A Filipino chef brought together members of the ASEAN Consul General community in Dubai over a specially curated menu last March, using Filipino Food Month as the occasion to position the country’s cuisine within a broader regional diplomatic conversation.
Chef David Jezreel Lizardo Pamplona, popularly known as Chef Dabo, co-founder and head chef of Naimas Café & Bistro in Dubai, hosted the collaborative dinner as part of an ongoing relationship with the ASEAN diplomatic community — the second such event between the two parties.
“The first collaboration built trust — where they experienced Filipino food in a more intimate way. This second time, during Filipino Food Month, it felt more intentional. It was no longer an introduction, but a continuation of a shared appreciation for Filipino cuisine,” Chef Dabo said.
The event brought together flavors from across Southeast Asia, anchored in Filipino dishes, in what Chef Dabo described as a deliberate choice of timing. Filipino Food Month, observed every March, offered what he saw as a natural opening for the cuisine to be seen alongside its ASEAN counterparts.
“The vision was to place Filipino food in a diplomatic setting where it can speak for itself: honest, layered, and deeply cultural,” he said. “It’s about showing that our food carries identity, history, and connection — not just to Filipinos, but to the wider ASEAN table.”
The standout dish of the evening was the Kare-Kare Noodles with King Prawn — Chef Dabo’s reinterpretation of one of the Philippines’ most iconic dishes. The classic kare-kare is a slow-cooked peanut-based stew traditionally served with fermented shrimp paste. Chef Dabo adapted it into a noodle format while preserving the dish’s defining characteristics.
“Transforming it into noodles with king prawn keeps the essence of Filipino flavors — peanut richness, depth, and umami — but gives it a new expression. It shows that Filipino food can evolve without losing its soul,” he said.
Chef Dabo noted that the dish had an effect on the mood of the room. What began as a formal diplomatic gathering gradually became a more open exchange as the courses were served.
“There was a moment when guests were trying to understand the flavors — sweet, savory, nutty — and it created curiosity. That’s what Filipino food does best: it invites people in, it doesn’t push away,” he said.
Chef Dabo has spent more than a decade building his career in Dubai’s competitive culinary scene, arriving in 2012 as a Commis III and working his way through fine dining, Latin American, and Pan-Asian kitchens. He holds four gold medals from the Salon Culinaire Dubai and was named Best Pan Asian Specialty Chef by Pro Chef Middle East in 2019. He was also recognized among the 7 Young Chefs of the Year in the Middle East by the International Centre for Culinary Arts Dubai. Earlier this year, he received a Special Awardee citation at the Global Filipino Icon Awards 2026.
He co-founded Naimas in 2022 with three other Filipino expatriates. The restaurant’s name comes from the Ilocano word for “delicious.”
Looking ahead, Chef Dabo said similar events are planned through the Naimas Supper Club, which he described as a platform for exploring Filipino food in traditional, regional, and diaspora-inspired forms.
“We also want to keep building the idea of Filipino food as diaspora cuisine — how it evolves as Filipinos move, adapt, and cook around the world, especially here in Dubai,” he said.
“Filipino food should not only be remembered for tradition, but also recognized for its evolution, creativity, and place in the global table.”
