Filipino food is easy on those who try it for the first time. The style and cooking share elements with other cuisines such as Malaysian, Spanish, Chinese and American.

“Food is very diverse in the Philippines because we were colonized by Spanish first, Japan and then the U.S. We have also Malaysian and Chinese ancestors. It’s hard to define what Filipino cuisine is about,” said Sau Del Rosario, executive chef of F1 Hotels and Resorts in Manila, in an interview with The Korea Herald during his food promotion tour in Seoul. 

Del Rosario, a fourth-generation star chef in Manila, was invited to oversee the Filipino cuisine special at Millennium Seoul Hilton’s buffet restaurant Orangerie throughout June.

During the promotion, Del Rosario introduces a diverse array of Filipino food ranging from signature dishes including lechon (whole roasted pig), adobo (pork or chicken simmered in vinegar and soy sauce), pancit (fried noodles with meat and vegetables) and kare-kare (oxtail and peanut sauce), morcon (beef roll), and embutido (chicken roll).

While the promotion event, in partnership with the Philippine Tourism Office, focuses on Davao in the Mindanao region, Rosario said he tried to include popular dishes from every region.

Of the more than 30 dishes, the highlight is the lechon, a local delicacy of Cebu, a hog roasted over an open fire for long hours.

“Lechon is also the symbol of abundance in the Philippine holiday of Fiesta,” said Rosario. Fiesta is a Catholic holiday that celebrates patron saints. During Fiesta, Filipinos prepare lechon and other foods to commemorate their saints, who they believe bring good luck and blessings to them.

“The more food you cook, the more prosperity you get,” Rosario added.

With a background in French cooking, Rosario also presents a five-course French menu that includes some Philippine-inspired menus such as panfried foie gras with sauce as an appetizer, and white-miso-rubbed and roasted seabass, and sous-vide U.S. Angus tenderloin beef as entrees.

The Philippine cuisine buffet is 64,000 won for adults, and 38,400 won for children aged 12 and under during lunch. The dinner buffet is 69,000 won for adults, and 41,400 won for children 12 and under.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)