Feast of flavors

The idea is to bring restaurants from different areas of the mall to the Grand Atrium to present a feast for the senses.

very year in November, just before the serious holiday rush begins, Shangri-La Plaza mall holds its annual Gourmet Fest to treat mall-goers to a feast of the palate and give them a taste of what the restaurants in the mall have to offer without making them spend too much. After all, there are so many restaurants in a mall waiting to be discovered but, unfortunately, quite a lot of diners gravitate towards brands that they know and cuisines that they are accustomed to. So some restaurants never get their much-deserved opportunity to make it big even if their food is awesome.

What Shangri-La Plaza does is level the playing field, put restaurants together in one strategic place for a limited period, make these restaurants serve their signature dishes at discounted prices and let diners have not just a taste of what they would have otherwise missed out on but also give them the avenue to create new favorites. The idea is to bring restaurants from different areas of the mall to the Grand Atrium to present a feast for the senses, tiangge-style. Each restaurant occupies a booth, which stand side by side with the others, and sell only its specialties in sampler portions and at a discounted rate so that mall-goers can have a taste of what appeals to their senses. Because the portions are smaller and the prices are slashed off, people get to enjoy more food and drinks and really savor value for their money.

This year’s Gourmet Fest was an astounding success, as it presented an eclectic array of cuisines that sent whiffs of wonderful freshly cooked and freshly baked aroma into the air, sizzled on the grill, sparkled with lovely color combinations, and satiated hunger pangs and thirst like no other.

LEMONGRASS’ spread of Fresh Spring Rolls, Chicken in Pandan Leaves, Pork Satay, Chinese Misua and more.

Representing hearty European flavors were Balboa for Italian pastas to risottos and Pezzo for pizza, Wobbly Pan for rich Spanish cuisine, Spatzle for rosti (Swiss potato dish), Brotzeit for German beers and sausages, and La Mère Poulard for French food and cookies.

For American comfort food, there were Kettle for a plate of crispy Southern fried chicken, Tender Bob’s for burgers, Yellow Cab for New York-inspired pizza, and Pepi Cubano for a quick bite of Cuban sandwich.

Diners who preferred Asian flavors had good choices from Ganso Shabuway for Japanese shabu-shabu, Kimukatsu for crispy, deep-fried but tender pork cutlets, Akira for delightful maki and rice bowls, SumoSam for a whole range of Japanese favorites, Zao for a modern spin on Vietnamese delicacies, Thai BBQ for flavorful Thai noodles, Lemongrass for satay and other Asian favorites, and Arya Persian Restaurant for authentic Persian kebab.

For Filipino food, diners tried out the food of Via Mare for a wide range of Filipino favorites, Fiesta Alamexo for fusions of Filipino and Tex-Mex dishes like bagnet served with Cajun potato fries, Corazon for Spanish-Filipino cuisine, as well as Bread, Broth and Beyond for homemade Filipino, Asian and fusion café and deli food.

Taking care of the meal-enders were La Creperie for light and freshly made crepes, Yi Fang for milk tea variations, Figaro and Bo’s Coffee Primo for coffee and EDSA Shangri-La Hotel Bakeshop for delicious breads.

But while the four-day Gourmet Fest 2019 may have already ended, the Shangri-La Plaza is still running a promo until 16 February 2020. Diners with a P2,500 purchase at the Shang have a chance to win a brand-new Jaguar F-Pace Prestige by presenting official receipt for validation at the Concierge Counters to redeem raffle coupons. These Concierge Counters are located at Level 1 of the Main Wing near Lush and Level 1 of the East Wing near Gucci.