HALU-HALO on Sundays, compulsory photos by the kalesa topiary, and feeding the hundreds of giant carps in the pond that surround the hotel’s vast lobby, these are just the few unforgettable features of the hotel we all grew up with.
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| I bet this photo of the old logo of Insular Hotel made you smile. |
How about the aroma of the grilled fare at the hotel’s outdoor restaurant, remember it?
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| La Parilla, today. Loved the appetizer- guava & pineapple on sticks with bagoong as dipping sauce. |
It’s time to reminisce the past and reacquaint yourself with the La Parilla at the Waterfront Insular Hotel. The hotel recently reopened its al fresco dining outlet and this makes the place a perfect venue dine in this summer.
Adding to the outlet’s popular and well-loved cuisine, La Parilla’s new and re-opening specialty is a lure—literally. The newly appointed executive chef, Victor Barangan, came up with Senuelo, which translates to “lure” in English. It’s probably his take on the Latin American grilled fare of Churrasco.
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| La Parilla’s re-opening specialty: the lure, aka Senuelo. |
Senuelo is a six-skewer meal—five skewers of choice cut meats-beef, squid, Blue Marlin, prawns and chicken, and a skewer of vegetables— grilled and served hot hanging on a specially designed contraption. The flavorful Java Rice, that comes with the set, complements the barbecued viand perfectly.
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| From the Senuelo”hanger”, the first on my plate are the prawns. |
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| Senuelo’s perfect pairing- the Java rice. |
It’s been a while since I enjoyed a meal in this establishment, which I still refer to by its previous name-the Insular Hotel. Making the visit special was the company of the Waterfront’s young team led by the OIC for Hotel Operations, Bryan Lasala, the MarCom ladies, Jessica Romero and Jessica Segura, and new men in Waterfront’s food and beverage arena-- the F&B Manager, Arnelle Cristines, and the Executive Chef, Victor Barangan. Joining the group was the new Corporate Executive Chef, Marinus Berend Sievert Mulder.
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| The new men in Waterfront’s food and beverage arena— Executive Chef for Davao, Victor Barangan, & the recently appointed Corporate Executive Chef, Marinus Berend Sievert Mulder. |
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| The OIC for Hotel Operations, Bryan Lasala & the MarCom ladies, Jessica Romero and Jessica Segura. |
The conversation was even made livelier with the excellent spread on the center of the gathering, which was capped with an exciting array of desserts—the Rice Cake Empanaditas, the Crème Caramel Puto and the Pastillas, which came in three flavors- the original recipe, Ube and Jackfruit flavors. Divine intervention and will power were needed to hold off on these delicious temptations.
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