PAMPANGA isn’t the culinary capital of the Philippines for nothing. A province rich in history, cultural heritage and culinary traditions, Pampanga owns one of the most distinct and interesting regional cuisines in the country primarily because it has an exotic component to it. Have you ever tried Betute (stuffed frog), Crispy Camaru (crickets fried to a golden crisp), Pindang Damulag (carabeef tocino), or Kalderetang Kambing (spicy goat stew)? Did you know that the favorite pulutan (beer drinking companion) called Sisig (chopped pork face cooked with chicken liver and served on a sizzling plate) originated from Pampanga? And yet Kapampangan cuisine is not just about exotic dishes, as Pampanga is also home to such delightful ‘regular’ dishes as Bringhe (the Filipino version of the Spanish paella), Ensaladang Pakô (fresh fiddlehead fern salad), Suam na Mais (rich, chunky corn soup with chopped shrimps), and Lumpiang Ubod (fresh lumpia with coconut palm filling).
All these – the exotic and the uniquely regular dishes that originate from Pampanga and have made the cuisine of this Central Luzon province famous – are on spotlight in the Stopover: Pampanga food festival ongoing at InterContinental Manila’s Café Jeepney until June 26, 2013. For the duration of the food festival, guest chefs from InterContinental Manila’s sister hotel in Pampanga, Holiday Inn Clark, Chefs Jerome Ayson and Atoy Mandap, work with Café Jeepney’s kitchen team to present Kapampangan dishes in the restaurant’s daily lunch and dinner buffet spreads.
Ensaladang Pakô
Quilo Babi
Lumpiang Ubod
Burong Nasi or Nasing Par o Atin Lagang Gule
Not to be missed among the appetizers are the Ensaladang Pakô (which has fresh pakô or fiddlehead fern, sliced tomatoes and diced onion tossed in just the right blend of sweet-and-sour vinaigrette dressing and topped with wedges of salted egg); Quilo Babi (pork mask in ginger vinegar, which is a cross between Sisig and the baboy in Tokwa’t Baboy); Lumpiang Ubod (fresh lumpia with coconut palm filling on lettuce, served with sweet brown sauce and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts); and Burong Nasi or Nasing Par o Atin Lagang Gule (fermented rice with shrimps, eaten with steamed vegetables such as okra, stringbeans and eggplants).
Suam na Mais
The best choice for soup is the Suam na Mais, which is rich, chunky and loaded with roughly ground corn kernels and chopped shrimps, but is not as heavy as regular cream-based soups.
Sisig Kapampangan
Stuffed Betute
Paro King Taba Ning Talangka
Kalderetang Kambing
For the main dishes, Stopover: Pampanga puts emphasis on Sisig Kapampangan, which originates from the province of Pampanga. Sisig has become such a popular dish that people from different parts of the country have come up with several versions of it. The Kapampangan version of Sisig combines chopped pork mask and chicken liver, serves it on a hot sizzling plate with a fresh egg cracked on top of the sisig. Other main dishes that diners can expect to find in Café Jeepney’s buffet spread are Bringhe (Filipino paella cooked with chicken, green peas, bell pepper strips, raisins and sausage); Rellenong Ampalaya (bittergourd tubes stuffed with ground pork and veggies, then battered and fried); Stuffed Betute (frogs stuffed with meat and deep-fried to a golden crisp); Paro King Taba Ning Talangka (juicy prawns cooked with crablet roe); Kalderetang Kambing (spicy goat stew that is so savory and flavorful that it whets the appetite); and Pindang Damulag (carabao meat made into tocino).
Sampelot
Pepalto
Haleya Ube
Kapampangan desserts actually all-time favorite Filipino desserts which the Kapampangans just call with different names. Guinataang Halo-Halo, for instance, is called Sampelot in Pampanga. Palitaw, or boiled glutinous rice rolled in freshly grated coconut), is called Pepalto in Pampanga. Another dessert, Haleya Ube, or sweet purple, goes by the same name.
With the Kapampangan food festival going on at InterContinental Manila’s Café Jeepney, a Kapampangan cooking class conducted by chefs from Holiday Inn Clark and InterCon’s executive chef Alisdair Bletcher is taking place at Prince Albert Rotisserie on June 16, 2013. The Php2,000++ per person rate of participation in the cooking class includes ingredients, aprons and toques plus set lunch.
