Waterfront Hotel and Casino’s UNO Restaurant in Cebu treats its customers to more than 60 Filipino dishes prepared by the celebrity chef couple, Rolando and Jackie Laudico starting now until August 30.

The hotel’s “Feast for the Filipino Senses” aims to establish Cebu as a “culinary destination,” said Waterfront Hotel and Casino Cebu general manager Anders Hollen.

“Filipino food has so many flavors and variations to offer. We’re bringing a new era and new excitement for the future for Cebu as a culinary destination, not only in the Philippines but the entire world,” Holen told the media during the feast launch on May 22.

Waterfront chose the Laudicos because of their advocacy in pushing local cuisine and their expertise honed from owning several Filipino restaurants, including Guevarra’s in Manila.

“Ever since we became professionals in the field, our advocacy is to really promote Filipino cuisine. We’ve been to several countries abroad, we have done several food festivals in different hotels and restaurants abroad, and it’s always Filipino flavors that we champion,” Mr. Laudico said.

“It is really with great passion and love that we always try to promote Filipino cuisine. It is such an honor for us to be able to do it at the country’s only Filipino-owned hotel chain,” Mrs. Laudico explained.

The feast offers five roasted items, including the in-demand lechon – regular lechon, spicy lecho belly – and other roasted animals such as cow and goat. As a twist, Mr. Laudico added sangig (lemon basil) to his lechon dishes aside from the typical aromatic herbs and spices used in roasting Cebu’s lechon. The menu also included the Laudicos’ own version of Cebuano dishes such as danggit macaroon; Ngohiong in cones, inasal siomai, pinaupong nilasing na manok, and classic pork humba. Also in the menu is balut or fertilized duck egg, which is considered as one of the celebrity chefs’ signature dishes, the local kakanin (rice cakes) for dessert, and other Filipino snacks, such as queso de bola cheesecake, suman panna cotta, bicho bicho yema, and biko. There is also the molten tableya (chocolate), a moist mini cake flavored with Davao tableya inside.

During the launch, the Laudicos said they looked into Cebu’s farmers markets and the Pasil fish market for inspiration, which led to the inclusion of nilarang, fish stew made with bouillabaisse style, in the menu, as well as the balbacua (ox tail and skin stew) that cooked in a more soupy and extra gooey style.

The Feast for the Filipino Senses offers lunch and dinner buffets until August 30 for P898/pax.