Chicken Inasal Pork Belly by Chef Bruce Lim
ONGOING at F1 Hotel Manila’s F All Day Dining Restaurant until June 25, 2015, is the highly anticipated gastronomic feast called LuzViMinda 3: Pistang Pinoy, a food promotion that three guest chefs recreating some of the most popular dishes from the country’s three biggest islands—Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Now on its third year, the annual food fest features Chef Bruce Lim representing Luzon, Chef Myke ‘Tatung’ Sarthou representing Visayas, and Chef Sider Tadtad representing Mindanao. Chef Bruce runs Rustique Kitchen, which is located along Arnaiz Ave. (formerly known as Pasay Road) in Makati City; Chef Tatung, who hails from Cebu, just opened his new restaurant called Alab in Quezon City; and Chef Sider works for the Big 8 Corporate Hotel in Davao. From his home base and workplace in the South, Chef Sider planed in to Manila especially for this food festival.
Traditional dances from Luzon (left), Visayas (center) and Mindanao (right) opened F1 Hotel Manila’s LuzViMinda 3: Pistang Pinoy food festival
Guest chefs Sider Tadtad (representing Mindanao) and Bruce Lim (representing Luzon)
Chef Myke ‘Tatung’ Sarthou (fourth from left) completes the triumvirate of guest chefs, here seen with F1 Hotel executive chef Eugene San Juan, Ms. Earth 2014 Jamie Herrell, F1 Hotel director of sales and marketing Cindy Brual and GM Tony Co
Lechon at the carving station
LUZON
Representing Luzon, Chef Bruce combines signature dishes from different provinces in Luzon, including Batangas, Ilocos, Bicol, Pampanga, Laguna, Quezon and Bulacan. He takes the kapeng barako and tablea chocolate of Batangas and turns them into Tablea Barako Pudding with Candied Tuyo Flakes and Chocolate Tablea Mousse. From Ilocos, he presents Vigan Empanada Strudel, Ilocos Corn Chowder and Dinuguan Pie. The Bicol region in Southern Luzon is another place from which Chef Bruce draws inspiration for his food, such as Bicol Express with Grilled Pineapple Sauce and Laing Escargot. His other dishes include Sisig Pot Pie (sisig is from Pampanga), Buko Pie (Laguna), Pancit Lucban (Quezon) and Hardinera in Puff Pastry (Bulacan).
Chicken Inasal Maki by Chef Bruce Lim (Luzon)
Pancit Cone Station by Chef Bruce Lim (Luzon)
Coconut Rice Pudding with Theo & Philo Chocolate Ganache by Chef Bruce Lim (Luzon)
While the flavor base comes from traditional dishes, Chef Bruce plays around with them and gives them a contemporary twist. He does the same with classic Filipino favorites in his Adobong Bico (savory adobo presented in biko form using Japanese rice), Sinigang Maki (the sour soup made into bite-sized makis or Japanese rolls), Tinola Roulade with Calamansi Liver Patis Sauce (chicken tinola turned into a roulade), Nilaga Consommé with Beef Ravioli and Gnocchi (boiled beef stew reduced to a thick and more concentrated consommé and served with stuffed pasta), and Pulled Caldereta Taco (the tomato based stew used for taco). Interesting? Yes, indeed!
VISAYAS
Another innovative and creative chef, Chef Tatung, lends his prized recipes of dishes that originate from the Visayas. He hails from Cebu, so he includes such Cebuano specialties as Lechon Cebu, which is a whole pig seasoned and stuffed with lemongrass, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns before roasting; and sutukil (sugba, tula or tinola, and kilaw). The sugba part is represented by Barbecue na Baboy. For the tinola, he prepares Chicken Binakol, which is like Chicken Tinola but cooked in coconut water and includes strips of young coconut meat instead of water. He also presents a good spread of kinilaw varieties, including Kinilaw na Tanguingue (Spanish mackerel) and Kinilaw na Hipon at Bangus na May Manggang Hilaw (shrimps and milkfish with green mango).
Kalderetang Kambing by Chef Myke ‘Tatung’ Sarthou (Visayas)
Bam-I by Chef Tatung Sarthou (Visayas)
Chicken Binakol by Chef Tatung Sarthou
Paklay Bisaya by Chef Tatung Sarthou (Visayas)
From Iloilo and Bacolod, which are a major culinary capital in the Visayas, comes Inasal na Manok (grilled chicken seasoned with spices and brushed with annatto oil), Pancit Molo (soup with dumplings), and Kansi (like bulalo, soured with batwan, which is native to the Negros region). Leyte is represented by Tomalos (Leyte’s tamales, with pork belly with skin, rice flour, peanuts, sesame seeds and hard-boiled eggs) and Humba (which is pork leg cooked in soy sauce).
MINDANAO
Representing Mindanao, Chef Sider makes full use of the unique ingredients that can be found in the Southern island of the Philippines. He takes the bountiful tuna of Davao and General Santos City several notches higher with a myriad of concoctions, including Tuna Bagaybay Sisig, Tuna Bagaybay Adobo, Talong Relleno Tuna and Avocado Tuna Salad. Davao’s pomelo and durian also find creative expressions in Pomelo Eggplant Salad, Lumpia Ubod sa Durian, Young Durian Salad, Pako Pomelo Salad Danggit, Durian Pangat, Tapol Durian and Durian Mango Cheesecake.
Chef Sider also takes advantage of the abundant seafood—lapu-lapu, taklubo (clams), alimasag (blue crabs), nukos (squid), and pasayan (shrimps), among others—in a variety of appetizers, salads, soups and main dishes.
Inun-oyan Maya-maya with Mangga by Chef Sider Tadtad (Mindanao)
Binunutan or Crab in Pumpkin Soup by Chef Sider Tadtad (Mindanao)
Binagoongang Baboy sa Saging by Chef Sider Tadtad (Mindanao)
Chicken Pyanggang by Chef Sider Tadtad (Mindanao)
What’s great about Chef Sider’s spread of Mindanao cuisine is that he had certain ethnic groups and places represented by dishes—Dodol (durian cooked with rice flour, glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, pandan and condensed milk) for the Maranaos, Daral (pandan crepes with coconut filling) for the Tausogs, Tupig (coconut meat and malagkit rice suman cooked in coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled) for Maguindanao, and Kabkab (cassava dessert with coconut milk, topped with latik) for Davao del Sur.
F1 Hotel’s LuzViMinda 3: Pistang Pinoy is made possible in partnership with BDO, Dasoland, Raflora, Culinary Exchange, Destileria Limtuaco, 2Go Travel, Security Bank and Seagull Glassworks. It is available for the lunch and dinner buffets of F All Day Dining Restaurant at Php1,399 nett per person. Add Php100 for an unlimited fill of Filipino drinks, such as Sago’t Gulaman and Buko Pandan. Diners availing of the lunch or dinner buffet get a chance to win round-trip tickets to Boracay from 2Go Travel. For inquiries or reservations, call 928-9888.
(F1 Hotel Manila is located at 32nd St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.)