Kultura brings the Philipines to TO

For the second year in a row I attended the Kultura Filipino Arts Festival on Sunday August 7, 2016 at Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto.  

It is in it's 11th year though and has grown from a small BBQ in Kensington Market.


This year it moved from Yonge and Dundas Square to more space at Nathan Phillips Square.  It’s a festival of Filipino foods, arts, crafts and music with a marketplace of local vendors.

There are a lot of stereotypes about Filipino food and the Filipino community, I know because I have heard them from a few people.  I have been to a couple of Filipino restaurants for Blogger dinners and both were very different experiences.  One was traditional and one was modern. Both were incredibly hospitable and the food was very distinct.

Although there was a lot more room I think there were a few less food vendors.  It was a very hot day with a high UV sun rate and I was wearing black so I only sampled the 4 dishes that were up for an award in the Chef Challenge because I was too hot to stay longer.  They are all $3 dishes that each vendor creates to make an affordable bite of food for the attendees.  With a passport you receive when you purchase food tickets you are then able to choose which Chefs dish you preferred.

The list of participating vendors and their dishes were:

KANTO by Tita Flips (Reigning Champ): Cabcab (Cassava Wafers) (bottom left)
LAMESA Filipino Kitchen: Pork Neck Inasal (top left)
MERIENDA: Pandesal with Ube Cream Glaze and Coconut Jam (bottom right)
TITO RON’S: Filipino Spaghetti Hotdog (top right)

I had to wait a really long time for the Cabcab because they couldn’t get their fryer to work but in the end that was my favourite bite.  The flavours were great and worked very well together.

There are a lot more Filipino restaurants in the city but the participants were some of the most popular and well known around the Filipino community and experienced in the street festival world too.  One of the longest lines was at Kanto for the popular rice, egg and meat dish.  I guess the only full meal available but they had a hard time keeping up with orders.  They also make the tasty Turon which is plantain wrapped in wonton wrappers and fried and coated in a caramel sauce. I have had these before and they are really yummy.

 It's over for this year but I hope it returns with more vendors next year and you have a chance to try the food but you don't have to wait a whole year because Lamesa has a restaurant on Queen Street West, Tito Ron's has a spot in Kensington Market, Marienda is located in the quickly growing Filipino community at Bathurst and Wilson and Kanto is located on Dundas St. West.

I'm sorry I can't write about the rest of the vendors and the entertainment at the festival.  I was pretty focused on the thing I know best....the Food.

If you haven't tried Filipino food then take the opportunity to go out to one of these restaurants and sample a few things and decide for yourself what Filipino food is.

UPDATE:   LAMESA wins the Street Food Chef Challenge with their Pork Neck Inasal and they also win a trip to the Phillipines.  Congratulations Lamesa team.

A taste of Casa Manila

Last night I felt like I took a trip to Manila for one night.  I joined fellow food bloggers once again for a media tasting at Casa Manila on York Mills at Don Mills in North York.  Immediately when you walk in you are greeted the way you might be into someone's home for a family gathering.  The space is larger than you would expect and it is decorated with art brought from Manila and the chairs and some decor are made of bamboo which invokes a real island feel in the space.

We were welcomed by the very animated and excited Mila who is the owner and brainchild of Casa Manila.  She is very passionate about explaining all of the dishes and their origins and the ingredients and the quality of the food.  Her goal in the restaurant was to provide Filipino Food that is authentic for the sorely lacking choice of Filipino food in Toronto.  There have been a few restaurants pop up with Filipino food, one is a modern version on Queen Street and there are some smaller less fancy places around the Bathurst and Wilson Area but this space is designed to make you feel like you are celebrating a special occasion with your Filipino relatives back home as they say.

We were invited to participate in Kamayan style dinner.  It translates into "eat with your hands".  The food is served on a bamboo leaf covered table and the food is placed on the table.  No utensils except for wooden spoons to grab the rice and the items placed at the centre of the table.  Only dishes of various dipping sauces and of course carved out coconuts for drinking were the only dish and glassware provided.  Imagine a Filipino Luau and that's what it's like to dine this way.

Mila invited a group of food bloggers to sample this feast because she is launching their own brand of dipping sauces and cooking sauces.  She wanted us to experience the whole dinner as an event and try the sauces in context. She has plans to expand her business by looking to wholesale her products and get them into people's home kitchens and also commercial kitchens.  The sauce flavours include a Savoury Peanut Sauce, Creamy Coconut Ginger and Adobo Sauces.  You can pick them up in their restaurant but Mila is looked for grocery store placement.

We ate and drank a whole lot of very authentic and beautifully flavoured food.  The drinks available to us were a really refreshing Calamansi (a Filipino lime) Mojito, Sansi a root beer, Royal an orange drink and San Miguel Beer.

The food included Sinigang Baka (Beef Tamarind Soup) which was so delicious with an array of vegetables it had a balance of sweet, sour and spicy.  I loved this soup.

The appetizer was a Chicharon Manok and Atchara, instead of pork they deep fried chicken skin and served it with a pickled green papaya and garlic aoili.   Crunchy goood.

The Kamayan included:

1. Rice
2. Tinuhog na Manok which are chicken skewers and dipping sauces.
3. Inihaw Baka, thinly slices beef ribs with Coconut ginger sauce.
4. Lechon Kawali, Crispy Pork Belly
5. Flying Talapia, a deep fried whole fish.
6. Hilaw Manga Insalada, a green mango salad with jicamas, tomato, red and green onions, served with shrimp paste.

For Dessert Mila brought out a huge trifle bowl filled with Halo Halo (Mix Mix). This is a shaved ice that has over a dozen different things that are mixed in including: sweet beans, custard, purple yam, puffed rice and assorted fruits.

There were a lot of very stuffed food bloggers that rolled out of Casa Manila last night.  I am sure the other patrons must of thought we were all nuts because we all Foodarazzi'd every dish that came out by pouncing on them with our cameras and smart phones all the while Mila was explaining everything.

This is what the blogger aftermath looked like.  We were fully entertained and stuffed and I am sure a lot of us will go back and take our friends for special occasions for this feast again soon.  

You don't have to go there for a feast only,  the have lovely regular family meals and they deliver within the Toronto area and willing to deliver as far as Barrie with an extra delivery charge.

If you ever dreamed about visiting the Phillipines but couldn't afford to then visit
Casa Manila at 879 York Mills Road, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M3B 1Y5
P: 416-443-9654
E. info@casamanila.ca
W. casamanila.ca
F Casa Manila Restaurant
T/I @casaManilaTO
P Casa ManilaTO