If you have ever wanted to try betuteng tugak (stuffed frog) or adobong balut, head to Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang-Ilang where the culinary delights of Pampanga are highlighted until May 31, 2024.
“This is The Manila Hotel’s way to enlighten our guests about diverse culinary tastes,” said EJ Yap, The Manila Hotel’s assistant director of food and beverage.
“Being the culinary capital of the Philippines, these Kapampangan dishes rightly take center stage at Café Ilang-Ilang,” Yap added.
In an earlier interview, Robby Tantingco, director of the Center for Kapampangan Studies of the Holy Angel University, Kapampangans prefer the term “culinary heartland” as it is more “uniting.”
“We shall assert that our cuisine is excellent, but it is not superior to the cuisines of other regions and provinces,” Tantingco said.
“For we belong to a nation of many different culinary traditions—different but equal, not one better than another. Every regional cuisine is the result of a combination of resources and experiences that are truthful, useful and unique to that community,” he added.
From savory dishes such as kalderetang bibe, ningnangang hito, bringhe (Filipino-style paella cooked in coconut milk), and tidtad babi, to local sweets like tibok-tibok, kalame suman, Sasmuan polvoron and turrones de casuy, Manila Hotel’s buffet spread is a delicious tour across Pampanga – whether it is called the country’s culinary capital or culinary heartland.
Not to be missed is the aligue pasta. Pro tip: Ask for slices of prosciutto on the side, with or without the melon, for a truly delectable combination.
There is also the classic sisig prepared a la minute, minus the egg and mayonnaise. Do your taste buds a favor and pair this “intangible cultural heritage” of Pampanga with the bringhe and a side of pako (fern) salad or green mango with bagoong.
(For inquiries and reservations, please call +632 85270011 or +632 53015500, or email restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com)