A Hand-to-Mouth Filipino Kamayan Feast {Tinuno}

April 15, 2019

It's been a while since I last shared my food excursions. Recently, I tried Kamayan feast for the first time at Tinuno Filipino restaurant and just have to share with you what that experience was like! Because if I don't blog about it, it didn't happen, right?

What is the Kamayan Feast?

For those of you who have never heard of Kamayan feast, it is a traditional Filipino family style meal eaten with your hands. The food is also served over banana leaves. That's right. No, plates, no cutlery. The simplest way to appreciate food!

Kamayan Feast Toronto - Tinuno Filipino Food

Tinuno Filipino Restaurant in Downtown Toronto

Living in a multicultural city like Toronto gives me lots of opportunities to try out cuisines from different parts of the world without travelling overseas. Although I'd love to visit the Philippines one day and experience what's there, I'm happy to settle with what's offered to me in my city for the time being.

The restaurant is packed on a Saturday night with lots of groups and couples filling the space. The feast seems to be a popular choice for birthday parties as well. Because at a cost of only $15 per person, you'd get a decent portion to have you feeling full at the end of the meal. And not to mention, it's also a great feast to share and bond with friends. Although the Kamayan feast is the only item available on their menu you could also add extra items such as milkfish, roasted pork, drinks, desserts at an additional cost. And of course, I tried them all out. Because that's how I roll.

Like the name, Tinuno suggests, everything here is cooked off from a grill. Banana leaves are spread across the table in front of you. Staffs would then add a bed of garlic rice over the leaves and layer a variety of grilled seafood and meat skewers on top. There's a selection of everything including squid, tilapia, pork, mussels, eggplant, okra, pork skewers, shrimps and mango salad. So imagine having this with a large group, it would be one huge and impressive spread to look at! At first, I expected this to be gimmicky, but the food was actually pretty tasty especially when they were fresh off the grill. I'd recommend adding sriracha sauce and vinegar to enhance the flavour even more.

Kamayan Feast Toronto - Tinuno Filipino Food
Kamayan feast Toronto
Kamayan Feast Toronto - Tinuno Filipino Food
2-person's portion Kamayan feast with seafood and meat skewers over a bed of garlic rice

Kamayan Feast Toronto - Tinuno Filipino Food
Roasted pork

A Hand-to-Mouth Experience

I remember when I was growing up, eating food with my hands was a big no-no. I was taught to be lady-like and how to use chopsticks properly at the dining table. So the fact that I get to break free from all those rules in public as an adult gives me joy. I didn't have to care about being proper. And I quite enjoyed the primitive state of eating food with my hands. It was a down to earth and authentic experience.

If you haven’t had a chance to try Kamayan feast, I would encourage you to give this unique dining experience a try! It's a great feast to share and to bond with friends and family.

Kamayan Feast Toronto - Tinuno Filipino Food
Fun eat-with-your-hands Filipino food experience
Tinuno
31 Howard Street, Toronto, M4X 1J6


Check out 5 Restaurants for a Filipino Kamayan Feast in Toronto.


Check out my posts on other unique dining experiences!

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23 comments

  1. This looks like so much fun and delicousness! I wonder where else it would be possible to experience this when going to The Philippines isn't an option...

    Xoxo,
    Laura || afinnontheloose.com

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  2. What a gorgeous overview of the Kamayan feast! The food looks absolutely beautiful and delicious. I'll be on the lookout for spots that feature this in my city, too.

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  3. I am not a big seafood fan but this looks pretty good. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. This looks delicious and I don't eat much fish but my husband does and he'd LOVE This!

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  5. wow! i had no idea we had a restaurant like this in Toronto! My culture also likes to eat by hand and on banana leaves. I looove eating on banana leaves,i feel like everything just tastes better

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  6. This looks positively mouth-watering! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. Although I m non vegetarian but this dish looks delicious. However I would love to taste other vegetarian philipino dishes ☺

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  8. Nice review. I'm in for vegetarian stuff.

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  9. I can do pork belly but the raw fish smells is too fishy or me.

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  10. Darn! that looks super delicious. I would love to try it someday.

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  11. Interesting stuff! Yup, I have Filipino friends and I get the "kamayan" thing so well as I've tried it myself! But cons when eating with hands is that you tend to eat more! But the bonding is priceless tho, that's what matters. :)

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  12. Wow! I'm a Filipino and eating Kamayan it is a great experience and our food it so delicious I' am very glad to read this blog today YUUUMM <3

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  13. Wow your post is making me hungry! I'm glad you like our Filipino, kamayan-style food experience. But if you do it here in the Philippines, it is more enjoyable for your tummy, and your pocket coz its cheaper here!

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  14. Amazing. Thanks for promoting Filipino culture of kamayan. I miss doing that. :)

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  15. Looks yummy and different. Would be willing to try if I ate meat.

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  16. This looks so much fun and like food heaven !!

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  17. Oh this looks and sounds so delicious.. will definitely try it when we visit Philippines 👍🏻

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  18. Seafood is my favorite meal, so I would be very happy here -- eating with my hands or whatever!

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  19. That looks amazing, I don't recommend reading that on an empty stomach though ;) because now I am starving! Wish I could eat that right now!!

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  20. The food looks awesome and the price is outstanding. I like the idea of eating off of biodegradable and non-industrially processed banana leaves.

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  21. No plates, no cutlery and no washing up! I'm totally up for that kind of meal. Knowing nothing about a Kamayan feast before this, it sounds like a fantastic family get-together!

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  22. Elizabeth OJuly 23, 2019

    The food looks delicious. The way Filipinos eat it makes it more feastive.

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About [span]me[/span]
Hello, I'm Lorita. Hoping to inspire you to explore and create things that make life a bit more fun and beautiful.


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