Check it Out Edmonton: A cool Filipino dinner series kicks off January 11

An event series exploring pre-colonial Filipinix food culture

Photo via chef Earl Briones Facebook page.

Edmonton’s food scene has long had Filipino representation, but it's not too often that a chef takes a modern route when presenting the Southeast Asian cuisine.

Chef Earl Briones is kicking off 2023 right by putting a contemporary spin on his culture’s cuisine by way of a restaurant takeover at the downtown location of Filistix starting Wednesday, January 11. Entitled “Rice and Mythicism: The First Rinse”, the six-course dinner menu will highlight the versatility of rice throughout while the chef shares bits of history and folklore as each dish is served.

“For Filipinos, [rice always was and still is] a good source of nutrients, a socioeconomic factor, and an inspiration for a lot of rice-related myths and traditions,” he explained in this week’s announcement.

The Rice and Mythicism restaurant takeover runs for four nights weekly until the end of the month (i.e. Jan. 11-14, Jan. 18-21 and Jan. 25-28). The dinner experience has three levels of pricing: $85 for one person, $160 for two people and $300 for a group of four.

Best known recently for his clever sandwich creations at Carbivore Subs and an appearance on Season 3 of Food Network Canada’s Firemasters, the Filipino-Canadian culinary talent is eager to cook for hungry (and curious) Edmontonians.

“One part six-course dinner, one part history dive into some of the unknown and lost magic of our culture, [my dinner series will] combine pre-colonial dishes with a modernist technique and approach,” he said.

To purchase tickets for one of chef Earl Briones’ upcoming dinners, head to the Filistix website.