THE public was able to travel the world last weekend as international flavors gathered at Shangri-La Plaza’s Grand Atrium for the launch of the second annual Gourmet Fest, underscoring the upscale leisure destination as the go-to place for restaurant-goers looking to delight the palate with global cuisine.
If 2017 saw the event carry the Mid-Autumn Festival theme, focused mainly on Chinese delicacies, this year it is World of Wine highlighting European, American and Asian scrummies from 23 retail partners.
Gourmet Fest or not, the mall is where people can discover the delicious. Brotzeit, diners can enjoy an authentic German culinary experience, while Pasto offers a taste of signature Italian dishes. Rich Hispanic flavors comes to life at Spanish bistro Wobbly Pan, where guests can indulge in tapas, paellas and more, while Balboa fuses American dining with Italian cuisine. Both restaurants, by the way, can be found exclusively at Shangri-La Plaza. For those looking for something sweet and light, Paper Moon’s crepe cakes and La Creperie’s famous crepes are a must-try, and for a solid pick-me-up of caffeine and more, there’s Figaro or Bo’s Coffee Primo.
Discover Asian favorites with a twist prepared by Teppanyaki chefs at Akira, and there are grill masters at SumoSam for a different Japanese dining experience. Foodies will also enjoy Zao, which offers a taste of Vietnam, and take delight in Arya’s Persian cuisine, as well.
Spice things up at Thai BBQ and Pepper Lunch, or warm up with a bowl or two of hotpot dishes at Ganso Shabuway. Meanwhile, Shi Lin’s xiao long bao soup dumplings remain to be a crowd hit. Those looking for more familiar fare will savor the all-American offerings of Kettle, Epicurious and Tender Bob’s, as well as authentic Cuban sandwiches at Pepi Cubano. There’s also pizza offerings with a decided twist at California Pizza Kitchen, and mouthwatering seafood scrummies from Red Crab.
Meanwhile, at this year’s Gourmet Fest, budding cooks and emerging foodies got first dibs with the launch of the Metro Kitchen Series (organized by Metro Channel) on October 20. Inspired by the interplay of Filipino and Spanish flavors, culinary stars Chefs Sandy Daza and Robby Goco, as well as Wobbly Pan’s Chef Rolando de Gracia, showcased their mad kitchen skills and their superb flavors.
“We always look forward to gathering our roster of restaurants to show mall guests that The Shang is the go-to destination for the best food in town,” said Lala Fojas, executive vice president and general manager of Shangri-La Plaza.
According to her, the idea behind the food fest was fueled by two reasons: “The first one is that we Filipinos love dining and our social lives revolve around food. Second, our retail partners in the food and beverage category, they actually offer a wide array of sumptuous and flavorful cuisine, so we’d like to be able to give them support and say our thank you for being with us.” The food stall showcase of Gourmet Fest may have concluded, but the festival’s dining promo runs until November 18, where shoppers get a chance to win a trip for two to Singapore via Singapore Airlines with hotel accommodations and Singapore Explorer Pass Tickets. With a minimum spend of P500, they get one raffle coupon.
When asked about the events currently lined up in Shangri-La Plaza, with a special emphasis on the theme for the mall’s grand-size Christmas tree this Yuletide season, Forjas said: “On October 27 and 28, we’ll have our Spooktacular Halloween Festival. As for the Christmas tree, well, it’s going to be fantastic and you have to wait until you see it.”