FILIPINO food is actually no big deal, unless of course it’s prepared by three of the country’s top women chefs. Chefs Myrna Segismundo, Glenda Barretto and Jill Sandique united their skills to prepare a dinner buffet at Tides Restaurant at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa. At the invitation of Lesley Anne Tan, the resort’s assistant communications manager, I, together with some select members of Cebu media, was able to indulge in some of the best Pinoy food ever to be served in Cebu.
Showcasing the flavorful dishes of Luzon, chef Glenda Barretto, of Via Mare fame, together with chef Myrna Segismundo, co-host of Lifestyle Channel’s Chef TV, delighted our contingent with their interpretations of traditional Filipino cuisine. The other host of Chef TV, pastry chef Jill Sandique, on the other hand, gave my non-existent (or so I thought) sweet tooth a real working out with her delicious sweets.
Starting a meal with a bowl of soup has always been my preference, so I followed custom with a bowl of Batangas bulalo, or beef shank broth. It’s very similar to the local pochero that they almost seem the same. However, knowing that it was a festival celebrating Luzon food, it seems important that the correct name be used, hence, bulalo.
Appetizers came next, although I wouldn’t mind very much if chef Glenda’s bagnet was actually my main course, not to mention my after-meal beer match.
The deep-fried pork rinds with shallots, leeks and tomatoes and sprinkled with a little vinaigrette did wonders for my appetite, leaving me looking forward to the salad.
Weird as it may seem, the salad was made of ferns. Yep, ferns. Local fiddlehead ferns, to be exact, and they actually taste a bit like some kind of lettuce. Called pako salad, it was a mixture of fiddlehead ferns, red eggs and tomatoes, again, with some vinaigrette for added bite. It was reminiscent of the red egg, tomato and onion combinations Pinoys love, with the
added exotic touch of ferns.
Another traditional Pinoy dish that was served was the chicken-pork adobo. As the name implies, the dish uses chicken and pork as the main ingredients, and to my knowledge, cooked using large amounts of vinegar, soy sauce, crushed and whole peppercorns, and bay leaves. Those who were able to have a taste of chef Glenda’s adobo were very lucky indeed.
One Pinoy dish I definitely enjoyed that evening was the lechon kawali. It is more or less crispy pata’s baby brother. Chef Glenda’s lechon kawali almost made me disregard my high cholesterol level, it was that good. Aside from this, there was also barbecue. Pinoy food or not, it doesn’t really matter, as the barbecue that night was, truth be told, the best I’ve ever tasted, and I didn’t even need to dip it in any condiment!
I’m not much of a dessert person, but when I saw Malacanang roll being served, I suddenly had a craving for sweets. I’d always been curious about this particular cake, wondering how its existence came about. Legend has it that it was first served in Malacanang Palace during the time of then-President Manuel Quezon. It’s much like a mocha roll, with chocolate filling and white frosting, except that it tastes much better and made me feel like a regular visitor at the presidential palace.
The oddly-named tocino del cielo was also available. Chef Glenda explained that it is odd because in Spanish, it means “heavenly bacon” and no bacon is used whatsoever in this sweet treat. Egg yolks and golden or sugar syrup are used, and the result resembles the popular leche flan. It does taste heavenly, though, and made me go back to the dessert station for more.
Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa’s Pagkaing Pinoy: The Third Philippine Food and Arts Festival provided an opportunity for people to experience the best of Pinoy food, and best of all, the festival taught those who don’t speak the native tongue the true meaning of the word masarap.
