Food Safaris
Manila Bulletin – Sat, Jul 28, 2012
Explore the Philippines' natural, cultural, and gustatory treasures with Tour Flair's series of Food Safaris while feasting on delectable dishes personally prepared by Sau del Rosario, Tour Flair's signature chef.
"From Manila, we travel out of town to experience the beautiful cultural sites of the region and savor the delicious local dishes - specially demonstrated and presented by Chef Sau, who travels with the group," says Teresa "Dinty" Barredo-Keating, Tour Flair's co-managing director.
"Our exotic Food Safaris feature scrumptious local regional cuisine. Guests are treated to a fabulous six- course lunch of inspirational, traditional Filipino fare by Chef Sau with each dish plated individually and beautifully presented-truly top-of-the-line, world-class cuisine."
Culinary capital
The Pampanga Food Safari will be held on Aug. 15 and Sept. 19. Located north of Manila, Pampanga is considered as the culinary capital of the Philippines.
The day tour covers a visit to the 19th century-styled kitchen of Lilian Borromeo, a renowned cook in Pampanga who will demonstrate how traditional tsokolate and San Nicolas cookies were prepared in the olden days. Guests will also witness the making of local Pampango kakanin (sweets).
"We will visit the beautifully frescoed St. James the Apostle Church in Betis and the sunken San Guillermo Church in Bacolor. Lunch will be served at Bale Betis (Betis House), the charming Filipino-inspired house of Myrna Bituin, after which a tour of the Betis Crafts factory can be arranged. The skilled craftsmen of Betis Crafts produce beautifully designed pieces for the home that showcase Filipino talent."
While actual items in the menu usually change depending on the freshest ingredients available on the day of the tour, samples of what guests can partake of include burong isda (fish marinated in vinegar and deep fried to perfection), bulanglang (guava stew with pork ribs), morcon (beef roll), and rellenong bangus (milkfish with special stuffing).
Of course, no Filipino meal is complete without desserts. Some featured treats include tibok-tibok (Pampango-style maja blanca or coconut pudding), jalea de ube (purple yam with carabao milk), and native flan (carabao milk custard). There is also the famous Pampango halo-halo (sweet beans and fruits topped with crushed ice, milk and custard).
Homegrown
Born in Angeles City, Pampanga, Del Rosario trained at Culinary Institute of America and worked in France with Michelin star Chef Christian Plumai (L'Univers restaurant, Nice), and three-Michelin star Chef Jacques Le Divelec (Le Divelec restaurant, Paris).
He then ran the Mediterranean themed restaurant Luna in Shanghai; Equinox, Jaan, and New Asia Bar and Grill-three Swisshotel restaurants; as well as the Stamford, Raffles, and The Plaza, in Singapore.
He returned to Manila and opened several restaurants, including Museum Café and Chelsea Market and Café. He has worked with some of Manila's leading hotels, including Sofitel Philippine Plaza), Shangri-la Edsa, New World Hotel, and Peninsula Manila.
Northern exposure
On Oct. 20-22, Tour Flair will have a Vigan /Ilocos Norte Food Safari where guests will explore this region in northern Luzon by flying to Laoag and staying at the restored 19th-century Filipino-Spanish village of Sitio Remedios by the South China Sea in Currimao.
Guests will get to see sites such as the famous Paoay Church and Bell Tower and Batac. A tour of the heritage city of Vigan will include lunch at an ancestral home and a superb colonial dinner.
"Chef Sau will be with us and will prepare his version of Ilocano cuisine with local chefs for a fabulous dinner at Sitio Remedios, she says.
Future Food Safari tours are being planned for Tagaytay, Bulacan, and the Bicol Region. Tour Flair has tours to Baguio and Banaue Rice Terraces; Amanpulo; Batanes; El Nido, Palawan; Boracay; and Bataan. Tour Flair is managed by sisters Teresa "Dinty" Barredo-Keating and Mindy Barredo Perez-Rubio with Lory Vi Valdes.
Tour Flair's Pampanga Food Safari is on Aug. 15 and Sept. 19; its Vigan Food Safari will be on Oct. 20-22. Contact +632-736-3883 or +63917-530-6090 (Philippines), +1-650-366-4869(USA) and +1-300-104-174 (Australia) or email tourflair@gmail.com or visit tourflair.com.
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