Taste of the Philippines, a series of culinary collaborations headed by Filipino-themed buffet restaurant Guevarra's by Chef Laudico, is back for another edition.
This year, Chef Jac Laudico joined forces with 2024 James Beard Emerging Voice Award winner Chef Abi Balingit to offer classic sweets with a new twist at the San Juan restaurant.
Three Filipino-American desserts from Chef Abi's debut cookbook, "Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed," are joining Guevarra's buffet selection for a month.
Chef Abi said that her Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies is her most popular recipe from her cookbook, automatically making it one of the chosen dessert items for the collaboration.
Some of the ingredients needed for the cookies are bay leaf, soy sauce, and pink peppercorn.
"It was a fun challenge for me, but also, it came about so easily. I was a little bit surprised but so happy that it worked out," Chef Abi told GMA News Online.
Chef Abi's Halo-Halo Baked Alaska is also part of the offerings, which is an ice cream cake with many familiar layers.
It consists of coconut sponge cake, shaved frozen evaporated milk with jackfruit, halo-halo mix, mango and ube ice cream, topped with torched meringue.
Completing the collaboration is Chef Abi's Thai Tea Kutsinta.
"It basically has all the brown sugar flavors of a traditional kutsinta but the water that it's made with is steeped with Thai tea, so there's lots of different spices and a bit more exciting color. In form, it looks like a more traditional kutsinta, but the flavor is slightly different, and I think I like that about it because it surprises people," she said.
Chef Abi's reimagined Filipino desserts will be available in Guevarra's by Chef Laudico for the entire month of March. Buffet rates range from P599 to P879.
It is located at 387 P. Guevarra Street cor Argonne St. 1500 San Juan.
—MGP, GMA Integrated News
2 weeks ago
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