Kapampangan furnishings will also be available at the hotel lobby until June 26, 2013, with Prizmic & Brill Valises and Companies displaying its exclusive products, such as trunks and period pieces manufactured in Pampanga.
(InterContinental Manila is located at No. 1 Ayala Ave., Makati City. For inquiries or reservations, call 793-7000.)
Jeff Mauro, winner of the seventh season of Food Network Star and engaging host of the show Sandwich King, at Enderun Colleges today
YES, Jeff Mauro, host of the Food Network cooking show Sandwich King, is in Manila, and he’s cooking up a storm wherever he goes. Just this morning (June 10, 2013), he ‘invaded’ Enderun Colleges in McKinley Hill, Taguig City, when he met members of the Manila-based food media and conducted a cooking demo-cum-workshop at The Enderun Culinary Center. He’s in Manila to promote his show, Sandwich King, which returns to the screen this June with its Season 3 episodes, airing every Wednesday at 2000 hours (8:00 p.m.) on Food Network Asia (Channel 68 on Sky Cable and Channel 100 on Cignal Digital TV), with encore episodes airing every Monday at 1430 hours (2:30 p.m.) and every Friday at 0730 hours (7:30 a.m.)
A Chicago native with a deep passion for cooking, Jeff Mauro was the winner of the seventh season of Food Network Star and, as such, he was given his own show, Sandwich King, which was inspired by his all-time favorite food.
“You can make any meal into a sandwich and any sandwich into a meal,” says Jeff, whose culinary expertise and sharp wit makes him the perfect host for the show.
Hamming it up for the camera…
A graduate of California’s Hollywood Kitchen Academy, Jeff grew up in a big family, whose members congregated around each other at the dining table every day to share meals and bond over food. Small wonder he has had the chance to work in the food industry since high school, taking on different jobs, including line cook, caterer and chef instructor. In an odd twist of fate, he also pursued a career as an entertainer and comedian in Los Angeles but eventually went back home to Chicago to do what he really loved – cooking. So when he joined Food Network Star, his innate culinary talent shone through and combined with a sharp wit and awesome humor developed during his years in the entertainment industry to make him the natural choice to win the competition. And he proved himself to be worthy when he steered his show, Sandwich King, to become a hit series in its first two seasons. Through the show and for the show, Jeff has taken the sandwich to a whole new level, making not just classic sandwiches with a twist but also creating new and never-before-thought-of gourmet and one-dish meal sandwiches that no one thought possible.
Now that Season 3 of Sandwich King is on, Jeff is leaving no stones unturned in promoting the show. His trip to Manila forms part of his efforts to capture the Asian market and make Asian countries go ‘sandwich crazy’ as well.
Cooking the beef brisket for his delicious gourmet sandwich
During his cooking demo-cum-workshop session at Enderun Colleges today (June 10, 2013), he had a whole captured audience of media practitioners, who lined the school’s long working table at the culinary center and watched as Jeff put together a sumptuous Jewish Brisket Sandwich with Smoked Mozzarella and Red Cabbage Slaw with a side of Carrot and Cranberry Salad. This is a recipe which will be shown in the Deli in My Belly episode of Sandwich King airing on June 26, 2013, at 8:00 p.m. He cooked the beef brisket from scratch during the workshop, but everyone had their own little work stations at the culinary center, complete with all the ingredients needed to each make the Brisket Sandwich, the Red Cabbage Slaw and the Carrot and Cranberry Salad. To make things easy for the participants, which included me, the mise en place of the ingredients had already been done ahead of time, so it was mostly just cutting and assembly work that had to be done.
Sandwich King Jeff Mauro holds up his platter of Jewish Brisket Sandwich with Smoked Mozzarella and Red Cabbage Slaw with Carrot and Cranberry Salad on the side
At the end of the session, we all got our own sandwiches assembled and got to eat them, too, before proceeding to Enderun’s Atrium on the ground floor for a casual lunch. I call Enderun’s Atrium the Harry Potter Room because it resembles, to a great extent, the Banquet Hall of Hogwart’s School of Magic and Wizardry, and when the students – garbed in black suits (with matching pants for the guys and skirts for the ladies) – congregate in the room, it just has that Harry Potter feel. But that is an entirely different story!
The sandwich that I made!
