The Museum of Surrey invites you to come and celebrate Filipino culture with performances, vendors, textile display, tinikling, and a Tagalog and English storytelling session.
Filipino Fest will be on September 23, 2023 (Saturday) from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at Museum of Surrey (17710 56A Avenue Surret, BC). The event is free, and accepts optional pay-what-you-may donations for admission.
Below is a list of Filipino food and non-food vendors that will be at the event.
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Summer weekends are all about attending and enjoying different festivals and events. We find ourselves in Surrey today to support the 2023 Filipino Fiesta Extravaganza. While researching that event, I discovered the Surrey Fusion Festival happening nearby on the same weekend. It is the biggest multicultural event in BC (according to their website).
I haven't seen anything like this! I saw food booths from six continents (sorry, Antarctica). It was pretty overwhelming. We decided to focus on African nations since our only experience with their cuisine was when we had dinner ONCE at Simba's Grill.
But, before that, we dropped by the Indigenous Village.
Yay! I'm always happy to support Indigenous businesses, and I love Bannock. This one is not deep-fried like West Coast Bannock, so it's not as airy, but it's still surprisingly soft and light. It's not as heavy and dense as what I am familiar with.
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| Classic Bannock with butter from Bannock Queen Bakery |
After finishing our Bannock, our first stop was the Democratic Republic of Congo. After perusing the menu and going near the counter, the lady said their food was not yet ready. Sad. We had planned to come back but were food coma already.
We had zero knowledge of African cuisine, so we ordered unfamiliar things. They offered rice with chicken & cassava leaves or ugali (fufu) with chicken & cassava leaves. Of course, I went for the ugali (fufu).
Hubby and I found a spot with tables and chairs under a tent in the middle of one of the gardens. Hubby was reading to me what ugali (fufu) is.
Ugali, also known as fufu in some regions, is a traditional staple food in many African countries, including Rwanda. It is made from maize flour (cornmeal) mixed with water and cooked to a thick, dough-like consistency.
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| Ugali (Fufu), Chicken, and Cassava Leaves from Taste of Rwanda |
Ugali has a dense and firm consistency. It's like sticky rice but chewier. It absorbs the sauce from the chicken stew and the cassava leaves. The cassava leaves stew looks like our Filipino Laing but without the coconut milk and spiciness.
After enjoying our Ugali from Rwanda, we stopped by Zambia and got the Mandazi. It's a popular snack in various African countries, including Zambia.
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| Mandazi from Zambia |
It is a deep-fried doughnut or fried bread with a mildly sweet taste. The exterior is crunchy and golden brown, while the interior is soft and pillowy.
We die with this one. The beef suya was tender and easy to chew, and the flavour was remarkable. However, it was topped with spicy flavouring. I took the first bite and immediately told my husband it was spicy. I love hot food, so my hubby knows when I say something is spicy (for me), it probably is. It's a delicious spicy but still too much for us.
I removed the powder from some pieces so my husband could try it. We found a beautiful spot under the trees and got chairs to cool down. My lips felt puffy and numb afterwards.
Suya is a popular Nigerian street food made from thinly sliced beef marinated in a mixture of spices before being grilled or babecued over an open flame.
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| Beef Suya from Nigeria |
After finishing the suya and listening to nearby entertainment, I started to doze off. I took a 15-minute nap enjoying the cool breeze.
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| Holland Park, Surrey |
After my nap, we got free freezies (ice candy) from real estate developer, Parkway. Then, we walked through the rest of the booth to find anything else interesting. I am full, so choosing one last meal at the festival is essential.
We settled on a lamb chop, sausage, and corn from Namibia because it's the only one not offered in other African countries' booths.
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| Corn, Sausage, and Lamb Chops from Namibia |
The lamb chop is tender and succulent, grilled to perfection, bursting with savoury and smoky flavours. Meanwhile, the Namibian sausages (boerewors) are grilled over an open flame. Lastly, corn is a staple in many dishes and the same with links. It is grilled in an open flame adding smoky sweetness to the maize.
To end our food adventure, we wanted cold sweets. We're hoping Kumare in the Philippines booth offers halo-halo, but sago't gulaman hits the spot too.
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| Sago't Gulaman from Kumare |
We enjoyed our sweet drink on the walk to the King George station.
After Sunday mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel, hubby and I took a bus back to Surrey Central Station to visit the 2023 Surrey Fiesta Extravaganza.
We have yet to try three food booths, one of which is Zugba. A local (Surrey) Filipino restaurant.
I saw chicken isaw (intestine) and a red Tender Juicy brand hot dog! I also got Filipino pork BBQ and banana cue.
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| Banana Cue, Red Tender Juicy Hot Dog, Chicken Isaw, and Pork BBQ from Zugba |
I love the isaw! It tastes clean - no funkiness. The Filipino pork barbecue was tough, so I can't recommend the piece I got. Meanwhile, the banana cue was sweet and soft.
