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Philippine Food Festival was CRAP. Rating at a 5 out of 10 (maybe even a 4 out of ten). Around 100 people turned up. This Filipino Food festival wasn't great. The food was bland, dry and very mild in taste. Here's what the flyer claimed the meal was to be: "Enjoy tantalising South East Asian cuisine rich in exotic flavours, specially created by Michel Le Teuff, who will be our guest Executive Chef for this Festival. Chef Le Teuff joins us from the prestigious Travel Cafe Philippines, Makati City. Luscious dishes bursting with flavour will bring the essence of the Philippines to the Grace Brasserie." So where is the "tantilising" tastes we were promised Chef Le Teuff? Where are the "exotic flavours" and luscious dishes?

At AUD$45 a head at this buffet meal we were expecting much more from an international imported chef. I wasn't even "full" (busog). Compare this with a really tasty meal at Dampa in Paranaque (which is just a stone's throw away from the international airport). We were able to feed three people there for only $40. Or how about the masarap (tasty) lechon from cebu?. Hell we fed 5 people for only AUD$15 and we were soooo full then. Perhaps we should have just ate at one of my usual restaurants near UTS or just venture to Newtown for some exotic tastes from all the Thai food out there.

The first photo above is my first dish from the Philippine Food Festival Sydney buffet: There was Sotanghon which is a vegetable soup (with prawn) - the soup was good. Bistek with Calamsi - was REALLY dry and tasteless - even the Bistek from Jolibee is better. Egg Noodle was ok - nothing spectacular. Paella wasn't even hot. Fish served with light batter was ok... again nothing spectacular. Chicken Adobo wasn't even warm - the taste was very mild for an adobo - I wouldn't even call it an abodo... The photo below is of Okra salad (ok, nothing great). Kilawin was ok - ate a lot of that. Lumpia was not crispy - I think they precooked it too early. Tokwa at Baboy - Tofu and Pork was ok. The last photo is the dessert... For the dessert dish it was self-serve halo-halo and sweet sago. They ran out of the other dishes and didn't replenish them. NOT HAPPY.

The SAMPLE menu for the Philippine Food Festival Sydney:

Appetisers & Salads

• Deep fried lukban longaniza sausage with habhab noodles
• Fried spring rolls stuffed Laguna cheese & water spinach sisig (crispy pork with chilli)
• Green mango, tomato, onion, red eggs & bagoong alamang (with fish anchovy)
• Crispy ukoy (sweet potato & shrimp fritter
• Tokwa baboy (pork with bean curd soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, cucumber & tomato salad
• Fresh lumpia ubod (heart of coconut spring rolls
• Insaladang talong (eggplant salad)

Soup

• Bulalo with fresh corn and pechay (beef bone marrow with bok choi and fresh corn)

Sides

• Pancit lug log (rice noodles with annatto seafood sauce)
• Steamed rice
• Assorted pan de sal (crusty salted bread rolls)

Main Courses

• Sugpo sa gata with buko (prawns simmered in coconut milk)
• Chicken apritada (chicken braised in tomato sauce)
• Bagnet (deep fried pork belly)
• Lengua estofada (Ox tounge in sweet soy sauce)
• Beef ampalaya (shredded beef with bitter gourd)

Desserts

• Turon de saba (sweet banana plantain & jackfruit spring rolls
• Sago gulaman (tapioca with gelatin in syrup)
• Taisan kapampanga (butter chiffon cake)
• Palitaw (sweet rice cake with fresh grated coconut)
• Mango rum butter cream cake
• Flan co meringue (egg custard flan with meringue
• Pastel de langka (jackfruit tart)
• Coconut macaroon
• Fresh fruit

Their press release:

Come and celebrate Filipino culture via your tastebuds at The Filipino Food Festival, opening on Wednesday 11 June at The Grace Hotel in Sydney. Guest chefs from The Travel Café Philippines in Manila, the Philippines dynamic capital city, are preparing specially designed Filipino fare.

In the Philippines dining out for tanghalían (lunch) or hapúnan (dinner) with family and friends is a favourite pastime. Blessed with a melting pot of cultures, the Filipino cuisine is a wonderful blending of eastern and western cuisines. The chefs from The Travel Café Philippines will tempt guests with some of their favourite dishes.

The Filipino Food Festival is a perfect opportunity to experience the culture, colour, spice and style of this delicious international cuisine. An extensive buffet lunch and dinner will be served at The Grace Hotel from Wednesday 11 June until Sunday 22 June (lunch). The cost is only $35 for lunch per person daily except for Sunday when the cost is $45 per person. The buffet dinner is $45 per person.

Favourites on offer may include such delights as:

• as the Filipino Triolet (leche flan topped with macapuno, turon in mango sauce, and suman with coconut)
• the Saranganni Classic (Bangus or milkfish)
• Mackerel Ceviche (a Spanish favourite)

The Travel Café Philippines is a concept developed by Philippines Tourism to introduce the cuisine to potential visitors with establishments currently in Manila, Tokyo, New Delhi, Seoul, Shanghai, San Francisco, and plans are underway to open in Australia.

Experience the delicious flavours of the authentic cuisine of the Philippines – 11th to 22nd June 2008.

Enjoy tantalizing South East Asian cuisine rich in exotic flavours, specially created by Chef Michel Le Teuff, who will be our guest Executive Chef for this Festival. Chef Le Teuff joins us from the prestigious Travel Café Philippines, Makati City.

Delicious influences from East and West will unite for a true explosion of flavour as Chef Le Teuff creates sumptuous traditional Filipino fare with a twist.

Luscious dishes bursting with flavour will bring the essence of the Philippines to the Grace Brasserie.

Where: Grace Brasserie, Level 2
Lunch Buffet: Monday to Friday for only $35pp & Sunday $45pp
Dinner Buffet: Friday & Saturday for only $45pp

Bookings are essential and can be made by phoning The Grace Hotel: (02) 9272 6636 or email: food.festival@gracehotel.com.au

Sposored by ABS-CBN Global, Department of Trade and Industry, Qantas, Department of Tourism, Philippines, Travel Cafe Philippines.

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