Get ready to eat with your hands, laugh, dance and feast the night away at Bar Beach Bowlo's first Boodle Fight on June 16.
Ever heard of a Boodle Fight? It's a traditional Filipino communal dining experience where a range of dishes are laid out on banana leaves on a long table. There are no plates or utensils - instead, diners eat with their hands, which symbolises camaraderie and equality.
It's called a "fight" due to its military origins in Filipino mess halls but it's anything but. A boodle these days is all about coming together, sharing food and celebrating Filipino culture and hospitality.
Bar Beach Bowlo's Boodle Fight is happening with a little help from Crocqhenri "Crocq" Lucero of Mini Pinoy Grill. He has been working with Kilgour Kitchen head chef Anthony White to introduce Filipino dishes to the menu in recent weeks, giving diners a taste of what's to come.
They're available from Thursday to Sunday on the bistro's specials board.
White says the marinated and chargrilled pork sirloin skewers which featured recently were "delicious".
On a personal level, the collaboration with Mini Pinoy Grill and Crocq, who is also a singer and musician, has given him the opportunity to explore his own Filipino roots.
"I met Crocq four years ago at a gig with Matt McLaren and he introduced me to Filipino cuisine and his Mini Pinoy Grill products," White said.
"It's been very interesting for me: I grew up with my father when my parents separated. I'm half Filipino but I didn't have much to do with Filipino cuisine while I was growing up.
"Now I enjoy sharing it with others.
"The Boodle Fight is not only about delicious food but also about celebrating cultural diversity and fostering community connections."
Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the Cancer Council.
Crocq created Mini Pinoy Grill in 2015, serving food made with his very own Filipino all-purpose marinade from a small truck at markets around Newcastle. In 2018 he became serious about the marinade and bottled it. It can be found online and at selected retail outlets.
He launched an "e-cookbook" last October called Mahal kita - Recipes Vol. 1.
"I wanted to share these amazing culinary memories and experiences that I had growing up, and which I still experience today, with people who haven't had the chance to try Filipino food," he told the Newcastle Herald at the time.
"I truly believe that although Filipino food may not be ... traditionally the prettiest, it is definitely the most soul-enriching and ultimately comforting.
"Filipino food uses simple ingredients to create complex, well-balanced flavours. The other main staples are garlic, onion, black pepper, bay leaves and calamansi (local mini lime)."
Typical Filipino dishes include kare kare (a beef stew with a thick peanut sauce), adobo (meat or seafood and vegetables marinated and simmered in vinegar, soy sauce and garlic), garlic prawns, and crispy pata (deep fried pig trotters or knuckles served with a soy-vinegar dip).
Eating with your hands at a Boodle Fight can take a little practice, says Crocq, who hopes to introduce Boodle Fights at other venues.
"There's a technique with your thumb; you kind of cup it with your other four fingers and use your thumb to scoop the food into your mouth. It sounds easy but people always get it wrong.
"I might even make an instructional video prior to the event."
