Filipino News JULY 2016

JULY 2016 WEBSITE: filipinonews.nz | EMAIL: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | MOBILE: 027 495 8477 | FACEBOOK: Filipino Migrant News 15
Photos by: Francis Opinion
(left:) Owners - Stuart and
Marjorie Bennett (right:)
Head Chef - Vicente
Deloterio, direct from the
Bahrain operation
(below:) Friendly and
superlative service
The first 'posh'
Filipino restaurant
in New Zealand?
“The Boracay Garden Restaurant, located
in the Viaduct Harbour, takes dining to
another level,” says Mel Fernandez
AUCKLAND - In the
early days of the Filipino
diaspora to this country
Pinoy restaurants used to
pop up, then just as quickly
disappear into oblivion.
Given the small number of
Filipino residents at that
time and the fact that
Filipino cuisine does not
have universal appeal compared
to some of the other
Asian cuisines, these establishments
could never sustain
their operations for
long.
However, over the last
five years things have
changed. As the number of
Filipino migrants settling
here started increasing dramatically
there was a corresponding
rise in demand for
dining outlets.
Currently there are
around eight Filipino eateries
and just as many pop-up
food sellers operating in the
Auckland area alone. They
range from a couple of
upscale restaurants, several
laid back cafes, 'turo-turo'
takeaways and low-cost
pop-up food stalls at night
markets.
These days, for that extra
special occasion - say to
entertain your Kiwi or
Pinoy clients or friends,
overseas visitors and family
gatherings - you are spoilt
for choice. But my money
is on the Boracay Garden
Restaurant that opened
earlier this year. It is
arguably the only upscale
Filipino restaurant in New
Zealand - a gastronomic
jewel even.
For one thing, Boracay
has a prime upmarket location:
the Viaduct Harbour,
right in the heart of the City
of Sails. Then there's that
resort-like ambience that
diners love to capture in
their selfies, along with
really classy decor. The
crowning glory is the carefully
selected authentic
regional dishes, lovingly
prepared by hand picked
chefs.
This restaurant will definitely
appeal to the more
discriminating Filipino diners.
And another clear indication
of its success is the
fact that other nationalities
are starting to come
through the door to try
Filipino cuisine. But, as
you would expect, Pinoy
customers outnumber them.
(Was that Kim Dotcom's
Pinoy executive chef dining
there the other day?)
The owners of the restaurant
are Stuart (a Kiwi) and
Marjorie Bennett (a Filipina),
who moved here
from Bahrain.
They brought with them
a wealth of experience and
a burning passion to create
New Zealand's first upscale
Filipino restaurant serving
authentic regional Filipino
cuisine. As the pair have
hotel and restaurant management
experience and
Marjorie has run similar
restaurants in the Middle
East, they are well on track
to establishing Boracay
Garden as the first 'posh'
Filipino restaurant in New
Zealand.
We wondered why they
chose 'Boracay Garden' as
the name for their venture?
party, once with guests
from overseas and once for
my wife’s birthday. The
experience has always been
memorable - we felt welcome
and well taken care
of. And the food we ordered
was heartwarming, traditional
food.
Not being big fans of
Filipino entrees our group
ordered several mains like
the Inihaw na Bangus
(whole) and Sinigang na
Baboy in a clay pot to
share.
“You must try our
Other stars on the menu
are the Beef Steak Tagalog
and the Pork Liempo
(Grilled Pork Belly), both
of which we re-ordered on
our second visit.
For dessert our kids never
go past the national dessert
Halo Halo. We saved room
to try the Bilo-Bilo and
Leche flan.
The Boracay has an
extensive Filipino menu as
well as a small selection of
Asian dishes for the not so
adventurous diners. By the
way, the staff will recom-
Guests at the
Restaurant’s
launch party
earlier this year.
The Boracay Garden
Restaurant has a prime
upmarket location:
the Viaduct Harbour,
right in the heart of
the City of Sails.
“Boracay is a name people
can identify right away
as Filipino,” Marjorie
explained. “Boracay is
close to where we lived in
the Philippines - Roxas
City - just a 3-hour drive
away, so we holidayed
there a lot.” There are huge
paintings of Boracay beach
scenes adorning the walls
of the restaurant that give
diners a nostalgic backdrop
to take selfies in front of.
I have dined there on
three occasions: thanks for
the invite to the launch
Sizzling Sisig,” prompted
Marjorie. This dish is jestfully
referred to as 'dangerously
delicious' because the
original Pork Sisig recipe
makes use of pig brain as a
binder and uses fatty parts
of the pig such as the ears,
jowl and snout plus a dollop
of chicken liver. A New
York Times review called
Sisig 'arguably the greatest
pork dish on earth'. Being a
bit squeamish we picked
the chicken version of this
world famous Pampangan
dish.
mend suitable wines to pair
with your food selection.
Red Horse Beer is my
choice with 'Sisig'.
Another visit to Boracay
Gardens is on the cards in
order to try the Bicol
Express, Lechon Kawali,
Tinola, Pinakbet and
Palabok that some diners
are raving about on
Facebook.
I'd say that this is definitely
a go-to place when
dining with friends, but it
would be prudent to book
ahead.