My favourite and most nostalgic is the red Tender Juicy hotdog (grilled)! I feel like a 5-year-old kid back in the streets of the Philippines.
The 2023 Canada Fiesta Extravaganza is coming to British Columbia, specifically in Surrey. Rey Fortaleza (Chairman of Reyfort Media and Publisher of Philippine Asian News Today) has acquired the franchise to organize Fiesta Extravaganza in BC.
The purpose of the Canada Fiesta Extravaganza is to celebrate Filipino heritage in Canada with a Festival of Smiles.
The event happening in Surrey, BC and is presented by BMO and Vancouver-Oasis Production Corporation. It is also supported by the flag carrier of the Philippines, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and 99 Supermarket. Lastly, it received the endorsement of Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, and the Surrey City Hall will be switched on its night lights to beam the pastel colours of Fiesta Extravaganza.
It will be a 2-day event on July 22 and 23 (Saturday and Sunday). The event starts at 10:00 AM and ends at 7:00 PM on both days.
According to Philippine Asian News Today1, the Fiesta Extravaganza in Surrey, BC, will be at the Surrey Civic Plaza, which connects Surrey City Hall, Surrey City Centre Library, Simon Fraser University (SFU), Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), and the Civic 3 Tower.
Admission is free.
According to the Festa Extravaganza website, the two-day celebration will include the following:
Filipino Actress Yam Concepcion is headlining Surrey's Fiesta Extravaganza.
The following musical acts are going to appear at the event:
Below is the program for both days.
July 22, 2023 (Saturday)
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July 23, 2023 (Sunday)
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It is a family-friendly festival that welcomes everyone! I will update this post once I have more information on the program schedule and vendor list.
This event sounds so fun and coincides with our dad's birthday weekend!
Source:
Jollibee Canada is opening its third location in Metro Vancouver and its first branch in Surrey at 9900 King George Boulevard. It will open on February 18 (Thursday) so our kababayans in Surrey doesn't need to travel all the way in Vancouver for a taste of home.
The first Jollibee in Surrey is at 9900 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 0K9
The Jollibee in Surrey will open on February 18 (Saturday)
If it's your first time, go for the Chicken Joy, Chicken Sandwich, and Peach Mango Pie. If you're unfamiliar with Filipino flavours (savoury and sweet), then try the spaghetti (Filipino-style with little hotdogs).
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| Chicken Joy and Jolly Spaghetti |
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| Deluxe Spicy Chicken Sandwich |
If you're from the Philippines, the food is nostalgic. The spaghetti and fried chicken tasted the same way. The Peach Mango Pie is double the size of what you'll find back home. Lastly, the spicy chicken sandwich can compete with the best ones in North America.
Bida ang saya!
Mamon is my favourite Filipino bread. I love how soft, fluffy, and flavourful it usually is. During Magkasama Christmas Market 2021, KayeBakes.ca offers an assorted Mamon pack of six with three different flavours.
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| Three different Mamon flavours from KayeBakes.ca |
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| Assorted Mamon Box from KayeBakes.ca |
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| YAMmymon Ube-licious take on a classic Filipino snack! Made with ube chiffon topped with whipped cream and ube cakecrumbs, this sweet and decadent snack will definitely have your taste buds dancing for joy. |
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| Yemamon Two favourites in one bite! Mamon is a snack-size light, fluffy chiffon cake, and yema is a custard-like candy, a sweet childhood favourite of every Filipino who is young or young at heart. KayeBakes' version is Mamon with Yema frosting topped with cheese. It's a match made in heaven. |
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| Mochanutmon It's a pillowy soft, Espresso infused chiffon cake with mocha frosting, topped with roasted nuts and caramel bits. |
Of all the items sold at Magkasama Christmas Market 2021, hubby only requested one, and that's chocolate crinkles. I am not a fan of chocolate crinkles. It was my younger sister who LOVES the cookie.
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| 10 pieces Chocolate Crinkles from Craving Crave |
This is our first time buying Chocolate Crinkles since arriving in Canada, and I love how the powdered sugar just goes everywhere. It's so fun to eat. The cookie itself was moist and soft. However, hubby said it's not as sweet as the one back in the Philippines.
Check out Chocolate Crinkles and Macarons from Craving Crave.
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| Filipino Feast from Cooking Ng Ina (Putaheng Pinoy) |
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| Kare-Kare |
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| Sisig |
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| 20 pieces Siomai |
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| Ensaymada |
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| Ensaymada from Kaye Bakes |
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| Call Kaye Bakes: 778-697-8143 Email Kaye Bakes: kayebakes.ca@gmail.com |
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| Ube Cake from Kaye Bakes |
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| Contact Kaye Bakes |