With the usual soup, salad, appetizers, hot dishes and desserts on the buffet table, what was different about today’s lunch was that there were also trays of huge Jewish Brisket Sandwiches with Smoked Mozzarella and Red Cabbage Slaw on the buffet spread. More sandwiches from the Sandwich King himself!
In the 10 new episodes of Sandwich King’s Season 3, which runs from June to August this year, Jeff gets to create sandwiches beyond his wildest imagination. Yes, even dessert sandwiches like Macaron Sandwiches with Coconut Lime Cheesecake Filling or Banana, Chocolate Hazelnut and Potato Straw Crepe Sandwich!
Sandwich King Jeff Mauro, welcome to Manila, and may our Kare-Kare, Crispy Pata, Chicken Inasal and Pinakbet inspire you to create Filipino gourmet meal sandwiches. Anyone dare to try?
WITH the rapid rise in tourist arrivals in the Bicol region in recent years, it’s good to know that accommodations are following suit to make sure tourists, both foreign and local, have a good nd comfortable place to stay while on the road.
This was disclosed by Naga Tourism Officer Alec Santos during the National Media Conference hosted by the Metro Naga Development Council (MNDC) at Barbara’s Plaza in Intramuros, Manila, last May 31, 2013.
In Metro Naga (a group of 16 local government units in Camarines Sur led by Naga City as flagship city) alone, the number of establishments providing accommodations for tourists in Metro Naga has increased from a mere 22 establishments in 2000 to 56 establishments in 2012, totaling 1,609 rooms as compared to just 551 rooms available back in 2000.
Facade of the four-star luxury boutique hotel
Welcoming guests to the hotel…
Accounting for a number of these rooms is The Avenue Plaza Hotel, which is located along Magsaysay Ave. in Naga City. The only four-star boutique hotel in Naga City, it was where I, my husband Raff and a group of other Manila-based media stayed during a three-day Media Fam Tour last April that was designed to let us experience the newly launched Naga Excursions tourism campaign of Metro Naga. When we arrived at the hotel back in April, I was pleasantly surprised to find a world-class boutique hotel such as The Avenue Plaza Hotel in Naga. The façade alone looked inviting, more so when we entered the hotel and were met with welcome drinks of blue lemonade. A piano stood at the lobby near the reception area and waiting lounge, and checking-in was no hassle since reservations have been made in advance.
Welcome drinks
More than the already impressive hotel lobby, though, the rooms are the best. They can give any hotel room in any five-star hotel in Manila a run for its money. The rooms are spacious and fully equipped with flat-screen LCD TV with cable channels, electronic safe, telephone with IDD/NDD facilities, personal refrigerator, individually controlled air-conditioning so guests can adjust the temperature according to their preference, carpeted floors and plush furnishing. The Deluxe rooms have balconies which provide views of either the Infinity Pool, Mt. Isarog or the historic Naga River where the traditional fluvial procession passes during Naga’s annual Penafrancia Festival. I specially liked the work area because there was a separate glass-topped work table in a corner that was separate from the dresser with a huge mirror in front of it. I gravitated naturally towards the work table with my laptop and churned out a number of articles in between Naga Excursions adventures, food trips, and religious and cultural tours.
All rooms are equipped with Dew Foam Posture Pedic Beds
The spacious work area in the room
Bathroom!
However, what ultimately showed The Avenue Plaza Hotel’s concern for its guests’ well-being and comfort was the bed. Each room is equipped with Dew Foam Posture Pedic Beds. Dew Foam is an international quality brand that’s highly reputed for its Posture Pedic Beds, which provide optimum neck and back comfort for a restful and stress-free sleep. Where some hotels’ pillows make me struggle to fall asleep, much less settle into a comfortable and restful sleep, especially on my first day of stay, The Avenue Plaza Hotel’s pillows and beddings quickly lulled me to sleep, so I woke up feeling refreshed and recharged and ready for the day’s new challenges.
I’m also very particular about the bathroom when I stay in a hotel. Here, I put my approval stamp on The Avenue Plaza Hotel’s bathroom with its “Rain Shower.”
