Sabroso! A Filipino Culinary Festival at Midas Cafe

Midas Cafe introduces its very first food festival with Sabroso! A Festival of Filipino Gastronomical Journey & Expressions, featuring the very best of Filipino cuisine created by Executive Chef Arnold Guevarra and his culinary team starting August, 2014. Featuring classic favorites from North and South Luzon, the rich culinary heritage of the Visayas, and distinct local flavors of Mindanao, Midas Hotel's award-winning Midas Cafe presents an epic feast not to be missed (for more on Midas Hotel, check out my previous post here at http://dude4food.blogspot.com/2014/03/midas-hotel-casino-something-new-at.html).

Midas Cafe is cited as one of Asia Tatler Dining's best restaurants from 2012 to present, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets with some of the most impressive spreads in the metro. With Executive Chef Arnold Guevarra at the helm, be prepared for a Filipino inspired feast with Midas Cafe's Sabroso! Filipino Food Festival.

Our Sabroso! experience at Midas Cafe begins with a refreshing chilled Salabat, a ginger-based beverage with sharp flavors, just what you need to perk up your palate for the feast to come.

The first sampler plate is served, the Filipino Gourmet Appetizers, a sampler featuring Tuna and Pork Sinugba, crispy Ukoy with sukang Iloko, Lato and Guso Salad, and Mesclun greens in sukang iloko vinaigrette. Each individual appetizer is prepared in authentic regional style, preserving the rich and familiar flavors in each bite. 

In between courses, assorted nuts and dried fruits were served. 

Law-Uy, a Visayan vegetable soup with with fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, taro, and malunggay leaves in a light, clear broth is served next. The clear broth and vegetables make this dish look deceptively simple, but each sip of the flavorful broth and the snap of the crisp vegetables make this dish special. Subtle, delicate flavors in a light soup dish, and you're just about ready for the next course.

A light and refreshing Calamansi Sorbet is served before the mains to cleanse the palate, and the sharp, almost minty flavor of the sorbet does the job perfectly. Topped with a thin waffle crisp, contrasting well with the soft and fine silky smooth texture of the sorbet, I just had to go for one more serving before the mains arrived...

For the mains, a sampler featuring Lokon in crab roe sauce, Pork Humba, Sinugbang Manok with soy vinegar dip, and Pinakbet, another classic Ilokano vegetable dish flavored with fish paste.  The flavors of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in just one plate, with seafood, grilled chicken, tender pork belly and vegetables. The rich flavors are comfortingly familiar, with some of the best Filipino favorites in a balanced yet well represented plate.

To pair with the mains, Fried Brown Rice cooked in bamboo, binulo-style, is also served. 

For dessert, Midas Cafe incorporates its own unique take on classic regional sweets, with Croquantine Coconit Yema, Nilupak and Halaya Cake, Brazo de Durian, and Marang og Balimbing Ice Cream to complete your All-Filipino feast. 

Other regional dishes include Tinumok, taro leaves stuffed with pork and coconut meat cooked in coconut milk (L) and Humba, tender braised pork belly (R) in a rich sauce. Each dish represents the unique culinary heritage of the different regions, faithfully recreated by Midas Cafe's culinary team.

Your flavorful culinary experience continues with more regional dishes, like the Bangus, or local milkfish wrapped in banana leaves (L) and Sinaing na Tulingan, mackerel simmered for hours in a clay pot (R). And the parade of Filipino flavors continues...

Bagnet, the popular and iconic crispy pork belly crackling served with assortment of steamed and grilled vegetables with shrimp paste...seriously good.

Bulanglang Bangus, guava-soured soup with milkfish belly and a medley of fresh vegetables. Hearty and comforting, with just so many rich flavors. But there's more, much more...

Kalderetang Kambing, a slow-cooked traditional goat meat stew (L) and Sinugbang Manok og Chorizo, a regional grilled chicken with annatto and chorizo from the Visayas (R) greet you in the next corner...

And as you turn, more dishes are laid out. The Kare-Kare sa Palayok, a rich oxtail and tripe stew in a flavorful and thick peanut sauce with vegetables (L) and Bringhe, a regional rice dish topped with shrimps and Curracha, or crab meat cooked in coconut milk (R), each reflecting the diverse range of regional flavors.  

Puso, steamed rice wrapped in palm leaves, (L), and slabs of pork belly, ready for grilling (R) are just some of the many selections at Midas Cafe. But there is really so much more, including the freshest seafood as well as continental dishes to supplement the buffet. 

Cebu Lechon, the traditional whole roast pig, and the centerpiece of the buffet. It was also one of the most popular stations in the buffet, with a never ending line of diners. 

Midas Cafe also offers a wide selection of continental and western dishes, including Roasted US Angus Prime Rib, fresh seafood, and indulgent desserts.  

Time for some serious pork love, with Bagnet, Cebu Lechon and grilled vegetables with shrimp paste.

For dessert, take your pick from Midas Cafe's extensive selection...

...or why not make your own Halo-Halo, with all the toppings for that customized iced dessert.

Midas Cafe's Sabroso! Festival kicks off with classic dishes from North Luzon in August, featuring a range regional favorites from the old colonial city of Vigan to the Zambales coast. Southern Luzon's spicy flavors are highlighted for the month of September, followed by the unique dishes of the Visayas in October and Mindanao in November. The daily Lunch and Dinner buffet promo rate at Midas Cafe is P 1,842 net per person.

Ready for an All-Filipino feast? Make it Midas Cafe...

Midas Cafe is located at the the Second Level of Midas Hotel, 2702 Roxas Bouevard, Pasay City or call 902-0100 for inquiries and reservations.

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