MANILA, Philippines – Tucked in a corner of Gateway 2 Mall in Araneta City is Palenque, a food hall of currently three Filipino restaurants (two more are being finished) that pays tribute to Philippine regional cuisine.
There’s B.E.L. Iloco serving Ilocano food, Palm Grill that offers Mindanao dishes, and Tindeli, a Filipino deli and café representing Cebu. Two more will be opened: Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung which will represent traditional Kapampangan dishes; and Chicken Fandian, a restaurant that serves Binondo-style cuisine.
Although many weekend markets have had stalls offering various Filipino food, this may be the first time that a mall has housed together in one food hall a diverse offering of Philippine cuisine, from north to south.
Palenque is a food concept of one of the Philippines’ renowned chefs and food writers, Claude Tayag.
Restaurateur Al Puruganan’s B.E.L. (Bagnet, Empanada, Longganisa) Iloco has five variations of bagnet: Bagnet Sinigang, Bagnet Kare-Kare, Bagnet Binagoongan, Bagnet Dinakdakan, Bagnet Bacon, and Tokwa’t Bagnet.
For options with vegetables, it offers Pakbet with Bagnet, Dinengdeng with Fried Tilapia, and poqui-poqui.
Other Ilocano specials in B.E.L. are okoy, dinardaraan, papaitan, pancit miki, insarabasab, and igado. And, no Ilocano restaurant would be complete if it didn’t have Vigan Longganisa, which B.E.L. Iloco serves as Vigan Garlic and Sweet Hamonado.
Palm Grill, on the other hand, offers authentic cuisine from the southern Philippine provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. It started in 2017 with a restaurant in Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City, and its outlet in Gateway 2 is its first in a mall.
It offers the following dishes representing the southern part of the Philippines’ southern island of Mindanao:
Beside Palm Grill is a stall offering Sulu Coffee, which the store offers in white tin cups. Anyone who has been to remote areas in the Philippines has likely experienced drinking coffee in these cups, which adds to the authentic experience.
Sulu Coffee offers Black Coffee (Kahawa Itum), Mestizo (Kahawa Itum with cream), Sweet Mestizo (Kahawa Malimu with cream).
Tindeli offers Filipino dishes such as Chicken Galantina, Christmas Jamon, and Choriquezo served in pandesal.
People can also buy all sorts of Pinoy deli such as peanut brittle, lengua de gato, cornik, watermelon seeds, sweet tamarind, banana chips, dilis, and chicharon, at Tindeli.
The Araneta Group signed a contract with some of the Philippines’ leading chefs and restaurateurs, including Chef Nico Bailon of Bale Datung, Miguel Moreno of Palm Grill, Albert Uy of Chicken Fandian, Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou of Tindeli, last October for Palenque.
“Palenque is Araneta City’s contribution to the celebration of Filipino gastronomy in all its forms. Filipino cuisine has been on an upward trajectory on the global culinary scene. More people around the world are falling in love with the diverse, dynamic, and colorful culinary traditions of the Philippines,” Lorna Fabian, vice president for leasing of Araneta City, said last October 4.
“This will be a one-stop destination for anyone who wants not only to taste, but also to shop and learn the best of what our country has to offer,” Fabian added.
Palenque, a Mexican-Spanish term for “arena,” also showcases Philippine products and pasalubong (souvenirs) such as guitars, various Bacolod deli, locally grown vegetables, dried seafood, native products such as bags and wooden stools, wooden kitchen utensils.
Palenque, a food court that’s been a long time coming in the history of Philippine malls, is located at Upper Ground B of Gateway Mall 2.
The Araneta Group spent P5 billion for Gateway Mall 2, which opened in July 2023. Many of the stores, especially in the upper floors, have yet to open. Gateway Mall 2 will have over 400 brands in food, fashion, technology, gaming, entertainment, leisure, health, and wellness.
The Araneta Group reopened the Philippines’ first all-year round indoor amusement park in its original site at the back of Araneta Coliseum on December 9, Saturday. Shopwise Cubao, now called Shopwise International Grocery Shopping, which used to occupy that space, has moved to the basement of Gateway Mall 2. – Rappler.com