Cafe Plazuela is The Avenue Plaza Hotel’s main dining facility
Breakfast platter of Garlic Rice, Fried Abu, and Tomato-Mushroom Omelette
Breakfast the next morning took place at Café Plazuela, which can be found right next to the lobby on the ground floor. Slightly sunken, Café Plazuela has a fine dining look and feel, which is perfect for its a la carte menu that features fusion and international dishes. For breakfast, though, it lays out a simple breakfast buffet complete with an egg station so guests can have their eggs cooked according to their preference. I had dried abu (a kind of small fish that’s halved and dried) that’s deep-fried to a golden crisp just like regular danggit or boneless dilis, and I paired it with mushroom and tomato omelette and garlic rice on the first morning. On the second morning, I had fish fillet and pancit canton with a carrot and young corn siding and mushroom omelette again.
Café Plazuela has a view of and easy access to the hotel’s 2-level Infinity Pool, a lovely lap pool and adjoining kiddie pool set in the midst of lush garden greenery.
The hotel, we were told, also has a state-of-the-art Olympia Gym and Sauna, a 24-hour Business Center, a poolside outdoor venue for small occasions called Umbria, and bigger venues for special occasions – The Avenue Tent (good for 1,300 guests), Avenue Convention Plaza (for 650 guests), La Piazza Ballroom (good for 190 guests) and The Boardroom (good for 50 guests).
Best of all, it has WiFi.
And, oh, The Avenue Plaza Hotel stands right behind the Avenue Square, which is Bicol’s first and only premiere lifestyle center where one can find a drug store, a number of restaurants and stores selling clothes, shoes and other merchandise.
(The Avenue Plaza Hotel is located along Magsaysay Ave., Naga City, Camarines Sur. For inquiries and reservations, call (63 54) 473-9999 or 811-7888. Contact number in Manila is 250-8199.)
At the National Media Conference held at Barbara’s Plaza in Intramuros last week, from left: Naga Tourism Officer Alec Santos, Naga City Mayor and Metro Naga Development Council chairman John Bongat, and Canadian International Development Agency’s Genevieve Asselin
THERE’S really no stopping the Bicol region, particularly Metro Naga, as it gears up and sets its path towards becoming one of the major tourist destinations in the Philippines. The entire Camarines Sur has gotten its act together through the Metro Naga Development Council (MNDC), an alliance of 16 local government units representing different cities and municipalities in Camarines Sur with Naga City as its lead city. With funding support from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) through the Local Government Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the MNDC has identified tourism circuits and travel packages centered on tourist attractions in Naga City and the rest of the cities and municipalities in Camarines Sur that make up Metro Naga.
It wasted no time in launching Naga Excursions (Naga X), a new tourism brand that offers different tour packages such as the 3-Day 2-Night Naga Excursions that take guests on a high-adventure tour of Mt. Isarog, Malabsay Falls, Panicuason Hot Springs Adventure Park, Haciendas de Naga, Centro Naga and historical churches, monuments and museums.
Other packages include the Naga Spiritual Excursion, the Naga Cultural Excursion and the Naga Island Excursion. These excursions have been custom-designed to fit the interests of guests so that they get to enjoy their stay in Metro Naga.
To drum up awareness on the Naga Excursions tourism brand and campaign, top MNDC officials brought the campaign to Manila and met the national press in a National Media Conference held at Barbara’s Plaza in the historic San Luis Complex of Intramuros, Manila, last week, specifically on May 31, 2013. Briefing everyone on the tourism efforts set into place now in Metro Naga were Naga City Mayor John Bongat, who also serves as chairman of the MNDC; Alec Santos, Naga Tourism Officer; and CIDA’s Genevieve Asselin.
Together, they talked about what Metro Naga now has to offer in terms of high-adventure experiences that include ziplining, mountain trekking and ATV (all-terrain vehicle) tours; a spiritual journey that takes guests on a pilgrimage tour of the historical churches that can be found in Metro Naga; a cultural experience of the historical markers, monuments, parks and museums that reveal Naga’s place in Philippine history; a gastronomic adventure to give everyone an authentic taste of Bicolano cuisine; and island adventures that take guests to the beautiful islands, beaches and waters of Camarines Sur.
Scenic Mt. Isarog
Breathtakingly beautiful Malabsay Falls is just one of Mt. Isarog’s countless waterfalls
One of the geothermal hot spring pools at Panicuason Hot Spring Resort
Ziplining at Panicuason Hot Spring Resort
GREAT NATURE ADVENTURES
Part of the ultimate Metro Naga experience is climbing Mt. Isarog, the highest forested peak in Southern Luzon and home to one of the oldest and most well preserved rainforests in Southeast Asia. Climbing Mt. Isarog can be done on foot following a hiking trail or riding an ATV. The path leads all the way to the Malabsay Falls, a breathtakingly beautiful waterfall where guests can take a dip in the cool waters.
