The month of April is celebrated as Filipino Food Month, with many restaurants and establishments offering dishes that highlight the variety of Filipino cuisine. One of the main topics of discussion is also the use of local ingredients which are slowly disappearing from mainstream consciousness due to lack of knowledge and underutilization.
Belmont Hotel Manila and Lokalpedia, an online archive of local ingredients which is maintained and developed by founder John Sherwin Felix, has partnered for Pamana, a weekend dinner buffet at the hotel’s Café Belmont restaurant to highlight these overlooked local ingredients in a bid to keep them alive.
“Belmont Hotel Manila, together with its mother brand Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, is committed to preserve, promote and uplift everything local. But we wanted something that would go deeper than just presenting Filipino cuisine. Fortunately, we discovered Lokalpedia. The content he was sharing was unlike any other, most especially his advocacy,” says Marla Mendoza, marketing & communications manager of Belmont Hotel Manila.
The 27-year-old Felix had a passion for cooking at an early age which ultimately led him to developing Lokalpedia, first part time, then eventually quitting his day job to focus on it full time. “Lokalpedia is a passion project with a mission to document and raise awareness about the Philippines’ rich food culture and system. I felt the lack of available information on the country’s rich food heritage. I felt the need to fill the gap even in my own little way,” says Felix.
“Pamana is Tagalog for heirloom and we chose this name for the buffet because both the menu and most of the ingredients are passed down from one generation to another. I was inspired by the versatility of the ingredients that Mr. Felix presented, and what immediately came to mind are traditional Filipino dishes that are distinct from different regions,’’ says Belmont Hotel Manila executive chef Andrew Ko.
Some of the dishes offered in the Pamana spread include Kansi, the popular Western Visayas sour soup made of beef shanks and jackfruit, and authentically soured with the use of batwan- an endemic species of fruit bearing trees most commonly found in Western and Eastern Visayas. Meanwhile, Ensaladang Himbabao sa Sinamak, features the indigenous vegetable himbabao which are trees native to the Philippines, distinct for their hanging floral spikelet
Gamet, is Philippines’ own version of Japanese nori made up of harvested marine algae from Ilocos and Cagayan that offers an umami taste. It is used in the Kinilaw na Tuna with Gamet, Langkawas and Sampaguita to provide additional depth of flavor to the dish.
Bringhe, the Philippine’s version of the Spanish Paella, is given a twist with the addition of etag. Etag is the traditional process that Cordillera natives do to preserve their meat which is cured, then smoked or sun-dried giving it a longer shelf life.
Balbacua is a Filipino beef stew cooked for several hours in various spices. In chef Andrew’s version he incorporated Kalingag–the Philippines’ very own cinnamon with its leaves and bark both used in cooking.
For dessert, there is Asian Tibuok Ice Cream- salted caramel ice cream but making use of Alberquerque’s famed salt product. Meanwhile, the Cacao Tart is given a twist with the use of balikutsa, a natural sweetener from the Ilocos region made from sugar cane, and tablea.
The Pamana dinner buffet will be available at Belmont Hotel Manila’s Café Belmont every Friday and Saturday of April and May from 6:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m for P1,450/person.