RP foodfest offers exotic, scary cuisine
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
If you are fond of exotic cuisine or even "extreme" food, then the Philippine food and culture festival, running for just over a week, at one of Jakarta's plush hotels could do more than just satisfy your appetite.
Since June 3, Jakarta Hilton International hotel has been offering a wide array of Philippine traditional food, served along with traditional cultural performances (mostly folk dances), creating a unique ambience at the hotel's Sriwedari Garden poolside restaurant.
A total of 25 dishes comprising main courses, appetizers and salads (plus grilled items in the evening) are available at relatively low prices each day during the festival. If combined with the traditional dance performance the price is indeed very reasonable.
The festival offers a variety of unique dishes that will likely be sought after when the festival has finished. Among the dishes are adobong -- beef stewed in vinegar and garlic along with selected vegetables to give a combined bitter and salty taste.
Other items that could easily attract the attention of food lovers are kilawin isda and tortang talong. The former is fish marinated with red chilli and ginger while the latter is eggplant marinated with minced beef, both with a signature bitter and salty taste.
Nickanor C. Ramos, one of two chefs hired to prepare the food during the festival, told The Jakarta Post that the three dishes represented the essence of Philippine cuisine.
"The basic characteristic is mild -- neither too hot nor too sweet. It stands in the middle. Whereas Thai or Indonesian food is spicy, Philippine food uses mild herbs such as fresh tamarind, ginger and also vinegar," he said.
For appetizer, the festival has on offer items made from exotic materials such as coconut palm and banana heart as well as jackfruit.
Lumpiang ubod, for instance, is shrimp rolled inside a fresh wrapper with coconut palm heart. Whereas adobong is influenced by American cuisine, Ramos said that Lumpiang Ubod got its influence from Chinese food.
The most exotic, if not extreme, item on offer at the festival is balut, a traditional food that also serves as an aphrodisiac for ordinary Filipinos.
For those who are not squeamish, balut is a ripe duck egg containing a one-week-old chick, boiled in water for 10 to 15 minutes and then served as it is. One need only break the shell and enjoy the chick and sip the tender juice.
Ramos suggested extra caution for its consumption. "Those who have high blood pressure should not consume balut. It is also not suggested for when your stomach is empty -- it's just too strong," he said, adding that balut had high nutritional value.
To neutralize the aftertaste of balut, the festival has halo- halo, a traditional, rich drink suitable for any occasion. Known as es campur in Indonesia or es kacang in Singapore or Malaysia, it is made from coconut flesh, sago, yam, banana and red kidney beans combined with condensed milk, syrup and crushed ice.
Hilton food and beverage manager Erwin Bernhard said that after a succesful try-out last year, the hotel management decided to make the Philippine food and art festival an annual event.
"The response was so good that we decided to hold it annually; it will also be part of a year-long food festival that offers food from various countries," he told the Post.
Philippine Food, Art & Culture Festival runs through June 12 at Sriwedari Garden Restaurant at Jakarta Hilton International, Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta, tel. 5703600 ext. 2227, 1002, 1003. Lunch is Rp 127,000++, dinner Rp 150,000++ per person.