh orange, mint leaves, peach syrup, strawberry purée and soda. Other must-try non-alcoholic libations include Feed Me Pancake (P 270), Blame It On Red (P 270) and Let's Beet It (P 270) revealing the creative spirit behind Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine. The playful element is also reflected in their signature cocktails with names like Perlas, Alab, Ulap and Takip-Silim


A few more refreshing sips and the first course of the Taste of Artistry (P 2,990 per person with the option for beverage pairing for an additional P 2,700) is served...


The first course features two of their popular offerings with the Binalot na Cochi and Lumpia Dinagat to begin your Taste of Artistry experience. In an elaborate play of textural contrasts and rich flavors, the first course brings comfortingly familiar notes with the freshest and finest ingredients and intricate execution in an impressive starter. 


The Lumpia Dinagat features a crisp shell filled with succulent prawn and crab meat with a dab of Kalamansi Aioli, red chili floss and fresh lettuce topped with an intricate and clear Crystal Malunggay Chip and served with rich Aligue Dip made with indulgent crab fat. The different components are impressive on its own, but that bite with everything together is pure savory decadence. 


The Binalot na Cochi is Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine's homage to the classic lechon with tender and juicy slabs of savory Cochinillo topped with Papaya Atsara, red onions, crisp shredded adobo flakes and sharp and spicy jalapeños on garden fresh Butter Head Lettuce. The tart Papaya Atsara, red onions and jalapeños cuts through the richness of the Cochinillo and adobo flakes for that balanced and clean finish. It's a complex yet appetizing savory nibble but at the heart of its medley of rich notes are familiar flavors elegantly orchestrated by Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine in a tasty and creative duo of starters. 


The second course of Kalabasa Krema is an indulgent yet soothing pumpkin soup course that warms the palate with its thick, velvety smooth texture. The richness of the pumpkin soup is enhanced the the addition of caramelized pork longganisa, pumpkin seed oil, cheesy sourdough croutons and fresh micro herbs. The thick broth and longganisa combine for solid flavors mellowed and smoothened by the nutty sweetness of the pumpkin. 


Then, the third course is served...


The Escabeche Scallop with delicately pan-seared scallop garnished with an ornate and crisp tuille topped with caviar on cauliflower, petchay or Chinese cabbage, Luya & Capsicum Beurre Blanc and coriander oil is a picture-perfect dish capturing Filipino flavors in a refined and elevated presentation.


A bite of the succulent scallop releases a flavorful burst of briny sweetness followed by the distinct and bold notes of caviar and the smooth and creamy finish of the Luya & Capsicum Beurre Blanc for that indulgent finish. 


For the main course, Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine presents the beautifully plated Bistek Tagalog with slow-roasted Black Angus tenderloin with its medium finish on Kalamansi Soy Jus sprinkled with green Morigga powder, broccoli, crispy kabute or mushroom, sweet kamote fondant, crispy onion, grilled King Mushroom and Sinangag na Kanin or garlic fried rice. The ornate dish brings familiar "bistek" flavors with the finest and freshest ingredients for an elevated take on the popular local staple. The premium beef with its clean and beefy notes gets the full "bistek" treatment from the Kalamansi Soy Jus, crispy onion and fried rice complemented by the other components of the dish. From starters to mains, the Taste of Artistry tasting menu at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine has been impressive. 


Also available for a limited time is Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine's savory Lamb Caldereta (P 1,200) with fork-tender and fall-off-the-bone braised lamb shank on creamy and silky smooth mashed potatoes and seared cabbage, roasted baby radish and shallots confit. By far, one of the best renditions of the local caldereta in the metro and an absolute must-try on the a la carte menu of Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine


For dessert, Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine caps your Taste of Artistry tasting menu experience with a duo of local staples reinterpreted with an elegant spin. The Chichingka & Turon is Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine's creative upgrade of bibingka and turon, and it works. Imagine a cheesecake bibingka topped with itlog na maalat or salted egg, coconut and cheese and the sweet fried spring roll filled with seven ingredients with mango, ChocNut, banana, leche flan, peanuts, dulce de leche and langka or jackfruit. Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine doesn't hold back...


...pairing the duo of desserts with a trio of decadent sauces with salted caramel, coconut ice cream and sweet and thick ube sauce. 

A plate of sweet Mango, Coconut and Ube Yema completes your dining experience at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine. Five exquisite courses, rediscover comforting Filipino flavors with a refreshed perspective elevated with premium ingredients, masterful execution and elegant flair while staying true to tradition at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine... 

Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine is located at the Ground Floor of Nuwa Manila, City of Dreams, Entertainment City, Aseana Avenue corner Macapagal Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, Parañaque, Metro Manila or call 8800 8080 for inquiries.

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