inihaw – Jellybeans in the City

Rediscovering Filipino Cuisine at Kingsford Cafe’s Filipino Food Festival

Over the past few years, Filipino food has been slowly but surely getting the recognition it deserves as a truly world-class cuisine. Characterized by Spanish, Chinese and Indian influences as well as regional cultures, Filipino cuisine has been noted to offer rich diversity and bold flavors.

However, most Pinoys tend to take their homegrown dishes for granted. That doesn’t apply to Kingsford Hotel’s Executive Chef Angelo Chubby Timban. A seasoned chef with accolades in international cooking competitions, Chef Chubby is known for his creativity and passion for the craft. His culinary philosophy is deeply rooted in his Filipino upbringing, yet redefined through modern European techniques and contemporary Asian executions.

This drove him and his team to launch a Filipino food festival.

In celebration of Filipino cuisine

Kingsford Cafe’s Filipino Food Festival, an all-you-can-eat buffet held Friday and Saturday evenings this June, offers a feast that is as much about rediscovering one’s roots as it is about indulging in a spectacular array of dishes from across the archipelago.

Chef Chubby’s vision for the Filipino Food Festival is to celebrate the rich produce of the Philippines and its multicultural influences to trigger both delicious nostalgia and an unforgettable dining experience among diners and hotel guests.

A homey yet elegant setting for Filipino culinary explorations

Located at the ground floor of Kingsford Hotel Manila, the Kingsford Cafe is fusion of modern elegance and cultural homage. Since its opening in late 2021, the hotel’s cafe has become a favored destination for both travelers and locals seeking a unique culinary experience. The cafe’s contemporary design and cozy interiors, complemented by beautiful wall art, create an inviting ambiance perfect for enjoying a meal that celebrates Filipino heritage.

With a seating capacity of up to 128 guests, Kingsford Cafe is well-equipped to host the bustling crowds that the festival attracts. Its sectioned dining areas offer an intimate setting for private gatherings, making it an ideal spot for family celebrations or intimate get-togethers.

A journey through flavors of the Philippines

The festival is more than just a buffet; it’s a comprehensive tour of the Philippines through its diverse regional cuisines. Guests are invited to explore dishes from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, each offering a unique taste of the country’s culinary landscape.

Fortunately, I was able to take this delicious journey together with my foodie friends.

Salads and Appetizers

The salad bar is a vibrant medley of fresh textures and flavors, offering:

Viands and main courses

The main course offerings are a testament to the festival’s commitment to showcasing the diversity of Filipino cuisine:

The carving station features two show-stopping and indulgent meat dishes: Litsong Tapang Baka, roasted cured beef, a festival favorite and Pinatasan at Hinurnong Liempo sa Laing, roasted pork belly with taro leaves in coconut milk.

Grillery

A particular highlight of the buffet is the grillery station, featuring Pinoy streetfood and smokey-savory inihaw such as Tenga ng Baboy (pig ears), Buntot ng Tuna (tuna tail), Inasal (Bacolod dish of chicken marinated in a special sauce), Liempo (pork belly), Atay ng Baboy (pig liver), Lumot (squid) and Longganisa (various regional sausages including Hamonado, Alaminos and Toklong) all freshly grilled upon order, as well as local dried fish.

Desserts and Sweets

No Filipino feast is complete without desserts, and the festival delivers an impressive lineup of favorites:

I’m so glad to have been able to experience The Filipino Food Festival at Kingsford Cafe. Aside from being a celebration of Filipino heritage and culture, it was also a nostalgic trip down memory lane brought about by flavors from my childhood.

By bringing together diverse regional dishes, Chef Angelo and his team have created an experience that not only delights the palate but also warms the heart. Whether you’re rediscovering old favorites or trying something new, the festival is a must-visit for anyone looking to connect with their roots through the universal language of food.

So, gather your family and friends, and embark on a culinary journey that promises to be as memorable as it is delicious. Rediscover your heritage, one dish at a time, at Kingsford Cafe’s Filipino Food Festival.

The Filipino Food Festival runs every Friday and Saturday from 6PM to 10PM this June. The buffet is priced at Php1,888 for adults and Php1,000 for children aged 6 to 11. To reserve a table, email dine@kingsfordmanila.com, call +63 2 88886388 or +63 917 8053585, or reach out via Kingsford Hotel Manila’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Kingsford Cafe is located at the Ground Floor of Kingsford Hotel Manila, Bagong Nayong Pilipino, Entertainment City, Tambo, Paranaque City. Know more about Kingsford Hotel Manila by visiting its website.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I was invited to attend a food tasting event held in this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and in exchange for honest reviews.

