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Showing posts with label bgc eats 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bgc eats 2014. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
BGC EATS August 9 edition: 2nd time around this 2014

Cancel here, traffic everywhere, nursing a bad tummy, having some car schedule problems and coming from an awesome Pizza Fest  at Munchtown (post coming soon)..... 
These and more didn't stop me from going to the Fort. 

For a second consecutive Saturday (last week's version CLICK HERE), I had the opportunity to check out BGC EATS 2014 Drinking Edition. I went with C as she didn't want me drinking alone. The theme was drink and food pairing. I was supposed to give away the tickets but circumstances led to this pleasant surprise.

For this Saturday afternoon, it was BEL CASTRO.. Professor extraordinaire from ENDERUN, who was manning the mic with JJ YULO.
 Riding the bus, we were led to the Fort Strip. 
1st up was the SUNSHINE KITCHEN

Here, BC explained how the flavor is enhanced through the drinks we get. Like if we have something a little salty to eat and has something sweet to drink. On individual intake the taste stay the same but if they are combined, the mind plays its trick and makes the flavor more intense.

1st: A PEAR-FECT DRINK absolut pear vodka, organic guyabano and spiced cardamom
On its own, you get the flavor of the alcohol but when you combined it with next dish, you tend to taste the Guyabano more. The salty flavor masked the alcohol.
 CRAB AND CHEESE CROQUETTES with TARTAR SAUCE
TEA TO-TA-LER - Tanqueray gin laced with English Breakfast Tea Cranberry and sloshed with crisp tonic
This drink was a crowd favorite. Everybody loved it even without the pairing dish. C drank it in 1 quick gulp and actually finished mine too. 

Something new on their menu, CHICKEN and MUSHROOM VOL AU VENT was creamy. Small but perfectly all right with the pacing.
THE SUN ALSO RISES was next. It was made with maker's mark bourbon, strong Earl Grey Tea combined with fresh cantaloupe
I am not really into bourbon but i did liked the pizza though.
CRAB and SHRIMP PIZZA with ARTICHOKES and ANCHOVY
Not too thick and not too thin.
OUTLAW. Ripe watermelon jacked up with spicy red chilies and blasted with 100% Agave 1800 Reposado Tequlia.

Now this drink has chilis. BC taught us that hot stuff becomes hotter with chilis.
Furthermore, she explained the different types of tequilas and I was surprised to note that premium tequilas aren't really for shot glass but rather are drank slowly.

Another flavor twisting would be when you drink it party style. You lick the salt, gulp the shot and when you bite into the lemon, it tastes super sweet even if it is not.

ASIAN STYLE CEVICHE of MACKAREL with FRIED PAPADUM - all right but nothing too special.

By this time C was swirling. She was slouching on her chair and admitted that the room was moving.  and I guess, this would be a reminder to drink responsibly and for me not to take her drinking again..
(Well unless if I wanted to have her spill all her secrets bwhahahaha!Evil Plan! But I don't want to carry her awts! ... KIDDING!)

After thanking our kind hosts, we walked around the strip to DRAFT GASTROPUB. Draft has been a go to place when it comes to having excellent beers and getting the alcohol one really needs.

We got served 3 different pairings. Beer and chows.
FRITES or fries which was served with aioli  and MOZZARELLA NUGGETS or cubes of mozzarella breaded and fried with tomato sauce.
What made me happy was the SAUSAGE PLATTER. It had Pork and Fennel Sausage, bratwurst, and hungarian sausages with roast garlic potatoes and sauerkraut.
We got to try 3 beer taps. They were HOEGAARDEN, STELLA ARTOIS and CHIMAY. 
If it was up to me, I would have brought HOEGAARDEN home as it was light and was pretty much sweeter compared to the other two. Stella for me has a crisp flavor while Chimay, well its a bit bitter for me. Of course, it may have tasted different when drunk alone because of the food pairings we had.
Before I forget, BC explained that BEER is made of 4 things: GRAIN, HOPS, YEAST and WATER. (I hope I got it right. LOL!)

Walking a few more meters away, we were led to MODERN SICHUAN RESTAURANT.
Quite incredible because here we tried to have some TOCORNAL CHARDONNAY along with Chinese Cuisine.
We got a taste of PORK SLICES in CHILI SAUCE. Surprisingly, the chili isn't hot. Its the flavor of the chili that made this dish pretty awesome and it stands out.
The NOODLES with CHICKEN and BEAN SPROUT was a bit spicy but still perfect. The noodles were freshly made and cooked. The chicken was moist and the chili sauce isn't as spicy as you would normally have it.
For dessert, we got the FRIED SWEET POTATO with CHEESE.
Just as like what our gracious host said, the taste was somewhat like yema but its less sweet and is a little bit healthier.

