My Unforgettable McCormick Flavor Nation Festival Experience

McCormick has proved once again that they know the perfect recipe for an epic party â€“ food, music, arts, and booze â€“ at the first (hopefully, not the last) McCormick Flavor Nation Festival, held at the Activity Center of Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City last May 16, 2015.

McCormick Flavor Nation Festival

Dubbed as the biggest foodie event of this summer, McCormick Flavor Nation Festival was a celebration of more than a decade of the Filipinosâ€™ patronization of the reliable line of products by McCormick. It was obvious: brand recognition was not the target of this this event. McCormick is already a household name, and weâ€™re all familiar with their herbs and spices. In fact, there are usually sections in supermarkets dedicated solely to displaying McCormick products. This gastronomic festivity was actually geared to introducing loyal customers to unique and surprising ways of using McCormick products to elevate the flavors of food and (who knew?) even drinks!

For PHP 150, attendees were each given an Event Passport and a complimentary McCormick Starter Pack loot bag, containing select McCormick products worth PHP 100 and a copy of the February 2015 issue of Appetite Magazine.

Photo grabbed from Jill of @TheFoodScout

The Event Passport gave us access to savor sample size dishes from all 10 participating concessionaires, taste drinks prepared by the resident mixologist, watch live musical performances, and get a chance to win amazing prizes from their on-site raffles and contests.

McCormick Infused Dishes

The first purveyor that I visited was Fived Rice by Chef John Reyes, featuring the chefâ€™s interpretation of the three variants of McCormick Rice Cookers â€“ Biryani Rice, Nasi Lemak Rice, and Hainanese Rice.

My favorite among the three was the Biryani Rice for its appetizing color and bold flavor. Plus, it was topped with raisins and cashew nuts, giving the rice dish an interesting texture.

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Pamper Your MOMspiration at Discovery Country Suites

Exactly a week from now, we will be celebrating the day of the most important woman in our lives. Since no amount of money can ever match how much hard work our mothers have put into raising us, one way we can repay them is by making them enjoyÂ aÂ truly relaxing experience they will never forget, like treating our beloved “MOMspiration”Â to an amazing Motherâ€™s Day weekend at Discovery Country Suites in Tagaytay City.

MOMspiration at Discovery Country Suites

Give your mother the ultimate royal treatment with an overnight stay at any of the Deluxe, Premiere, and Master Suites that all come with country breakfast and 60-minute massage sessions for 2 persons, wine and cheese sundown cocktails, and a 10% discount on food and beverage at Restaurant Verbena. You are also free to use their Jacuzzi with a beautiful view of the Taal Lake.

Deluxe Suites (Andalucia, Saint Tropez, and Ceylon)

We were given a tour at one of their Deluxe Suites, the French-inspired Saint Tropez Suite, which features two queen-size beds, a spacious bathroom, and an impeccable view of Discovery Country Suites’Â garden.

A night at any of their Deluxe Suites starts at PHP 8,838 nett, including all the services and amenities mentioned above.

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Hole in the Wall: Not Your Typical Food Court

Filipinos love dining at food courts for three main reasons: variety, convenience, and affordability. However, there also exists two major drawbacks that are quite off-putting to diners. First, most food courts allow similar food concepts to compete with each other, so itâ€™s a familiar scene to see 2-3 sizzling or Filipino cuisine concepts in one food hall. Secondly, some of the food being offered are so mediocre that one would wonder how they were permitted to put up their shops in the first place. What if we tell you that thereâ€™s a new food spot in Makati that has all three reasons why we love food courts, minus all the drawbacks? Yes, there is and itâ€™s Hole in the Wall at Century City Mall.

Hole in the Wall

Hole in the Wall at Century City Mall is redefining the term, â€œfood court,â€ by featuring a curated and hand-picked list of food purveyors in a space one would not typically associate with a food court. At first glance, the place would remind you of hawkers in Singapore, but once youâ€™ve taken a good look around, you would know that food courts donâ€™t look as fancy and modern as Hole in the Wall.

The Greenhouse

The dining area is divided into 5 sections: The Greenhouse, The Den, The Barn, Al Fresco area, and the whole second floor. The Greenhouse is the first area that would greet you once you come into Hole in the Wall. The tables and seats here are a good mix of plush couches, wooden chairs, and benches.

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Our Top Favorites from Merry Cremas Festival 2014

We’re sure many of you would agree that it’s the most wonderful time of the year. We kicked off our Christmas celebrations last weekend at the Merry Cremas Festival 2014 at Eastwood Mall Open Park. We were at last year’s event, so we already have a yummy idea of what’s in store for us.

Merry Cremas Festival 2014 at Eastwood Mall

Merry Cremas Festival is a yearly event where various food purveyors showcase their products that they made using Alaska Crema All Purpose Cream. Ken and I didn’t have breakfast before going to the event since we know we’ll be full by the end of our food tasting. 😀 Here are our top favorites:

Pumpkin Soup from Kuya Pao’s Grill

Creamy, with bold, spicy flavors. We couldn’t get enough of their soup, and the chunks of pumpkins that came with it. It’s the perfect hearty dish for the cooler days ahead. 🙂

Pumpkin Soup from Kuya Pao's Grill with Alaska Crema

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See You At The 12th Ultimate Taste Test in Rockwell

The much-awaited food event of the year – the 12th Ultimate Taste Test – is happening this coming Saturday, September 27th, at the Rockwell Tent. And if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, you still got time! 🙂

This year, there are over 40 food purveyors who will be there, so just imagine how much food you get to taste and discover in this 1-day event. You can see the full list of Ultimate Taste Test 12 concessionaires here.

