Flavours of the Philippines Food Festival 2015

This is my second year at the Flavours of the Philippines Food Festival at The Grace Hotel, launched in conjunction with The Philippine Department of Tourism, Philippine Airlines. I love their food festivals, because the flavours are exotic and your tastebuds will taste things you won’t ordinarily encounter in Sydney restaurants.

At the launch night last Wednesday, I tasted an array of exotic, succulent, spicy and aromatic dishes that are on offer over the two week Food Festival from 16 July – 2 August 2015, not to mention getting to meet the Ambassador of The Philippines to Autralia, Her Excellency Belen F Anota. Lunch and dinner will be served buffet style in the Grace Brasserie at The Grace Hotel.

This year, three top chefs from the Philippines were flown to Sydney especially for the food festival. Michelle Adrillana, Celebrity Chef and Food Consultant, is leading the team with Celebrity Chef Sydney Roque and Pastry Chef Angelica De Leon accompanying her. Chef Michelle, most recently was celebrity chef at The Filipino Food Festival at The Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, China. She has won numerous awards and is a highly sought-after chef at many festivals worldwide.

I am often asked “But what is Filippino food?” Blessed with an abundance of seafood, tropical fruits and a distinct use of naturally sour and salty flavours, Filipino food is a subtle mix of its Asian neighbours as well as featuring influences from its early Spanish colonisation.

Some of the food that will be served include:

Appetizers and Salads

Fishballs with Sweet Chili Sauce

Crunchy Bittermelon Salad (Ampalaya Salad)

Grilled Eggplant Salad (Ensaladang Talong)