Savoy Hotel Manila presents Ilonggo culinary treasures
WITH the aim to spotlight culinary treasures of the southern regions of the Philippines, Savoy Hotel Manila presented the Iloilo Food Festival on March 11 to 17, 2024.
Savoy Café was transformed into a culinary haven, featuring iconic Ilonggo favorites such as kansi, inasal nga manok, sinugba nga ukos and KBL or kadios baboy langka, ensuring a truly immersive dining experience.
This landmark event showcased the collaboration of two esteemed chefs from Megaworld Hotels and Resorts (MHR). Chef Kit Carpio of Savoy Hotel Manila joined forces with Chef Ariel Castañeda from Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, uniting their culinary expertise in curating a weeklong extravaganza dedicated to highlighting the vibrant flavors, diverse cuisine and rich culinary heritage of Iloilo.
Guests delighted in a delectable array of Ilonggo heritage dishes through buffet and a la carte orders meticulously prepared by the two chefs.
The highlight was a degustation seven-course dinner on March 14, offering guests a sumptuous Ilonggo heritage dishes meticulously crafted creations such as sampaguita, kusahos na tapa, kinilaw, inasal tacos, karne frita and linutik. Each serving was paired with wines.
“Our approach involved revisiting the fundamentals, delving into our cultural and culinary heritage, and then elevating them with modern techniques,” Castañeda said about how they blended their individual cooking styles or culinary backgrounds to create a cohesive dining experience.
For Carpio, it’s “respect for tradition, identifying common ground, theme and concept development, innovative fusion, tasting and feedback, unified presentation with educational component.”
The event also marked a collaboration between two dynamic MHR general managers — Den Navarro of Savoy Hotel Manila and Natalie Lim of Richmonde Iloilo, who lent their support to the “Visit Iloilo” movement, further elevating the visibility of the City of Love to a wider audience.
Visit https://www.savoyhotelmanila.com.ph/ for more information or email dine@ savoymanila.com for inquiries.