10 Coconut-Infused Creations in Coco Fest 2017

Resorts World Manila restaurants, including those from Newport Mall, goes ‘loco’ over ‘coco’ as they welcome the summer season with Coco Fest 2017.

A celebration of coconut-inspired dishes apt for the hot season, Coco Fest gathers the best coco-infused creations from different restaurants under the RWM wing.

Why Not Coconut?

Called the “Tree of Life” in the Philippines, the coconut tree actually has many uses even beyond the juice and the fruit itself. From its husk to the leaves, the bark, and even the roots, they all go to good use. It’s a versatile tree indeed!

With that in mind, every day until the end of May, RWM signature restaurants and Newport Mall dining outlets will thrill your taste buds with an assortment of coconut-infused dishes in a culinary celebration of this quintessentially Filipino flavor.

Guests and diners can get a taste of island cuisines from Impressions, Ginzadon, Passion, The Terrace, Café Maxims, Bar 360, and Victoria Harbour Café, as well as popular restaurants like Johnny Kahuku, UCC, Mr. Kurosawa and Johnny Chow.

Here are 10 creations to choose from Coco Fest 2017 :

1. Pomelo Salad with Coconut Thai Dressing by Johnny Chow 

   

   • Starting our meal in a good note is Johnny Chow’s Pomelo Salad sprinkled  with a flavorful coconut Thai dressing. It was a refreshing take as we don’t usually have coconut dressing for our salads in the Philippines.

2. Coco Salmon with Ube Puree and Curry Tuille by Impressions 

   

   • Adding a Filipino flourish to the traditionally European dishes of Impressions is the Coco Salmon with Ube Puree and Curry Tuile – a seared salmon filet rests on a bed of mashed ‘ube‘ (taro) and coco foam sauce, topped crispy tuile curry.
   • I have to say that this is the first time i’ve seen a combination of salmon and taro in one dish. 🙂

3. Coconut Piña Colada Pork Ribs by The Terrace at Maxims Hotel 

   

   • The Terrace takes your summer barbecue to the next level with its Coconut Piña Colada Pork Ribs – a juicy, fork tender ribs covered in tropical barbecue sauce  with hints of tangy pineapples and sweet coconuts.

4. Coconut Milk Rice with Chicken Curry at Victoria Harbour Café 

   •  Located at RWM’s Gaming Area, the Coconut Milk Rice with Chicken Curry is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf.
   • (Photo at the bottom of this article – 4th to the last)

5. Coconut Macaroons and Keso Buko Pie by Cafe Maxims 

   

   

   • Café Maxims’ pastry chefs balance out their rich sweetness of buko pie with the lightly salty taste of cheese by weaving in finely grated cheese on the pie
   • On the other hand, the macaroons were flavorful and rich as well.

6. Sweet Corn and Coconut Cake by Passion 

   

   • Passion’s Sweet Corn and Coconut Cake is a delicious combination of Filipino and Chinese flavors. I think it’s safe to say that it is very much like ‘Maja‘, a well-loved Filipino gel-like soft dessert.

7. Biko Roll by Ginzadon 

   

   • In a nod to the typical Asian’s love for rice, Ginzadon – RWM’s Korean and Japanese restaurant, has created a tri-color sweet glutinous rice roll with coco jam and roasted desiccated coconut.
   • Simply called ‘Biko‘, this is another famous Filipino dessert which has a lot of similar variants across SouthEast Asian neighboring countries.

8. Coconut Dreamboat Dessert by Mr. Kurosawa 

   

   We love the Coconut Dreamboat Dessert by Mr. Kurosawa for its soft center supported by a solid base. The coconut shavings on top adds the interesting texture.

9. Coco Mango Cake by UCC Cafe Terrace 

   

10. Coco Loco Ala Mode by Johnny Kahuku 

It was Halo-Halo which first came to my mind as it had native beans as ingredients, among others, and a scoop of ice cream on top. However, it doesn’t have shaved ice and it had a mochi ball in it. An interesting twist from what Filipinos may be used to. 🙂

See photo at bottom of this article (last photo).

Seats For Two Thumbs UP!

All these savory and sweet dishes will open up your senses to the versatility of coconut as a cooking ingredient.

Seats For Two recommends highly the following which gets a #SeatsForTwoThumbsUP :

From the Savory Dishes, our Top 3 are:

1. Coco Salmon with Ube Puree and Curry Tuille by Impressions 
2. Coconut Milk Rice with Chicken Curry by Victoria Harbour Café
3. Pomelo Salad with Coconut Thai Dressing by Johnny Chow

From the Sweet Desserts, our Top 3 are:

1. Coconut Dreamboat Dessert by Mr. Kurosawa 
2. Sweet Corn and Coconut Cake by Passion 
3. Keso Buko Pie by Cafe Maxims

But wait, there’s 1 more! Completing the list a set of drinks called Mabuhay Cocktails (Lambanog Based Drinks) by Bar 360 . It livens-up these fresh concoctions made with the versatile and iconic Filipino liquor called ‘Lambanog‘ – a Pinoy coconut liquor.

It comes in 3 variants called ‘Juan Dela Cruz‘, ‘Alab Ng Puso‘, and ‘Perlas Ng Silanganan‘. All costs P285 net per cocktail serving.

It can be said that Coco Fest 2017 is Resort World Manila’s contribution to Madrid Fusion Manila, the biggest gastronomic and cultural experience event of the Philippine Department of Tourism.

“Summer in the Philippines is a truly happy season, and Filipino cuisine has so much to offer in terms of technique and flavor. The Coco Fest is one way we can deliver a first class Filipino experience through food,” shares Chef Cyrille Soenen, RWM Director for Culinary Arts and Maîtres Cuisiniers de France.

Know more about Resorts World Manila and the CocoFest 2017 by connecting with RWM on the contact details below:

Resorts World Manila
Tourist/Visitor Hotline / Telephone: (+632) 908-8833
Website: www.rwmanila.com
Facebook / Instagram / Twitter: @ResortsWorldManila
Twitter: @RWManila

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Which Coco Fest dish tickled your fancy? Whether you are going for savory or sweet, surely Resorts World Manila has got something for your exquisite taste for good food!