When we mention “comfort food,” we often mean dishes that disarm us with unapologetic servings of carbs and sugar, or stir memories of childhood and cherished moments.
A guilty pleasure of sorts.
However, a trend over the past couple of years is to view comfort food in a more sophisticated light. It is very much possible to elevate food that speaks to the stomach and soul without sacrificing nutritional or emotional value.
Professional food services brand Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) in its 2024 and 2025 Future Menus reports discussed the trend of “modernized comfort food [that] continues to meet demand for classics with a twist and delivers authentic dishes.”
“Comfort food as we know it is changing. Where once we saw comfort food as dishes that were familiar and safe, we’re making way for new recipes that reflect the heritage of the chef and the restaurant’s locale,” UFS reported.
“Through rich culinary storytelling and the chef’s genuine emotional connection to the dish, diners are presented with new and fresh food experiences that feel and taste special. Think classic and rustic ancestral recipes to be shared and enjoyed to create the new comfort food,” it added.
Several innovative examples include lumpia filled with smoked wintermelon, crispy pancit with mixed seafood kare kare, crunchy adobo beef short ribs and mushroom fried rice, bibingka waffle with sinigang fried chicken and arnibal coconut glaze, and beef kaldera Aussie pie.
Based on the Future Menus reports, simple tweaks to elevate Filipino comfort food usually mean a combination of two seemingly unlikely partners that end up marrying well together.
Chef Paulo Sia recommended combining food qualities, such as the “comfort of traditional flavors with the convenience of a burger,” to produce the likes of his humba rice burger with cilantro-cheese foam.
One may also prepare comfort food in a melting pot that mixes different cultures, as chef Pipo Aluning did with his sticky adobo pork belly in mantou buns that blend “Chinese comfort food with Filipino flavors…[creating] a gourmet fusion…offering rich, savory flavors in a convenient format.”
Chef Brando Santos similarly invented a lechon kawali kare-kare burrito as part of the “borderless cuisine” concept for a Mexican-inspired, Filipino-style take that delivers crunch, umami, and richness in a single bite.
Lastly, one can fuse two different dishes altogether, which Aluning achieved with his lugaw balbacua.
“I wanted to combine two beloved street foods — and this hearty meal brings together favorite flavors from across the country… showcasing the best of both worlds,” he concluded.
