The flavors of Asia in one food festival at the Marriott Manila

I’ve always thought that one of the best ways to experience a culture is through its cuisine. A nation’s food is the product of its culture, history, and heritage.

 

A food festival ongoing at Marriott Manila’s Marriott Cafe gives one the opportunity to experience the culture of four of our Southeast Asian neighbors. 

 

The cafe’s Flavors of Asia food festival features dishes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam as prepared by guest chefs from the mentioned countries.

 

Renaissance Kuala Lumpur’s Chef Ruhizad Muri, JW Marriott Jakarta’s Chef Dadang Wahyudi, Renaissance Riverside Saigon’s Chef Phan Tien Hua, and JW Marriott Bangkok’s Chef Thanatorn Krobsuay wow guests with dishes from their homelands. 

 

Traditionally Thai

 

Chef Thanatorn Krobsuay has worked with Marriott Manila before, spearheading two wildly successful Thai food festivals. 

 

Aside from traditional favorites such as the Green Papaya Salad, a refreshing starter whose sweet and tart flavors did not fail to whet my appetite; the Green Curry Chicken, whose tender chicken swimming in a savory-sweet curry sauce tastes unlike any other curry I have tried; and the Tom Yum Goong, everyone’s favorite Thai soup; there are other dishes to try, such as the Deep Fried Sea Bass topped with Chili Sauce, Sauteed Squid with Pineapple and Cucumber, and Braised Beef Spiced with Tumeric and Coconut.

 

Malaysian heritage

 

Chef Ruhizad Muri whips up a selection of Malaysia’s Nonya cuisine, a combination of Chinese and Malay influences that make use of roots such as galangal and tumeric, leaves such as pandan and lime, fruits like lime and tamarind, and liberal amounts of chili. 

 

A must-try is the Steamed Seabass, a supremely spicy dish where beautifully tender seabass is covered in a rich, flavorful sauce made with coconut milk, tumeric, and chili. For a truly exotic treat, choose your own kind of meat and seafood and have the chef cook them with spices for you.

 

Extremely Indonesian  

Chef Dadang Wahyudi showcases his culture’s love for grilled meats via different kinds of satay, grilled tender, and served with a sauce of your preferred heat intensity. 

 

Other favorites include popular Indonesian fried rice dish Nasi Goreng and Bebek Betutu, a Balinese dish where duck is baked in banana leaves with aromatic spices, resulting in a tender meat dish that’s full of flavor. The duck, much like the Thai chicken curry, was a crowd favorite, and one of the first dishes to disappear.

 

Very Vietnamese Chef Phan Tien Hua offers different facets to Vietnam’s tasty cuisine. Aside from a pho station where guests are encouraged to mix and match their own soup dishes, there’s also a spring roll station, where customers can choose their fillings and have the spring rolls wrapped while they wait. 

 

A crowd pleaser is the Braised Beef with Star Anise, a rich, hearty beef stew that’s just the thing when you’re looking for something heavy and comforting to fill your belly. This was one of my favorites, a dish similar to Indonesia’s beef rendang, and just as fragrant.

 

Proudly Filipino  

Of course, no Southeast Asian food festival is complete without local dishes on the menu. The hotel’s chefs take advantage of the Philippines’ abundance of fresh seafood and prepare their take on everyday dishes, as well. –KG, GMA News

 

Marriott Manila’s Flavors of Asia food festival can be enjoyed for P2,300 per head from Sunday to Thursday and P2,500 per head from Friday to Saturday. For inquiries, call the Marriott Cafe at (02) 988-9999.