Not too far away is the Panicuason Hot Springs Adventure Park, located at the foot of Mt. Isarog, where guests can take a dip in the therapeutic warm waters of the geothermal hot springs, hit the fastest zipline in the country, go wall-climbing, or have a relaxing massage by the pool.
Other attractions include Haciendas de Naga (for wall climbing, rappelling, ziplining, fishing, horseback riding, golfing, target shooting, or surfing in a Cool Waves pool with man-made waves); and the Consocep Mountain Resort (for visiting the deer farm, experiencing local customs such as betel nut eating, and dipping in the cool waters of countless waterfalls).
Religious objects at the Ecclesiastical Museum
Ching Dynasty (1645-1912) items on display at the Archaeological Museum
RELIGIOUS EXCURSIONS
Metro Naga is one place where guests can actually go on a Visita Iglesia even if it’s not Holy Week, since the Spiritual Excursions package takes them around different churches found in the different cities and towns. The tour begins with the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest church in Southern Luzon and the seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres. Naga being the center of the biggest Marian festivity in the country which is the Peñafrancia Festival, its pilgrimage tour makes a stop at the Peñafrancia Shrine, the original home of the original image of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia and the Peñafrancia Museum right across the shrine. At the museum, guests can view the Peñafrancia Diorama, a tri-dimensional presentation of the Bicolanos’ pilgrimage of faith.
Monument in honor of the 15 martyrs of Bicol standing at Plaza Quince Martires
Monument of Dr. Jose Rizal at Plaza Rizal
CULTURAL MONUMENTS
A thriving community even before the Spaniards arrived, Naga boasts of a rich cultural heritage, which is highlighted in the Cultural Excursions tour package being offered under the Naga X tourism brand. Stops include Plaza de Nueva Caceres, which commemorates the history of Naga from the pre-colonial times. Centerpiece of the plaza is the Oragon monument, which depicts the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores on one side and the Spanish surrender to Bicolano revolutionaries on the other side.
There is also the Plaza Quince Martires, with a monument built in honor of the 15 martyrs of Bicol. Four of these martyrs were tortured to death during their imprisonment, and the remaining 11 were imprisoned, exiled or executed in the same way and in the same place as our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, five days after Dr. Rizal himself was executed.
Dr. Rizal himself has a park named in his honor, called Plaza Rizal, with its own monument, and then there is the Plaza Quezon adjacent to Plaza Rizal, this one built in honor of the late Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon.
Bicolano dishes, clockwise from left: Pinangat, Laing and Bicol Express
Not-to-be-missed Bicolano treats, clockwise from top left: Toasted Siopao, Kinalas, Pini Nuts, and Pili Tarts
BICOLANO FLAVORS
Incorporated into all the Naga X tour packages are meals that give guests a taste of authentic Bicolano cuisine. No one leaves Naga without being able to feast on Bicol Express (a spicy pork and siling labuyo dish with shrimp paste, tomatoes, onion and garlic), Laing (shredded gabi or taro leaves cooked in coconut cream with bits of meat and shrimps and sili), and Pinangat (bundles of taro leaves filled with shredded pork and shrimps, chili, ginger, garlic and onion and cooked in coconut cream); as well as local Bicolano merienda fares such as Kinalas (a noodle soup dish with strips of meat from slow-boiled cow’s face, served with a boiled egg, chopped scallions and a thick gravy-like sauce), Toasted Siopao (a round bun stuffed with meat and boiled egg and baked in the oven for a golden, crispy skin instead of the usual steaming done to siopao), and tarts and sweets made from pili nuts, which are abundant in the Bicol region.
SUN, SAND AND SEA
The Island Excursions tour package takes guests to the virgin islands of Caramoan, which has become a favorite venue for shooting many international editions (France, Israel, Sweden, Serbia, India and the United States) of the popular reality TV show Survivor.
The Caramoan Islands, just two hours away from the urban center of Metro Naga, boasts of unspoiled white-sand beaches across its numerous pristine islands that dot the Pacific coast of Bicol. It is also home to awesome marine life and unique limestone cliffs, coves, caves and hidden lagoons.