Last time we were at the Ultimate Taste Test, here were our favorites:

Premium Roast Angus Corned Beef from The Plaza

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Microwave Mango Buttercream Cake Recipe

After two grueling move-ins, we were finally successful in bringing my baking equipment and ingredients to Makati. Sadly, my beloved oven was left behind in Malabon since gas ovens and ranges are not allowed in the building that we’re staying at. Most baking addicts will lose their minds over not having an oven and go into baking withdrawal. Luckily for me, I found this unfortunate circumstance more of a challenge to be resourceful than anything else. Who says I need a gas oven to bake a decent cake? It’s time you meet the underrated baking power ofÂ the Microwave Oven! 😀

Now that it’s settled that we’ll be baking using the microwave oven, another dilemma has presented itself — I have no idea what to bake! So I scoured our pantry and realized I have all the basic ingredients to make a plain vanilla cake. But who wants that, right? Then I remembered we still have a kilo of mangoes, slowly rotting in the refrigerator, that my Nanay has brought us when she visited last week. Now we’re all ready to make my favorite Microwave Mango Buttercream Cake.

The first thing we need to do is the cake. We’ll be using the microwave, so our cake ingredients require some adjustment. To be honest, it’s not the best cake, texture-wise, but it can do the job if you want a quick, no-sweat dessert for lunch or dinner.

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VIP Experience at Chef’s Table in Finestra of Solaire

One might wonder why Italian food thrives in the Philippines when most of our cuisine’s influences resulted from years of colonization or inter-country trades, neither of which the Italians were ever involved. However, there’s one possible answer: Filipinos and Italians are both innately family-oriented. Cooking and eating are always a family affair, and the servings are, more often than not, geared to accommodating big families. And that was exactly what the Chef’s Table of Finestra Italian Restaurant in Solaire Resort and Casino aimed to do â€“ to submerge an intimate group into a one-of-a-kind culinary experience.

Finestra Italian Restaurant

Solaire Resort and Casino brings the authentic colors and flavors of Italy closer to home at Finestra Restaurant. Among the four world-class food establishments that are housed in Solaire, only Finestra has a breathtaking panoramic view of Manila Bay â€“ the best place to enjoy a sumptuous meal while watching the sunset.

Aside from the big smiles and courteous greetings, the bar welcomes you like an old friend, egging you on to try their imported wines and special drinks that are not available anywhere else in Manila.

But the real center of attraction in Finestra is their show kitchen, where you can see your chefs hard at work in preparing exquisite Italian dishes.

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Kimukatsu: Japan’s Favorite 25-Layered Tonkatsu

Just when we thought the katsu craze is over, Japan’s favorite 25-layered mille-feuille style tonkatsu finally arrives in Manila, giving Yabu: House of Katsu a run for their money! Kimukatsu opens their 5th international branch in the Philippines after their great success in Hawaii, California (2 branches), and South Korea.

Imagine our delight when we received an invite from Kimukatsu to try their famous tonkatsu. With our extreme love for Japanese food, how could we say no? 😀 We headed over to their Shangri-La branch for lunch and met with Kenji Komuro, Kimukatsu Philippines Director of Public Relations, who gave us a quick tour and a rundown of their menu.

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Where to Eat in Malabon : A Food Tour

Growing up in Navotas and then moving to Malabon almost a decade ago, my bro and I have always had easy access to really good food. This has shaped our lives, which is why we now have this unconditional loveÂ forÂ food and cooking.

Malabon, in particular, is known for hearty and flavorful dishes, so it’s no wonder that there are many hole-in-the-wall places here that would surprise you with their straightforwardly delicious food.

I’m sure many of you are already familiar with Dolors Kakanin (a staple in parties here), Pancit Malabon and Arny-Dading’s Peachy-Peachy. To be honest, we’ve been busy scouring the Metro for new restaurants that we haven’t finished discovering all the local and must-visit food places here in Malabon (we’ve already started since we were planning on a The Burp Society Malabon food tour).

After the successful Malabon Kulinarya Festival that we attended in 2012, we were more than glad to help out when we were contacted by Cleah (from the Office of the Mayor) about organizing a bloggers food tour in time forÂ the 400th anniversary of San Bartolome Church, one of the oldest churches here in the Philippines.

Early Sunday on Mother’s Day, we met our fellow bloggers at the city hall. Ken and I didn’t have breakfast since we knew we were going to be stuffed by the end of the tour. Well, ‘stuffed’ is an understatement. Let me just say that we all underestimated what Cleah and the participating food places had planned for us. 😀 Read on.

Update:Â We know there are many other places here in Malabon that we weren’t able to cover because we had limited time to go to all of them during the food tour.Â We’ll have a separate post to feature the rest of the ones thatÂ have been around for ages and other scrumptiousÂ dishes you can find here in Malabon. 🙂

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Celebrate the Best of Filipino Cuisine at Corniche of Diamond Hotel

There are but a few world class hotels in the Philippines that celebrate the culinary heritage of their host country. Diamond Hotel is one of those few, and they promote our rich cuisine by launching an annual Filipino Food Festival. This year, they have asked 3 of Manilaâ€™s most celebrated chefs to come aboard and showcase their prowess by reinventing all-time Pinoy favorites at The Best of Filipino Cuisine lunch and dinner buffet in Corniche RestaurantÂ from May 13â€“23, 2014.

FILIPINO CELEBRITY CHEFS + DIAMOND HOTEL EXECUTIVE CHEF

Filipino celebrity chefs Bruce Lim, Sau del Rosario and JP AngloÂ join Diamond Hotel’s Executive Chef Marko Rankel in celebrating the flavors of Filipino cuisine. We loved every twist they added to the dishes they prepared for this food festival. 🙂

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