#ManilaFoodandWineFestival

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The Inaugural Manila Food and Wine Festival Kicks Off at The Westin Manila

Inspired by the success of the Cebu Food and Wine Festival which held its third annual edition last June, Our Awesome Planet, Resto PH, and the Department of Tourism launched the inaugural Manila Food and Wine Festival last July 14, 2023 at the Grand Ballroom of The Westin Manila.

The Hungry Kat was invited to join this annual event that will draw food and wine enthusiasts from across the country to celebrate the finest that Metro Manila and the NCR region has to offer. The two-week event will run from July 14 to 27, 2023 across several restaurants and hotels in Manila showcasing the exciting works of talented celebrity chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary icons.

The inaugural Manila Food and Wine Festival is a gastronomic tourism celebration presented by the Department of Tourism that is also co-presented by Shangri-La Plaza, Discovery Primea, and Admiral Hotel Manila. Guests arrived at The Westin Manila Grand Ballroom for a night of exquisite food and wine selections from some of the country's best establishments.

Joining the grand launch were special celebrity chefs, guest merchants and innovators from the food and beverage industry. Among those we spotted were Chef Sau Del Rosario, Chef Chelle Gonzales, Chef Kalen Chan, and more.

The host for the evening was none other than Manila Food and Wine Festival founder and organizer Spanky Enriquez who envisioned this annual event to promote food tourism in the country.

Our Awesome Planet founder Anton Diaz gave an opening speech to welcome all the guests to the Manila Food and Wine Festival which aims to establish Manila and The Philippines as the newest culinary capital in Asia. Their goal is to showcase the best of the Philippines' food and wine, hotels and restaurants, chefs and restaurateurs, and fuel the fire of innovation to elevate our Filipino food culture to the world. From July 14 to July 27, food lovers and wine enthusiasts will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a gastronomic journey that showcases the country's vibrant food culture.

DOT OIC-Undersecretary for Tourism Development Verna Buensuceso said that the Manila Food and Wine Festival also aligns with the Department of Tourism's thrust to equalize opportunities across various areas of the country. She said that this project will really boost interest in food and gastronomy tourism. A plethora of exciting activities await festival-goers, including the festival bazaar at the Shangri-La Plaza Grand Atrium which ran last weekend, together with a series of chef collaborations in the best restaurants in Antipolo, Tagaytay, and Manila, a Makati pub crawl, a food stamping program, and the gala dinner finale.

One of these special events is the Gen Tsi, part of the Elements of Flavor series at Discovery Primea. Executive Chef Luis Chikiamco's passion for modern Asian fare stems from his extensive culinary experience from around the world. Together with Chef Sharwin Tee, who is known for his twists on Chinese-Filipino dishes, and Croissant Lady Donatella Chua, who creates playful pastry creations, they crafted a menu inspired by local dining scene favorites to highlight reminiscent flavors influenced by the Tsinoy culture. To elevate this gastronomic evening, Liquido Maestro Kalel Demetrio, an acclaimed mixologist of innovative concoctions, curated a selection of specialty cocktails to pair with the dishes. You can learn more about this exciting dinner happening on July 20, 2023 offered at P4,000++ per person at bit.ly/GenTsiAtFlame. You can also book your seats by calling 7955-8888.

The two week festival ends with a bang at the Manila Iconic at Admiral Hotel Manila - MGallery. The Manila Food and Wine Festival presents an exceptional dinner event with great food, wine, and entertainment at The Admiral Club, Admiral Hotel’s unique rooftop dining destination. Chef Sau Del Rosario, with special guest Chef Tatung Sarthou, will be preparing an indulgent 8-course Filipino menu, honoring the culinary icons of the country: Engracia “Aling Asiang” Reyes, Nora Daza, and Larry J. Cruz. The dishes will be highlighted by the dessert creations of Admiral Hotel Manila's own Executive Pastry Chef, Christian Monera. Manila Iconic will be held on July 27, 2023. You can book your seats now at P7,000 nett.

The grand launch of the Manila Food and Wine Festival continued with guests sampling the many food and beverage options on display at the Westin Manila Grand Ballroom.

Destileria Limtuaco brought out its cocktail menu that included their Manille Basil Smash, a combination of Empire London Dry Gin, Manille Liqueur de Calamansi, lemon juice, and basil syrup. Another popular cocktail was the Mango Rind Punch using Old Captain Rum and Paradise Mango Rum liqueur.

Luisita Rum also offered their specialty Luisita Oro straight, on the rocks, or as a unique cocktail that included coconut juice and nata de coco.

Other wines and beers were also available for guests to sample including Pilsner Urquell, Caymus Vineyard wines, and more.

The mooncake season is fast approaching so The Hungry Chef, who makes one of the country's best home-based mooncakes, gave samples for guests to enjoy.

The Westin Manila also brought out its special dishes and everyone lined up to try these creations. The Banana Couture is a unique appetizer that deceptively looks like an ordinary banana but is actually not! It's a banana pudding with a coconut and white chocolate glaze shell that you have to see to believe.

We were also shown The Art of Kinilaw which uses sustainable tuna, coconut and cane vinegar glaze, cilantro aioli, and chili pearls. This is a more flavorful and colorful version of the kinilaw we know.

Next is the Cavingero, a crispy lechon belly tacos with watermelon rind atchara and roasted garlic sauce. These bite-sized canapes really made us hungry for more.

The main courses were also impressive. The Chicken Tinola Paella Overload is a delightful deconstructed rendition of the classic Filipino favorite with crispy chicken skin and chili garlic crumbs on top of paella rice. This is a complete meal on its own!

The highlight of the night was the carving station featuring Kurobuta Lechon and other meaty dishes from Esguerra Kurobuta. Aside from the very crispy lechon skin and tender lechon meat using Bershire black pigs, they also had roast pork, roast chicken, and delicious baby back ribs.

For desserts, Karabella Dairy and Destileria Limtuaco had a collaboration that showcased their spiked gelatos like the Intramuros Liqueur de Cacao Gelato, Manille Liqueur de Calamnsi Gelato, and the Paradise Mango Rum Liqueur Gelato.

Another surprising item that evening was the Pork Sisig Donut Bites from Westin Manila. These look like ordinary glazed donuts on the outside but are actually filled with savory sisig on the inside. It also comes with calamansi and chicharon crumble, so I'm not really sure if this counts as a dessert or an appetizer.

Macarons Macarons offered its premium French macaron variants like the Queso de Bola Macarons, Macapuno Macarons, Milo French Macarons, and even Chili Macarons.

There's always room for more ice cream so the Philippine Fruit Dessert Trio from Sebastian's Ice Cream was also a wonderful treat. The first item is a Lanzones Sorbet made with duco lanzones and garnished with fresh mint. At the back is the Dalandan Ice Cream made with fresh dalandan and garnished with candied dalandan peel. Lastly, the one in the middle is the Avocado Tres Leches using avocado ice cream made with avocado layered on tres leches cake soaked in condensed evaporated milk. Congratulations to the entire team of the Manila Food and Wine Festival for a successful launch. Visit their Facebook page to know more about the other exciting events in store for the next two weeks.

Manila Food and Wine Festival 2023

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