Get a taste of Filipino food, culture in Abu Dhabi, win air tickets

Abu Dhabi - The event, which opened yesterday, also saw a performance by musical band H2O.

Want to try out Filipino dishes like chicken adobo, beef kare kare, hot dog sandwich or putu bumbong delicacy? These and many more varieties are part of the main course, sandwiches, desserts, salads and others featured during the week-long 'Pinoy Fiesta' that opened at LuLu Hypermarket in Al Wahda Mall.

The event, where free air tickets are up for grabs, was held by the LuLu Group International in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy and the Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-aawit at Mananayaw sa Abu Dhabi (OPMMAD, or Organisation of Filipino Singers and Dancers in Abu Dhabi).

Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Constancio Vingno Jr opened the festival and tasted delicacies on Wednesday evening. There was huge demand for all food products with Filipinos and residents treating themselves to some delicious stuff.

The opening ceremony was followed by an entertainment programme with musical band H2O rocking the audience.

Constancio Vingno Jr welcomed everyone to be part of the fiesta.

"The fiesta showcases various Filipino food products, delicacies and others. The entertainment programme aims to showcase Filipino talent through cultural performances, regional Pinoy music numbers and those by all-Filipino H2O band," he noted.

LuLu Group Abu Dhabi regional director T.P. Abubacker said such events don't just have a commercial aspect but a cultural one too.

"Such festivities create a sense of belongingness. There will be lots of competitions based on cooking, painting and other activities in coming days of the fiesta," Abubacker said.

There are great prizes to be won too, assistant manager (fresh food) Ronaldo Pedro said.

"Any customer who purchases Filipino promotional products worth Dh25 gets a coupon to be part of raffle draw where lucky 25 will win air tickets to Manila," he added.

The fiesta is truly sticking to its tag line - food, fun, contests and prizes.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com