Other islands that guests can go island-hopping to include the Atulayan and Aguirangan Islands in Lagonoy Gulf and the San Pascual island off the coast of Pasacao, where white-sand beaches meet stunning panoramic views of the mountain giants of Bicol, including Mt. Mayon, in a serene environment.
Not to be missed is the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC), the man-made attraction that has become known as Asia’s Wakeboarding Mecca and boasts of a six-point cable system and a world-class water obstacle course.
EASY ACCESSIBILITY
With so much going on in Naga and the entire Camarines Sur – or the Bicol region, for that matter – it is actually so easy to hop on to Metro Naga. By air, major airlines offer flights direct to Naga from Manila (a mere 45-minute flight away) or through Legazpi, Albay. By land, visitors can take sleeper and 20-seater buses, unique air-conditioned vehicles that ply the Manila-Naga route equipped with comfortable “lazy boy” reclining seats. The Bicol Express, the train being operated by the Philippine National Railways, is also available daily, leaving the Manila terminal at 6:30 p.m. and reaching Naga eight hours later.
ALL GEARED UP
With Naga X, tourist arrivals in Naga are expected to hit record high. Already, tourist arrivals for the entire Bicol region has increased by 18.02% from 2010 to 2012 according to statistical data from the Department of Tourism. Of the almost 3.7 million tourists who visited the Bicol region in 2012, a whopping 67.61% went to Naga and the rest of Camarines Sur. This figure is expected to increase significantly now that Naga X has been set in place and the availability of good accommodations have been steadily rising to match the demands of the times. From just 22 establishments offering accommodations for tourists in 2000, there are now 56 establishments operating in Naga, bringing the total number of rooms from 551 in 2010 to 1,609 rooms in 2012.
“Metro Naga is ready,” says Naga City Mayor and MNDC chairman John Bongat.
Edsa Shangri-La Hotel’s executive sous chef Sonny Almandres takes the spotlight in the Pinoy Hot at HEAT Bicolano food promotion from June 12 to 30 this year
RED hot and delicious. That’s the best way to describe Bicolano cuisine, and everyone who loves hot and spicy food can get to savor it at Edsa Shangri-La’s HEAT All-Day Dining Restaurant from June 12, Independence Day, until the end of the month. Held in conjunction with the 115th Philippine Independence Day celebration this June, Pinoy Hot at HEAT pays tribute to the colorful Philippine culture and cuisine, focusing on the Bicolano culinary heritage of Edsa Shangri-La’s executive sous chef Sonny Almandres. Chef Sonny hails from the Bicol region, particularly from Ligao, Albay, which is the home province of the world-famous, perfectly cone-shaped Mayon Volcano.
The decision to focus on Bicolano cuisine, however, wasn’t just because it’s where Chef Sonny hails from but also because it has a totally distinct, interesting and appetizing cuisine centered on siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili) and gata (coconut cream/milk). Red hot, spicy and totally delicious cuisine, yes, Ma’am, is what you’d find in the Bicol region.
But while Laing, Bicol Express and Pinangat may be the best-known Bicolano dishes, there’s certainly a lot more to Bicolano cuisine than these, and Chef Sonny tries to highlight them in the Pinoy Hot at HEAT food promotion by making it a culinary journey to the six provinces of the gastronomic region of Bicol — Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Masbate, Sorsogon and Catanduanes. He features specialties and signature dishes from each of these six provinces in the Bicol region, so nobody feels left out. Being the creative chef that he is, however, Chef Sonny takes these traditional Bicolano dishes and breathes new life into them by preparing these classic dishes using traditional ingredients and Western cooking techniques and modern plating ideas.
Chef Sonny gave members of the food media a glimpse and a taste of Pinoy Hot at HEAT over lunch today (June 5, 2013) at the Rankine Room of HEAT. And what a full course lunch it was!
Table centerpiece made with countless red hot siling labuyo
My husband Raff and I arrived a bit early, so we got to chat with Edsa Shangri-La’s director of communications Ouie Badelles and communications manager Claire Hernandez. We marveled at the centerpiece, which was a ball made up of countless red hot siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili), and took a sip of the welcome drinks Formosa (basically pineapple juice in a tall glass with, yes, chopped chili!) and Cool Magma (an alcoholic drink of lambanog, palm wine, pineapple syrup and grenadine with, correct again, chopped chili!). I got the Formosa, and from the first sip, I already got a whiff of siling labuyo, which gave the drink quite an interesting twist. Raff said it was the same with his Cool Magma.
