Dining

 In 1992, Liza Agbanlog and her family arrived in Canada bringing with them a whole lot of Filipino food memories.

A cannoli is a traditional Italian dessert consisting of a sweet and crunchy pastry tube filled with cream or sweetened ricotta cheese.

In the Philippines and especially among city dwellers, the word kanto evokes colourful imagery.

Sisig in cosmopolitan New York is as unheard of as halo-halo in Alaska. But elevate the Filipino dish and you’ll find it in good company with other hip eateries in eclectic East Village in New York City.

Love for food is the common denominator among the 91,000-plus members of “Ifoodala Foodie”, a private Facebook group created in Canada. Founded four years ago, the group continues to grow.

2016 was an exciting year for the Philippine culinary scene on the Canadian stage when two Canadian Filipinos ended up in the final three of that year’s MasterChef Canada. One of them, Matthew Astorga, charmed audiences and judges alike with not only his culinary skills but also with his disarming smile and signature fedora hat.

Sisig is everything that Winnipeg chef Allan Pineda is – innovative, rebellious and totally unapologetic. And, of course, both are as Filipino as pulutan, a term for which there’s hardly any direct English translation(pulutan is an appetizer or snack that go well with alcoholic drinks, one example of which is the sisig).

Luming was known as the “Pride of Pampanga” among Filipinos in Ottawa in the 1970s. She was well known for her extraordinary and uniquely creative Pampanga cuisine. The province itself is famous for its sophisticated and richly sauced meat fares and stuffed dishes like rellenong manok or bangus or pata (stuffed deboned whole chicken, milkfish or pork hocks), morcon (stuffed rolled beef) and embutido (pork sausage stuffed with hardboiled eggs and pepperoni).

Canadian Thanksgiving holiday dates back to when early European settlers celebrated and gave thanks after a bountiful harvest in their newly found home in Canada.

When people ask me what I do for a living, rarely is it understood what I do as a wine sommelier/enogastronomist.

I love Filipino food.  But other than adobo and rice - I don’t cook it.  There’s too much chopping and cutting, a lot of frying and the smell of garlic (although I love the taste!)!   So when I hear that another Filipino restaurant, newly opened, has again caught the attention of Toronto food reviewers, I am excited at the thought that there’s another table where I can enjoy my native dishes.

Vancouverites are very happy to read the lead story of a Sunday New York Times Travel Section, titled “Vancouver’s Many Flavors Find a Home on the Menu.”