#NoticeToThePublic: Good eats abound at Public Eatery, Robinsons Magnolia

If you’re on the lookout for the what’s new and absolutely delish, The Tasteless Food Group’s got something for you.

Drop by Robinsons Magnolia to immerse yourself in a new dining concept – Public Eatery!

Taking inspiration from subway lines, this elevated foodcourt destination is marked by energy and movement, from the stylish and modern decor to the airy open dining area layout bathed in ample natural light.

Above all, Public Eatery brings the metro’s foodies to the express lane towards good eats by bringing together a diverse collection of dining options – covering a wide range of flavors and cuisines – in one convenient location.

Ready to go on a flavorful journey? Get all aboard and take your tastebuds for a ride with these exciting food stations at Public Eatery:

Anyhow

Our favorite ihaw-ihaw goes international! Inspired by the Pinoys’ penchant for various kinds grilled meats, Anyhow offers inihaw any way you like it! Here, your can make your own satisfying meal by combining your choice of smokey grilled meat – such as this succulent US Beef Belly – with equally flavorsome rice and sides.

Bad Bird

Famous for fully embracing umami flavors, Bad Bird goes all out in using MSG in its natural and processed forms: dashi, mushroom powder, furikake, miso, and more, all to produce that complex savory taste that tickles the taste buds. Check out Bad Bird’s Fish and Chips made with meaty white fish coated in its signature umami beer batter, and served with fries and tartare sauce.

Bookoh

Even the humble buko juice gets a make-over: at Bookoh, coconut water gets mixed with various syrups and sinkers to produce a tasty thirst quencher. This Coconut Pandan Gula Melaka Juice, for instance, combines buko juice with panda syrup, nata de coco, grass jelly and Gula Melaka, a type of palm sugar made from the sap of flower buds from the coconut palm.

FRNK

Try out FRNK’s artisanal beverages that accentuate the natural flavor of milk through the addition of flavors from chocolates, teas, fruits and other ingredients. It also produces a variety bakery items that pair well with its milk beverages such as its plant-based Coffee Almond Doughnut that complements its Frozen Kokoa drink.

Konbini Karaage

In Japan, convenience stores are more than just places to grab some essentials at all hours. They also provide quick access to tasty munchables such as this Karaage, Japan’s crispy and yummy take on the fried chicken, served hot and fresh – quite conveniently – in a cute takeout box.

Le Chon

Chef Happy Ongpauco-Tiu celebrates savory roasted meats that define Pinoy celebrations at her newest venture, Le Chon. Aside from the hallmark lechon baboy and lechon manok, Le Chon also serves other meats, deliciously roasted lechon-style, such as this Lechon Angus Beef Belly.

Merry Moo

Our sweltering summer heat calls for some ice cream, doesn’t it? Well, chill out with some icy handcrafted confection that comes from the milk of happy cows at Merry Moo. Go for creamy and velvety scoops of Merry Moo ice cream richly flavored with Auro Milk Chocolate finished with a generous amount of roasted cacao nibs for an additional burst of cacao.

Morse

Perk up your day with a cuppa joe from the passion project of Mike Holaschke, the Austrian blogger behind “Making It Happen.” Power great conversations with your companions with The One, made with a shot of espresso topped with thick salted cream and sea salt.

New York, Cubao

Award-winning and best-selling cookbook author Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou curates an array of much-loved, down-home, and “Simpol” Pinoy fare we all know and love, remixed for variety and rediscovery. NYC’s Tocino Ribs brings a hefty serving of salt-cured pork ribs, perfect for a very heavy breakfast with fried rice and egg.

OK Bob

Satisfy your cravings for Middle Eastern dishes with OK Bob‘s fresh takes on classics such as kebabs, falafel, hummus and curries, with recipes and methods perfected by Chefs Decker Gokioco and Jorge Mendez. How about wowing your friends with a towering serving of Hanging Kebab comprised of a skewer of grilled beef hanging over a bed of buttered basmati rice topped with grilled tomatoes.

Samyan

Bite into Authentic Thai streetfood, curated by Chef Third “Ton” Tassanakajohn and produced by Chef Gabriel Ong, at Samyan. Named after the bustling Sam Yan Market in Bangkok, Samyan brings exotic yet comforting tastes and textures of Thai street cuisine, such as in this Khao Pad Pu, also known as Crab Fried Rice.

