Filipino Cuisine and Heritage take the spotlight at Islas Pinas

Watch out Manila, there’s a new kid on the block. Offering the best of Filipino food and heritage, Islas Pinas is the newest culinary destination in the metro.

The indoor dining hub is a collaboration between award-winning chef Margarita Fores and the DoubleDragon Group. Islas Pinas highlights the vibrancy of Filipino culture and lets guests explore and experience the heritage sites, natural resources, hospitality, and cuisine of the Philippines.

Fores expressed his gratitude for this “dream project” since her biggest advocacy is to promote the best in Filipino cuisine.

“I give my thanks to then Undersecretary of Agriculture, now Secretary of Tourism Berna R. Puyat, for putting me together with the DoubleDragon group, who was looking for someone to operate this amazing Islas Pinas project about half a year ago. This fast-tracked such a blessed opportunity to continue pushing my biggest advocacy – that of helping to promote the best of our country – our cuisine, ingredients, farmers, artisan producers, and home cooks from Batanes to Jolo – in the best way I can!” Fores said.

Designed with an LRT station-inspired entrance that leads to a 2,500-square-meter space, Islas Pinas features the archipelago’s diverse regional fare and beautiful sites such as the Banaue Rice Terraces, Chocolate Hills, and Calle Crisologo. The iconic Sarao Jeepney is also displayed inside the food village.

Different food stations can be found inside Islas Pinas including:

• Sinag – all-day Filipino breakfast favorites like tapsilog (tapa – salted beef, sinangag – fried rice, itlog – fried egg) and batchoy (an Ilonggo noodle soup with pork offal, beef loin, and crushed pork cracklings);
• Bilao – comfort snacks like pansit (fried noodles) and puto (rice cakes);
• Panaderya – neighborhood bakery treats like pan de sal and kalihim;
• Tusok-Tusok – urban street food such as barbecue on stick, kwek-kwek (fried quail eggs), and isaw (grilled chicken intestine); and more.

Islas Pinas definitely has a lot of culinary delights to offer. However, aside from the local cuisine and Instagram-worthy interiors, guests can also expect modern and traditional cultural performances and games to be featured in the venue.

Islas Pinas is located in Pasay City. It is the main anchor of the DoubleDragon Plaza, which is part of the 4.8 Hectare DD Meridian Park commercial and office complex.

via Philippine Tatler / Maritess Garcia Reyes