Admiral Hotel’s Admiral Club was especially busy on the night of the 18th. The aroma of spices wafted from the open kitchen, which served as the joint playground of sorts for The Southern Table, a recent collaboration between chefs Mark Tumbale of Admiral Hotel and Miggy Moreno of Palm Grill and Cabel.
We’ve come a long way from the time when most Manileños’ idea of Filipino food was relegated to the typical adobo and sinigang (nothing wrong with the dishes in themselves, to be clear). We now see Mindanao’s culinary treasures finding rightful representation in more areas outside the region—and chef Miggy is one of the key figures behind this shift.
More of Mindanao On The Table
The Jolo-born, Zamboanga-raised chef has long been passionate about promoting the flavors of his hometown and Southern Mindanao as a whole. It certainly helped that his restaurants, Palm Grill in Quezon City and Cabel in San Miguel, Manila, further rose to fame after both received the coveted Bib Gourmand awards. He’s been doing pop-ups at different hotels in the Philippines, as a bit of an extension of what he does at his restaurants.
Chef Miggy giggles as he recounts how Mark had contacted him via direct message. “[Mark] asked, ‘Are you more than willing to do a collaboration with me, because I’ve been really meaning to do Mindanao [cuisine] because I don’t know anything about it.’ And you know me. Anything to do with promoting Mindanao [food], automatically, without batting an eyelash, I said yes of course.”
Zoning into Mindanaoan food was only fitting, of course, given Admiral Hotel’s own mission of uniting Filipino ingredients and traditions with contemporary techniques. The courses each took after a dish from different parts of Mindanao (some are also icons in Visayas).
Chef Mark, who also has experiences cooking for Belmont Hotel and Sofitel Philippine Plaza under his belt, brought a modern lens to their interpretations for the evening.
These Mindanao Dishes Got a Modern Makeover
Belachan Skewers opened the dinner, each smoky piece packing a punch with its marinade of belachan, shallots, garlic, and native aromatics. Lininggil, the traditional Maguindanaon dry curry, served as the inspiration for the chicken liver-based “Lining gil’ Pâté over squares of Chef Mark’s brioche. There was the Sinuglaw, a fish-centric expression of the Davao classic, here using cured mackerel with lashings of coconut cream.
Chef Miggy brought out his signature Tiyula Itum—his take on the Tausug dish that’s at once smoky yet soothing, its broth tinged with burnt coconut, turmeric and galangal. A contemporary take on Halang-Halang followed, its namesake coconut-chicken stew (which is popular in Visayas and Mindanao) transformed into a roulade of chicken in a blackened coconut sauce perfumed with aromatics.
The next dish had the Tausug beef curry known as Kurma tucked into a warm empanada, Chef Miggy’s favorite snack. Then there was the Suwan Suwan, another remixed version of a Tausug classic with marinated, braised apahap served with its crisped skin and a reduced soy-coconut sauce.
It was in the dessert arc that the two chefs officially joined forces. Pulo was a smorgasbord of treats from the Philippines’ primary island groups: repping Luzon is nilupak na saging or mashed saba bananas; Visayas is embodied in sikwate, and Mindanao comes as putli mandi, mochi-like balls rolled in coconut, and binaki, or steamed corn cakes.
This was the second run of Admiral Hotel’s Busog Chronicles series, following the first edition with Mark welcoming chef Josh Boutwood to his kitchen.
Meanwhile on Miggy’s end, his mission remains the same: to stoke the curiosity of food enthusiasts and help spread awareness about the culinary heritage of Mindanao.
Judging by how all his recent events have sold out, it’s safe to conclude he’s successful in the goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Southern Table is a collaborative dinner at Admiral Hotel’s Admiral Club in Manila, where chefs Miggy Moreno and Mark Tumbale served modern interpretations of Mindanao dishes. It was the second run of Admiral Hotel’s Busog Chronicles series, which pairs Filipino flavors with contemporary techniques.
Chef Miggy Moreno is a Jolo-born, Zamboanga-raised chef behind Palm Grill in Quezon City and Cabel in San Miguel, Manila, both Bib Gourmand recipients. Chef Mark Tumbale is Executive Sous Chef at Admiral Hotel, with prior experience at Belmont Hotel and Sofitel Philippine Plaza.
The Southern Table dinner featured Belachan Skewers, Lining-gil pâté, Sinuglaw, Tiyula Itum, Halang-Halang chicken roulade, Kurma beef empanada, and Suwan Suwan. Dessert was Pulo, combining nilupak na saging from Luzon, sikwate from the Visayas, and putli mandi and binaki from Mindanao.
Kurma is a Tausug beef curry, and Tiyula Itum is a Tausug dish with a broth of burnt coconut, turmeric, and galangal. Lininggil is a Maguindanaon dry curry, while Sinuglaw is a Davao classic that pairs grilled pork or fish with kinilaw. Each anchors a distinct Mindanao tradition.
Chef Mark Tumbale contacted Chef Miggy Moreno by direct message, saying he wanted to cook Mindanao cuisine but knew little about it. Moreno, who has long promoted the food of his hometown Jolo and Southern Mindanao, agreed immediately, and the collaboration became The Southern Table.
