Top production designer Dez Bautista, who owns Art of the Colonies, with Mila Enriquez, the country’s foremost food historian and co-author of the book "Bulakeña," designed the concept of the culinary festival. Both consultants are linked, if not direct descendants of luminaries in Bulacan’s history. Enriquez’ husband is a descendant of General Gregorio del Pilar’s aide-de-camp, while Bautista is a descendant of the aide-de-camp of General Emilio Aguinaldo.

The five-day lunch buffets are as follows:

Banquete de la Republika, which tenders cuisine served during the inauguration of the first Philippine Constitutional Republic in Malolos. Consisting mainly of native Bulakeño cuisine, the inaugural menu was given a French flair by Pedro Paterno and friends who wrote it in French. Dishes include Buttered radish, Holland salmon, chicken giblet ala Tagalle (Adobo), Fillet of fish a la chateaubriand with green French beans, Mutton chops a la papillote with potatoes, and strawberry jelly, among others.

Mesa de Hacienda dates back to the Galleon Trade with Mexico, when the economic boom shifted from Intramuros to the towns that produced abaca, rope, tobacco, indigo, coffee, and principally, sugar for export. Thus, Vigan, Lipa, lloilo, Naga and Malolos evolved from pueblos, to urbanized centers that prided in the bahay na bato. In a bid to prove that it had European urbanity and taste. The table of the ilustrado shifted from a fare of paksiw and sinigang, to turkeys and truffles. Offerings include ensaladang Tagalog, kinilaw na talaba, burong mangga, sizzling usa, itik bukid, tinanglad na manok, bibingkang malagkit.

"The First Banquet" pertains to the Spaniards’ first taste of native cuisine as chronicled by Italian Antonio Pigafetta. Rajah Humabon tendered a seafood feast for Magellan, probably served on a dulang or low table, in which guests sat on reed mats (banig), with their legs folded. Items on the menu are kilawin tangigue sa gata, prawns kinilaw, oysters kinilaw, tangigue sinigang sa mangga, apahap, and daing na lapu-lapu, among others.

"A Filipino Table in Paris" shows dishes of Filipino origins or adaptations of the "Filipino palate bred on Hispanic cooking". In Paris, such cuisines were comfort to the homesick Indios Bravos, among who were: Juan Luna, Resurreccion Hidalgo, Pedro Paterno, and Isabel Tuazon. Some of the dishes are atchara de manila, calabacines (cabbage) with ham and chicharon, Arroz a la Valenciana, Paksiw de Bulacan, Carne mechado con jamon, and merenge.

Mesa de Lipa conjures the cuisine of Lipa, Batangas. In the 19th century, Lipa became the sole supplier of coffee to Europe. Grandeur, decadence, whispers of gold suppers and plates emanated from the grand bahay na bato of the coffee planters, from which came the banquet theme, "Pasasalamat sa Kape". The dishes includes, Prawns cooked with champagne, Sopa de la reina, Pastel de pichon, Lengua Sevillana, Morcon, Favo trufado stuffed with ground pork, raw ham, egg yolks, pate and truffles, and yema.

Century Park Hotel’s

Ilokano Food Festival

The Century Park Hotel Manila together with the local government of San Fernando, La Union celebrates an Ilokano Festival entitled "Mangan Tayon."

The festival launched last May 11, will last up to the 22nd of the month. Last Wednesday night the festival began with a cultural show at the Atrium of the said hotel, gracing the show was San Fernando La Union’s Millenium Choir with their Ilokano folk songs like Pamulinawen, and Manang Biday, among others. Immediately after the show participants proceeded to the Café at the Park Restaurant where a taste of Ilokano’s gastronomic prides were offered, the Binudburan, which is glutinous rice and Basi, a rice wine. The dinner’s appetizer was composed of kinilaw na kambing, kinilaw na isda and dinakdakann, which is an Ilokano version of sisig served with tomato slices and lato (sea weed).

The wide choices for the main course included the bagnet, the crispy deep-fried pork, pinakbet, adobo, grilled fish, and others aside from the usual food offered in the restaurant’s buffet.