Filipino Restaurant Week serves Philippine culinary identity in the US East Coast

NEW YORK CITY – Twenty-three restaurants and pop-ups in seven states in the US East Coast brought into the limelight the best of Philippine cuisine. From May 16 to 23, the Filipino Restaurant Week (FRW) 2019 served traditional and home-style flavors and innovated bold and cutting edge Filipino fusion food.

Now on its fifth year, FRW offered foodies a unique gastronomic treat that gave them a taste of Filipino culinary identity and food culture, and a unique experience of Filipino hospitality. 

Inspired by the New York Restaurant Week, participating restaurants at the week-long event served prix fixe meals of at least three courses: appetizer, entrée, and dessert. 

This year, the Philippine coconut was the featured ingredient incorporated by the restaurants in any one of their offerings.

With its increasing popularity, FRW, which was started by the Philippine Consulate General in New York in 2015, generated buzz not only within the Filipino-American community but also in the mainstream US gastronomic landscape, especially in social media.

New York Consul General Claro Cristobal was optimistic that FRW 2019 carried on the growing trend of offering food lovers throughout the US East Coast a fantastic treat, immersing them into the fascinating tastes of Philippine cuisine.

Participating chefs and restaurant owners with Consul Arman Talbo (second from the left) during the launch of the Filipino Restaurant Week in Manhattan last May 8. Photo Release

The FRW 2019 was launched at the High Bar Rooftop of the Double Tree Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

It was the first time the FRW was held outside of the Philippine Center to provide a bigger, more relaxed space, and generate a food-tasting ambiance where people could network, enjoy, and talk about Filipino food.

Philippine TV celebrities Julie Anne San Jose, Rayver Cruz, and Rhian Ramos also attended the launch. 

Deputy Consul General Kerwin Orville Tate expressed excitement as the project aimed to promote the tradition of cuisine and cooking continues to expand in many States in the US. He also thanked the FRW chefs and owners for nurturing and promoting the Philippine food heritage.

Consul Arman Talbo officially presented and thanked this year’s participating restaurants during the Launch ceremony. 

With the support of the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC, 10 restaurants from Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC participated for the first time, in addition to restaurants from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. 

The 10 new participants were: The Buren in Brooklyn; Maganda, a pop-up restaurant; Karenderya in Nyack, NY; ASIN in New Jersey; Tanám in Massachusetts; Sarvida and Lalo in Philadelphia; Bistro 1521 in Virginia; Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly in Maryland; and Purple Patch in Washington, DC. Seven restaurants from New York and New Jersey have been with the FRW since its inception: Ugly Kitchen, Purple Yam, Phil-am Kusina, Max’s Restaurant, Maharlika, Jeeney and Grill 21 which were joined by Tito Rad’s, Swell Dive, Mighty Bowl, Perla in Philadelphia, Kuma Inn and Kabisera Kape in the succeeding years.

Asin offered authentic home-style Filipino food with the mission to bring Filipinos closer to home as well as introducing Philippine cuisine to the culinary world map.

“There are more to explore about our cuisine as the Philippines has many regional specialties which we highlight in our restaurant,” said Quennie Banez, owner of Asin and a two-time national winner of Nora Daza Food Contest in the Philippines.

"We do our best to honor the food and the flavors we grew up with, and we are also very careful to be honest when we take liberties. Most importantly, we love that we can play a role in starting a dialogue about the food and the culture of the Philippines. In that sense, we take our role as representatives of our culture very seriously," said Cheryl Baun, co-owner of Karenderya, named by Esquire as one of the 20 Best New Restaurants in America for 2018. 

Young Fil-Am Joann Canosa, owner of Maganda, said her pop-up and events company not only offers both traditional and innovative Filipino cuisine but also uses their platform to spotlight and empower Pinays all over the world from the tribal Pinays, as depicted in our logo, to the Gen Z Pinays.

“I am always excited for FRW! It’s a great intro into the yummy world of Filipino cuisine,” said chef King Phojanakong, owner of Kuma Inn and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

The event also gave away prizes, which included two roundtrip tickets to the Philippines via Philippine Airlines.  

To know more about the Filipino Restaurant Week, follow @PHLinNY on Facebook and @PHinNewYork on Instagram.