The lightly alcoholic drink Cool Magma had chopped chili in it
So did the non-alcoholic welcome drink called Formosa
Sinarapan sa Tanglad
Kandingga
Kinunot nin Sorsogon
As the other guests arrived, the waiters started serving bite-sized pass-around Bicolano treats on ‘picture frame’ glass trays that featured images from Bicol like Mayon Volcano – Sinarapan sa Tanglad (sinarapan, which is the world’s smallest freshwater fish found only in Bicol, made into nuggets and served skewered in lemongrass sticks); Kandingga (Bicol’s version of spicy bopis served on melba toast), Kinunot nin Sorsogon (tuna and stingray meat with moringa leaves in small banana leaf packets); and Nilutong Balaw (salty, creamy and spicy shrimp paste with beans and wild wood ear mushrooms).
Ceviche of Banana Heart and Fresh Dilis with Taro Root Puff, Pickled Papaya, Pomelo and Fiddlehead Fern Salad with Coconut Cream
Cocido
Finally getting everyone settled, the wait staff then served the appetizer, Ceviche of Banana Heart and Fresh Dilis (with taro root puff, pickled papaya, pomelo and fiddlehead fern salad with coconut cream), followed by the soup, Cocido (seafood stew with vegetables and camote tops), in individual portions, sit-down style. I loved both, since I love vegetables and seafood. The Ceviche, served in a small mound on a square slice of ripe papaya, was fresh, and the crunchy taro root puff went very well with the pakô salad that was topped on it.
Bicol Express
Camalig’s Pinangat
Sorsogon’s Catch of the Day
Laing
Pancit “Bato” Rinuguan
The main courses that followed were served family style in bowls placed over a long wooden tray lined with what else but red hot siling labuyo: Bicol Express (pork baby back ribs with coconut cream and chili); Camalig’s Pinangat (soft-shell crab wrapped in fresh taro leaves with young coconut meat and cooked in coconut milk); Sorsogon’s Catch of the Day (grilled seafood on skewers); Laing (dried taro leaves simmered in coconut cream, shrimp paste and chili); and Pancit “Bato” Rinuguan (noodles topped with shrimps, pechay, pig’s blood, crispy chicken meat and served with wintermelon). My favorites were, you guessed right, Camalig’s Pinangat and Laing, two dishes I had a lot of and truly enjoyed during a recent trip to Naga. The Laing was breathing-fire spicy, and I definitely had to eat it with rice, and Camalig’s Pinangat was the tamer, lighter, milder version.
Daet’s Formosa Pineapple Upside Down Cake on Pili Nut Brandy Snaps with Lambanog and Lemoncito Coulis
Bird’s Eye Chili Crème Brulee
Pinipig Cookies and Chili Pralines
Chocolate Chili Truffles
Pampuyak
Nilupak
Next item on the media preview menu – dessert! It wasn’t just one dessert, though, but a host of desserts. Plated dessert was Daet’s Formosa Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Lambanog and Lemoncito Coulis on Pili Nut Brandy Snaps (made with Bicol’s famous small but ultra sweet Formosa pineapples). Pass-around desserts came in the form of Bird’s Eye Chili Crème Brulee, Chili Pralines, Chocolate Chili Truffle, Pampuyak (pili pulp cooked in condensed milk), Nilupak (mashed cassava to which, I think, pineapple was added, served in banana leaf cones) and Pinipig Cookies. Yes, even some of the desserts had chili in them!
Chef Sonny Almandres made these French Macaroons using ground pili nut instead of ground almonds
More sweets came in small boxes of take-home French Macaroons, which Chef Sonny made using ground pili nuts instead of the traditional ground almonds, as well as packets of Mazapan de Pili from Albay.
So, if you love Bicolano food or just plain spicy food and you’d like to try a chili-rich, full-course lunch or dinner, catch Edsa Shangri-La Manila’s Pinoy Hot at HEAT food promotion from June 12 to 30, 2013. It promises to be red hot and delicious.
(Edsa Shangri-La Manila is located at 1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. For inquiries or reservations, call 631-1067.)
