Iloilo City in the Philippines is renowned for its rich food culture, making it a popular destination for tourists who delight in culinary exploration.

Recently, Savoy Hotel Manila launched its inaugural Ilonggo degustation dinner, titled "Ilonggo Culinary Treasures," on March 14 in Pasay City. The hotel hosted a special seven-course meal expertly paired with a selection of Barefoot wines.

The event highlighted the culinary artistry of two chefs from Megaworld Hotels and Resorts: Chef Kit Carpio of Savoy Hotel Manila and Chef Ariel Castaneda of Richmonde Hotel Iloilo. The two chefs collaborated to create a dinner that showcases the essence of Iloilo’s culinary tradition presented in a contemporary manner.

Manila Bulletin Lifestyle asked the chefs how they collaborated to serve the Ilonggo degustation dinner. “It’s really knowing the team. Knowing the capacity and knowing the produce that we have. I think understanding the ingredients and the people you work with will give you a better perspective on how to go about the collaboration," Chef Ariel Castaneda shared. 

"First is the common ground. So we know the techniques. And we both know about Iloilo cuisine. So why not bring it to Manila? To encourage visitors to Iloilo because Iloilo just won the title of oldest heritage cuisine in the Philippines," Chef Kit Carpio also shared.

We started with the Kusahos na Tapa, served on a piece of crostini. Kusahos is a type of beef tapa made in the Ilonggo style. The next dish, Abregana Kinilaw, features fresh mahi-mahi slices, Guimaras mango, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions, fish skin chicharon, jalapeño slices, calamansi caviar, and flying fish roe, all dressed in tuba vinaigrette with a drizzle of Libas oil.

The third-course meal includes two additional small dishes: the Inasal Taco and Linutik. The inasal taco consists of sliced chicken inasal between a crispy taco shell made with garlic fried rice. It's topped with Ilonggo barbecue sauce, soy pearls, leeks, pickled vegetables, and calamansi aioli for extra flavor. Meanwhile, the linutik is a traditional Ilonggo squash or kalabasa soup. The two chefs created a more modern take on the dish.

A tasty version of rice porridge called Pinaksiw na Linugaw, made with sticky rice sautéed with smoked pork, is served alongside crispy pata paksiw and fried banana blossoms. Meanwhile, Pinangat, a thermidor prawn served with a purée made from pinangat (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk), is accompanied by flakes of young taro leaves, toasted coconut, and crispy shallots.

Between courses, a palate cleanser called Batuan Granita was served. Batuan is a sour fruit commonly used in Western Visayas to add tanginess to dishes like kansi.

The fifth dish was Karne Frita, similar to bistek Tagalog. It includes slices of sous vide butter-aged ribeye served with karne frita au jus, caramelized onions, a 64°C egg, and potato pave.

For dessert, there's Sampaguita ice cream and sampaguita polvoron with calamansi curd drizzle and calamansi zest.

The final course is a Tablea Burnt Cheesecake with toasted pinasugbo (fried banana slices with caramelized sugar and sesame seeds) coulis, topped with freshly shaved tultul artisanal salt from Guimaras, a neighboring island province of Iloilo.