“We pay homage to our food, which reflects our culture as Ilonggos.”
This was how Richmonde Hotel general manager Natalie Lim described the seven-course degustation at the Savoy Hotel Manila during its inaugural Iloilo Food Festival.
For an entire week, the chefs from the two brands under the Megaworld Hotels and Resorts Manila umbrella joined hands for an Iloilo culinary tour de force.
“We offer our guests the chance to experience and savor the richness of the flavors of Iloilo without having to leave our premises,” Savoy Hotel Manila general manager Den Navarro said.
Iloilo City, after all, has been named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2023, placing it on the global map of 350 cities in more than 100 countries listed on the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the fields of crafts and folk arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.
According to Chef Ariel Castaneda of Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, the concept behind a menu focusing on Ilonggo heritage dishes was inspired by a deep desire to celebrate and preserve the rich cultural heritage and culinary traditions of the region.
“With approximately 40 percent of the Philippines’ endemic ingredients originating from this region, we were inspired to utilize them to their fullest potential and reintroduce them prominently. Our aim is to highlight these ingredients, imbuing them with fresh purpose while maintaining their authenticity,” Chef Ariel said.
For starters, there was Kusahos na Tapa with sampaguita cheese spread, with the tapa air dried the traditional way for 96 hours.
A trio of appetizers comprised the second course: Abregana Kinilaw made with mahi-mahi, coconut cream, tuba vinaigrette, Guimaras mango, libas (hog plum) oil, calamansi caviar, fish skin chicharon and tobiko; Inasal Tacos – chicken inasal on a sinanglag (roasted rice) taco shell with calamansi aioli and soy pearls; and Linutik – a medley of lechon Ilonggo, diced sea prawns, roasted squash puree, kalkag dust (dried small shrimp), and squash veil.
“Although originating from the nearby city of Bacolod, Chicken Inasal has been fully embraced by Iloilo and is a beloved dish in the region. This grilled chicken dish is marinated in a mixture of lemongrass, vinegar, calamansi juice, and annatto oil, giving it a unique flavor profile,” said Chef Kit Carpio of Savoy Hotel Manila.
A palate cleanser of batuan granita was served ahead of the main dishes. Endemic to Western Visayas, batuan is a souring agent for dishes like kansi.
The Pinaksiw na Linugaw, the first of three main dishes, had smoked pork, short grain malagkit rice, banana blossoms and rice crispies.
A prawn Thermidor with pinangat puree, udag oil (young taro leaves), toasted coconut and crispy shallots and the Karne Frita – slices of butter-aged ribeye served with caramelized onions and a 64°C egg rounded up the fourth and fifth courses.
The last two dishes were all about dessert: a serving of Sampaguita ice cream with Sampaguita polvoron and burnt Tablea cheesecake with toasted pinasugbo coulis and charred tultul artisanal salt.
According to Navarro, Savoy Hotel Manila will be featuring regional cuisines every quarter.
“Food is a big part of our culture — a celebration of our heritage as a people. And we want to bring these vibrant regional festivities directly to our hotel,” he said.