Seafood Oyster Bar

It’s quite shuck-ing how oysters have become a big hit in food halls. As evidenced by Seafood Oyster Bar, foodies have gone crazy over the briny taste and silky mouthfeel of oysters – whether raw with spiced vinegar, doused with garlic butter, heated with a few drops of tabasco or as an oyster shot – or even Baked and topped with Miso Custard. Because, why not?

Thomson Road

Savor the flavors of Singapore at Thomson Road, inspired by the Lion City’s famous shophouses and hawker stands. Chef Johanne Wee dishes out fresh takes on Singapore’s much-loved street dishes, such as this spicy yet comforting Seafood Laksa.

Ten by Tsukemen

Sate your hunger with a mouthwatering bowl of ramen that scores a 10 out of 10. Chef Noel Mauricio helms the kitchen, taking his cues from the minimalist Japanese culture, to produce ramen bowls such as this Tonkotsu Premium, made with pork bone broth and ramen noodles topped with grilled chashu, aji tamago, sesame seeds and negi. Be sure to get the Richer broth, that’s the chef’s recommendation!

The Bev Bar

Who says you can’t make pour decisions? You can do just that at The Bev Bar which serves a wide assortment of refreshments to pair with your orders from other Public Eatery stations. Chef Patrick Go creates mouthwatering drinks such as this scrumptious Choco Chocnut Shake.

So let this be my Notice to the Public: Go full steam ahead on your next foodie adventure at Public Eatery. With so many cuisines to explore, you can always count on a flavorful and satisfying food trip.

Public Eatery is located at the Fourth Floor, New Wing, Robinsons Magnolia, Aurora Boulevard corner Doña Hemady Street, Barangay New Manila, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 9pm. For inquiries, call +63 976 2810277 or email publiceatery@tasteless.ph.

For more information on Public Eatery, visit its website or follow it on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure: I attended a food tasting held at this venue. Food items mentioned here were served at no cost to facilitate this feature.

Classic Pinoy streetfood at Casa Calle, SM Megamall

Do you remember your first taste of streetfood?

The varied shapes, colors and textures, the interplay of sweet, salty, sour and spicy, plus a hint of the forbidden (because didn’t our moms warn us to keep away from these back then?) and that feeling of comfort when you bite into them, these are part and parcel of our early street food experience.

While those good sensations associated with street food remain to this day, that feeling of prohibition hardly applies now, especially when street food is elevated to the level that Casa Calle brings them to.

This stall located at Eatogether Food Hall in SM Megamall serves up, not just Pinoy comfort food faves, but also welcome tweaks on our favorite street food, such as:

Inihaw Platter (Php380). Various meat and sundry parts marinated in barbecue sauce and charcoal grilled to smoky perfection such as two sticks each of Pork BBQ, Isaw Manok (chicken intestine), Bulaklak (ruffled pork fat), Tenga (pork ear) and Betamax (coagulated pig’s blood). This promo bundle is available only during Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Lugaw Special (Php95 for small | Php115 for large). Savory rice porridge with bits of meat and tripe, a hard-boiled egg and garnished with toasted garlic and choppef green onions.

Tokwa’t Baboy (Php90). Crispy bits of pork belly tossed with fried tofu and chopped chilis and onions in a vinaigrette made with vinegar and soy sauce.

Tokneneng (Php35). Hard-boiled duck egg covered in orange batter, best enjoyed when dipped in spiced vinegar.

Sizzling Beef Pares (Php188). Cubed beef brisket sauteed and stewed with garlic, onion and ginger, and seasoned with star anise. This viand is paired with garlic fried rice (hence the name “pares”) and served on a sizzling plate.

Turones ala Mode (Php155). Banana and langka slices encased in lumpia wrapper, them deep-fried, and served with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and garnished with sesame seeds and chocolate sauce.

Get ready to rediscover your love of Pinoy street food here.

This Casa Calle branch is located at Eatogether Food Hall, Second Floor, SM Megamall Building A, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

Another branch is set to have its grand opening soon at 163 Aguirre Street, BF Homes, Paranaque City.

Disclosure: I attended a food-tasting here together with fellow foodies. All food items mentioned here were served for us to sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.

Check out my posts on other stalls at Eatogether Food Hall: