Dubai: Filipino dinner at Bulwagang

Rainy days are very uncommon in Dubai but yesterday evening, when we went to Karama, of course it started to rain. Fortunately, Karama got more of its fair share of cozy places to hide from the rain.

Earlier yesterday, I had asked my fellow food bloggers in Dubai for advice on Filipino restaurants and Filipino dishes, but unfortunately I forgot to bring my iPhone so I wasn’t able to read the suggestions.

As we walked by the Filipino restaurant Bulwagang, Poul, Michelle and I all agreed that it looked promising, so we decided to go inside and asked for a table for three. Later on, I read that Bulwagang is in fact the oldest Filipino restaurant, not only in Dubai, but in the entire U.A.E., so we were lucky to stumble upon such a landmark for Filipino dining in the city.

I cannot recall that I’ve ever seen a Filipino restaurant in Denmark, and until a few weeks ago, I had never tasted Filipino food. The menu at Bulwagang was therefore full of stuff that I didn’t have the slightest idea about what could be. Luckily, all the dishes were divided into different categories such as “Seafood”, “Vegetables” and “Noodles”, so we just picked an item from each section.

For beverages, Poul and Michelle both went for the safe choice and ordered Pepsi, but I had a Gulaman Sago assuming that a beverage with such a funny name, was definitely worth a try. Gulaman Sago turned out to be a very sweet drink with small jelly pearls, a bit like bubble tea. It was nice, but more of a dessert than a meal beverage, which the staff also explained to me.

The food was delicious and I really loved the seasoning. It had this smoky, slightly salty and slightly barbecued taste at the same time, and that adobo chicken marinade of soy, vinegar and garlic could easily become one of my new favorites.

The more Filipino dishes I taste, the more I want to explore the Filipino cuisine further. Fortunately, my friend Rachel has promised to give me a more in-depth introduction to Filipino food, and hopefully she can help me discover all the nice stuff hiding behind all those funny names in the menus.

Read my blog posts about when Rachel and I went for lunch at the Filipino restaurant Barrio Fiesta >>

Bulwagang Filipino Restaurant, Block G Karama Shopping Complex Near Karama Fish Market, Dubai