Filipinos and other expats in the UAE enjoyed the fiesta of flavors of the Philippines at Halo-Halo Restaurant’s ‘Pistang Pinoy’ special inaugural opening event held from December 10-12.
The three-day event was held at the upscale 4-star Edge Creekside Hotel in Deira it is part of the Asian Food Festival that will have diners embracing the diversity of Asia’s most delicious dishes. Many Filipinos, Emiratis and expats from Lebanon, Syria, Mexico, US, Italy, France, Sweden, Costa Rica, India, and more chimed in to experience the delicious taste of Filipino food.
“Halo Halo Restaurant was conceptualized with the idea of bringing Asia’s signature food under one roof, hence its name – ‘Halo-Halo’. True to the restaurant’s origins of its name in the Philippines, we kicked off the Asian Food Festival for the 2020-2021 campaign that celebrates the Philippines’ finest food,” said Richard Haddad, CEO of Jannah Hotels & Resorts that manages Edge Creekside Hotel.
The excitement of the six sessions of Halo Halo Restaurant’s Asian Food Festival reverberated among the UAE community with a sold out, fully-booked spaces across all sessions when the management launched the program.
Reimagined Filipino dishes
Halo Halo Restaurant also flew in Filipino celebrity chef and Instagram influencer JP Anglo from the Philippines to Dubai for the special event. Chef Anglo prepared mouth-watering dishes from the Philippines with a modern twist during the three-day event.
Menu items for the ‘Pistang Pinoy’ event included lechon manok lumpia, grilled shrimp with talangka butter, chicken sisig with chicken skin on top, palabok, kare-kare, and beef ribs sinigang, to name a few.
“Filipinos may be familiar with the taste, but the combination of these menu items is new. That’s our new approach for creating Filipino food and bringing it to the next level. It needs to be out of the box but at the same time, the touch of home is still there,” said chef Anglo.
The “rock star” chef furthered that he was really hyped and honored to have served the overseas Filipino community in Dubai especially those who haven’t been home for many years. He shared that witnessing their excitement of tasting authentic Filipino food challenged him to fulfil the cravings of Filipinos who are now living here in the UAE.
“I had a goal to bring them back home and make them proud of Filipino food. When you eat something good, it hits the spot. I just wanted to do the job first, and now I am overwhelmed by the positive response, by their excitement. I am overwhelmed, I’m flattered.” said chef Anglo.
More surprises in store
Halo-Halo Restaurant thanks Filipinos and expats who have joined their inaugural event and welcomes many more OFWs (Overseas Filipino Worker) who can continue to enjoy the flavors from the Philippines in the coming days.
“On behalf of the Halo Halo Restaurant team, we would like to thank our major sponsors – Nirvana Travel and Tourism, Falcon Professional Kitchen, and the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. We would also like to thank our media partners including The Filipino Times, Time Out Dubai, and Breaking Travel News.
“Of course, we extend our gratitude to the entire Emirati and expat community who have joined us in our ‘Pistang Pinoy’ event. Rest assured that our next Food Festival Asian chefs from different country will continue to serve a taste of Asia’s delicious with a twist on traditional cuisines,” said Haddad.
The Halo Halo Restaurant team invites more expats to get to experience the flavors of Asia and hopes to engage with them for more upcoming events for everyone to enjoy.
“Our doors at the Halo Halo Restaurant are open for everyone who wish to savor Asia’s uniquely diverse cuisine. We are planning more Asian Food Festival events for everyone that would help the community explore and discover delicious Asia’s dishes right here in Dubai,” said Haddad.
Filipinos and other expats who wish to have a taste of delicious dishes from the Philippines and around Asia can visit Halo Halo Restaurant located at the Edge Creekside Hotel near the Deira Clock Tower in Dubai.
