The food park feat
BY IZA IGLESIAS Variety
Millennials continue to demand choices and variety to be able to personalize their food experience. They are eating out more and more than in their homes. And while the young generation is cautious about their spending, they want something new, hassle- free and unique.
In food parks, there are many kinds of cuisines and unique eating concepts to choose from under one roof. There are usually budget- friendly gastronomic finds that were previously only available in high- end restaurants like Wagyu steak cubes for example.
From seafood, street food, ribs and - sines from different parts of the world, of alcohol to bizarre new dishes, the food parks have them and will keep offering them through the New Year.
Stepping stone
Food parks also allow chefs both professional and amateur to test out their culinary ideas no matter how unimaginable they may be. Running a less expensive stall allows lowpressure and low- risk investments before they take that huge leap in opening a restaurant. A good example of this stepping- stone- for- the- chef component of food parks is The Lost Bread at StrEAT Maginhawa, which branched out in a major mall this year.
‘ Instagrammable’
Social media has changed the game even in dining. Food parks are all the more popular because of all the buzz they make on social media, which attract attention and consequent crowds to the sites.
Because food park dishes are very “Instagrammable,” the millennials’ obsession with food is ever present online. Using the tags # foodporn and # onthetable, pictures of food with exquisite plating appear almost every single day on all the major social media sites.
Add to these picture- perfect plates are the ambiance and aesthetics used in food parks, which are just as worthy of a post. Some creative food parks that stand out just for their concept alone are Kantorini in Quezon City, which is inspired by the whitewashed houses of Santorini in Greece; Carnival Food Park in Marikina, which is reminiscent of a Food Haven food park in Pasig, which mainly highlights art via paintings and photographs; and Space Food Park in Manila that has an astral galaxy theme for interiors.
Music
With their inviting outdoor settings, food parks also bank on music to get hungry crowds into their domain. Come night fall, food parks turn into party places with DJs, l i ve bands and artists providing topnotch entertainment for which Filipinos are also known.
As such the food park gives the millennial what it wants— a place to eat, hang out in a casual vibe. New musicians, meanwhile, get to try out their sounds on a wider audience just as the chefs with their food concoctions. And of course, there will always be that food park that has KTV booths. We are in the Philippines after all.