LOOK: Modern Pinoy dishes served during APEC dinner

MANILA - Via Mare founder Glenda Barretto and Margarita Fores of Cibo prepared a modern Filipino meal at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) welcome dinner on Wednesday.

Local ingredients and modern techniques came together to prepare dishes for a total of 700 guests.

"We [presented] what is classic, national in taste... like flavors of adobo, tinola, kesong puti [and] itlog na maalat," said Barretto.

Fores, for her part, said she wanted to showcase the uniqueness and diversity of ingredients available in the Philippines.

"All these... microgreens and herbs that we've taken for granted... are things that very important restaurants abroad have highlighted," she said. "It's great that we realize now that all these are actually quite unique [for foreigners], things that they don't have in their parts of the world."

Here's a look at the dishes served during the APEC dinner at the Mall of Asia Arena:

 Ensalada Tagala with duck estofado, smoked kesong puti and red egg flan with rambutan vinaigrette. Photo from the APEC 2015 Philippines website

 

Tinola with ground lapu-lapu and tiger prawns. Photo from the APEC 2015 Philippines website

Bistek Manilenya. Photo from the APEC 2015 Philippines website

 Inasal na Apahap. Photo from the APEC 2015 Philippines website

Maja Blanca with smoked coconut meringue and lambanog-poached mango. Photo from the APEC 2015 Philippines website

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com   

Zagat guide lists must-try Pinoy dishes

MANILA – An influential restaurant guide recently published an article about Filipino cuisine, which is said to have “become increasingly celebrated around the United States.”

In an article on Zagat published last January 10, writer Carey Jones listed “nine Filipino dishes you need to know,” while giving recommendations on where to order them in the US.

Leading the list is lechon or roast pig, which was once dubbed by chef and television host Anthony Bourdain as “the best pig ever.”

“The full pork feast is primarily for special occasions, while at restaurants in the US, you’re more likely to find dishes such as lechon kawali – the deep-fried pork belly,” Jones wrote.

Other Filipino dishes that are included in the list are adobo (meat or seafood braised in garlic, vinegar and soy sauce), lumpia (spring rolls), kare-kare (peanut stew), sisig (pig’s head and liver seasoned with calamansi and chili peppers), tocino (sweet cured meat), sinigang (sour soup with meat or seafood and vegetables), pancit (stir-fried noodles) and balut (fertilized duck eggs).

Chef, TV personality and food writer Andrew Zimmern recently included Filipino cuisine in his list of Top 10 food trends for 2013 in the US.

“This is the year, finally, that Pinoy foods have their day in the sun. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese: One by one, they’ve all delighted and inspired American diners, and Filipino cuisine is next,” Zimmern wrote in an article published in People Magazine.

Last year, a magazine in New York placed the spotlight on Filipino food, saying that the Big Apple is “finally ready” for our cuisine.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pinoy food gets spotlight in New York mag

MANILA – A magazine in New York puts the spotlight on Filipino food, saying that the Big Apple is “finally ready” for our cuisine.

In an article titled “Blazing a Lumpia Trail: Filipino Cuisine Finds a Foothold in New York,” New York Magazine featured a list of promising Filipino restaurants in the city.

Citing how it has been recognized in the United States since last year, particularly by “Bizarre Foods” host Andrew Zimmern, the magazine agreed that Filipino food is the “next big thing.”

“It seems that New Yorkers are finally ready for Filipino food, which has long languished in the shadow of Thai, Indian, Chinese and other Asian standbys,” New York Magazine said in the article, which was also published in the Grub Street blog.

“If you have yet to acquaint yourself with the characteristically tart, sour and fermented flavor palate [of Filipino food], now’s the time,” it added.

Nine Filipino restaurants in New York were mentioned in the article: Vekslers, which combines Filipino and Spanish cuisine; Pig and Khao, which blends Filipino and Thai influences; Lumpia Shack Snackbar, which infuses Chinese elements into Filipino food; Papa’s Kitchen, which is known for its affordable Filipino dishes; Talde, which is owned by Filipino-American chef Dale Talde; Pan de Sal, a Filipino-style bakery; Maharlika, which highlights “ancestral cuisine”; Ugly Kitchen, which offers Filipino drinks and an Asian fusion menu; and Jeepney, a gastropub serving a modern take on Filipino food.

Last October, the Filipino restaurant Purple Yam in New York was chosen by the Michelin Guide as a “Bib Gourmand,” which denotes excellent and budget-friendly cuisine.

In August, popular American men’s magazine Details declared Filipino cuisine the “next great Asian food trend.”

Filipino delicacies such as halo-halo and balut have also been getting a lot of raves in New York.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com