Take a culinary journey around the country at Islas Pinas

There’s a new Filipino food and culture hub in the metro that showcases the best in Filipino food, handicraft, heritage and culture.

Welcome to Islas Pinas, a food and heritage village, which recently opened on the ground floor of DoubleDragon Plaza at DD Meridian Park, Bay Area in Pasay City.

The 2,500-square meter is a great representation of what Pinas has to offer, but also gives guests a crash course in Philippine food and history.

“It was definitely a challenge cramming the whole Philippines into a 2,500-quare meter commercial space,” said Lara Fernandez-Barrios, design principal and founding architect of Larawan Ink. “We just couldn’t show everything the country has to offer so we decided to feature elements that would be easily recognizable and relatable.”

DoubleDragon Properties Corp. president Ferdinand Sia

Inside the massive hall, you’ll find an ampitheater/entertainment area that is patterned after the Ifugao rice terraces, a life-size bahay kubo, a replica of Ilocos’ Calle Crisologo, an authentic Sarao jeepney, a sari-sari store, a panaderya that sells pan de regla, Spanish bread, different kinds of kakanin, among others; a “Chocolate Hills” wall garden, national symbols like the okie carvings and the wooden balangay boat; and a footbridge where  street food vendors peddle their products. And given its proximity to airport terminals, Islas Pinas makes for an ideal stopover for foreign visitors and the balikbayans.

“We took a space which would traditionally be your run-of-the-mill food park and created what would hopefully be a landmark in our country,” enthused Hannah Yulo, chief investment officer, DoubleDragon, during Islas Pinas launch.

Island eats

Food wise, the menu, which was curated by Asia’s Best Female Chef 2016 Margarita Fores, showcases our rich history and culture — marrying both the richness of Filipino cuisine, as well as the biodiversity of our landscape.

“We are incredibly honored to have Margarita Fores as our partner,” enthused Yulo. “Because in our books, there is no better ambassadress of Filipino cuisine than you.”

To which, Fores replied: “Islas Pinas is a dream project for me.

Filipino cuisine is a wonderful cuisine with so many influences —  Spanish, the Chinese, and, in some aspects, the Japanese and the Americans — all of which have contributed to modern-day Filipino food. To be able to do something that showcases everything — from Batanes to Jolo — in a great way is definitely an honor. And that’s what we want to here at Islas Pinas,” shared Fores.

The food kiosks at Islas Pinas aren’t manned by the country’s top chefs. Instead, Fores and her team tapped home cooks from all over the Philippines to build the menu because “the best Filipino food comes from the households.”

Larawan Ink founding architect and design principal Lara Fernandez Barrios with Double-Dragon Properties Corp. chief investment officer Hannah Yulo, chef Margarita Fores

To realize her concept, Fores asked the help of regional chefs to share their province’s specialties and delicacies. Among them were Ilonggo chef Rafael “Tibong” Jardeleza who was present during the launch, and Ige Ramos of Cavite.

 “Islas Pinas is a venue to help our farmers, artisan producers and home cooks. For example, we asked a Marano cook to teach us how to cook beef rending and pianggang. Soon, diners can expect a wider selection of regional cuisines,” Fores enthused.

The food and heritage village, which can accommodate 700 diners, is divided into five categories: Sinag, Alamat, Bilao, Tusok-Tusok, Pampang and Panaderya.

• Sinag, which means “ray of light” in Filipino, offers all-day Filipino breakfast fare such as tapsilog (tapa, sinangang, itlog); pares; daing na bangus; and  batchoy, an Ilonggo noodle soup.

• Alamat (legend) tells the story of the different regions of the country through its regional dishes such as balbacua in Mindanao, Cebu lechonand humba in the Visayas; and poqui-poqui and sisig in Luzon.

Bilao is coined after the woven winnowing basket where comfort snacks like pansit and puto are usually served.

Inihaw na tuna and pork barbecue at the Tusok-Tusok station

Panaderya offers neighborhood bakery favorites we all grew up with such as pan de sal, Spanish bread, pan de regal and kalihim.

Tusok-tusok features street foods like barbecue, isaw and kwek-kwek (fried quail eggs).

Pampang houses seafood and guests can also choose meat cooked to their preference.

During the launch, we feasted on Ilonggo eats such as batchoy, KBL (kadyos, baboy, langka) and pansit molo served by chef Tibong Jardeleza.

Other food choices include, beef rendang, Bicol’s laing, bulalo ng Batangas, Maranao’s beef rendang, danggit and longganisang Cebu, Tuguegarao’s pansit batil patung, among others. We also enjoyed making tusok-tusok the fish balls and kwek-kwek.

Fores assured the authenticity and freshness of the food. She also said that the menu changes every day.

Vigan longganisa

“Here, the gulay (vegetables) would not be overcooked and the seafood would be moist and fresh. What we want to do is to share the best of the Philippines to all Filipinos, and yes, the world. We want something attainable and affordable — nothing intimidating,” Fores enthused.

Fores and her team hope to get locals, especially tourists, to appreciate Islas Pinas by “highlighting the best of the Philippines” in a place where there is a high concentration of tourists.” There’s even a souvenir shop that sells handicrafts and local food products.

Islas Pinas is not only a gastronomic destination for Filipinos. It’s also a reminder what makes the brown race unique and what it truly means to be Pinoy!

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Islas Pinas is on the ground floor of DoubleDragon Plaza, at DD Meridian Park, Bay Area in Pasay City.