For our last stop, we were pretty lucky!! We were lead to VANILLA CUPCAKE and BAKERY.
Of course, C and I had been here a couple of months back and she loved the place. She was really all gaga when the bus stopped and JJ informed us where we were going.
We were served some fruit flavored iced tea drinks like apple, guava and strawberry if i wasn't mistaken and an order of CHICKEN PARMIGIANA. We were also supposed to be served SALPICAO and another savory dish but everyone was just too full! So, we had the pasta and the chicken wrapped up to go and asked not to serve the remaining dishes.
BUT WE NEEDED dessert! So, we were handed some mini cupcakes and it was still devoured even if everyone was pretty much full at that moment.
And yep, we got it all to go. C brought everything home as she was in heaven. LOL!
By far, this edition has been the most food and knowledge packed BGC EATS 2014 edition I have experienced. Compared to the previous week and also to last year, this was totally packed. We finished almost 7pm and yes,as I said, we asked for the food to stop coming.... INCREDIBLE. SUPER FULL!!!

Can't wait for next year's edition. No more tickets here as I gave my last pair away. Promise!



VISITED: 
SUNSHINE KITCHEN-  2nd floor Fort Strip, BGC
DRAFT GASTROPUB- G/F
MODERN SICHUAN- G/F 
VANILLA CUPCAKE BAKERY- G/F Two Parkade 30th cor 7th, BGC

DISCLAIMER: wrote this based on my experience and I got hold of the tickets by redeeming them.

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Monday, August 4, 2014
BGC EATS 2014: 2nd Time Around. AUGUST 2, 2014

When I saw the posts, I knew I just had to get some tickets. I had been able to join the 1st one a year ago so I thought, why not join this one too. (LAST YEAR'S experience: CLICK HERE)

Getting to BGC was a bummer as C5 Traffic was definitely horrendous. Mental note, use EDSA on a Saturdate!! Thankfully, I was able to get there a good 15 minute before the 3pm call time.
Big shot out to Manong Marshall for not giving me a ticket!!!**There are new one way streets in BGC!!! ARGH!!!! Anyway..... I was greeted by my friends at the bus stop and we boarded exactly at 3pm! WHEW!
Thankfully, I was lucky enough to be blessed and have "hoarded" a bunch of tickets... (in retrospect, I forgot to redeem another pair of tickets.. and when I checked ... low and behold all the tour dates are filled up!!!)

Curated by awesome tour guide, JJ YULO, you won't be disappointed with the experience. Just like last year. What's new in these year's tour? Well they got a bunch of guests that gives a different dimension to the experience. For the August 2, 2014 batch, we were welcome by Ms. MYLENE CHEUNG of Pepper.ph and PhotoKitchen.  You see, the theme was FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY! YAY!!!! One of the things that I really need help on.

After getting on the bus , my friends and I were whisked away to our 1st stop.
Located in the Fort Strip, ORALE! offers a take on Mexican Dishes. The owners of this fine restaurant welcomed us just outside of their establishment. Unfortunately, the place is undergoing renovations and would lightt up in a couple of weeks. As such, we took over a few tables of a different restaurant so that we could try their stuff out.

Here M.C. gave us our 1st tip: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NATURAL LIGHT!!! Use a reflector!
It could be anything as expensive as something bought in a store to a sheet of clear white paper.
We were able to try out some tacos and beverages from Mexico which we took shots of using a reflector.
The taco was served with a soft shell and lovely shredded veggies and meat were in it. The salsa was nicely done. Not too hot and just right. Plus the beverage they served, which had lot of flavors to choose from, quenched our thirst.
After the roadside snack, we were led to the FORUM. Here we would round up the 3 remaining stops.The next resto on the list was SARSA. Now, I have been to this restaurant more than a couple of times to partake of their glorious grilled meat! You could check out a more extensive experience HERE and HERE.

At this leg, MC told us the next tip: DSLR/CAMERA: CLOSE-UP or rule of thirds and SMARTPHONE: GET THE TOP SHOT. Please don't ask me how the rule of thirds are but to put it plainly, each frame is awesome when you divide it into 9 different parts and emphasizing putting the object on an intersecting line. Of course, rules are made to be broken though. For smartphones, top shots are interesting as you get to put a lot of dishes into a single picture.
We were served a few of their awesome dishes.PANARA ROLLS.
ISAW and BBQ. Love their flavors!
Tofu! Their veggie take on the grilling.
Of course, one of my favorites, their dilis. (see the shadow ? and that's why its better to use a reflector.)
Up on the second floor, we went in TIPPLE & SLAW. A chill out bar that serves grub and drinks till the wee hours of the night morning during weekends. The feel was somewhat dark and relaxing. Awesome stuff were on its wall like:
 and MAN vs. FOOD's Adam Richman photo as to which the bar has an affinity for. They aim to serve dishes other than the usual rice meals. Best sellers would have to be sandwiches and pica-pica!
For this 2nd to the last stop, we were given the 3rd tip. TAKE SAFETY SHOTS. Definitely the best tip ever! I am soooo guilty of this when I take shots when I dine out. You won't go wrong with back-up shots.
After waiting for a few, we were served some drinks.
 ICED TEA, brewed and has a strong flavor but a tiny too sweet for me.
SALMON DIP: Chunks of salmon to put on toasted bread. Not really my type. 
Thanks so much James for the hand!!!
POUTINE with PASTRAMI: The meat was pretty good. Tender!
NUGGETS. served with 3 types of sauce, bbq, hot ketchup and sweet mustard sauce.
The chicken wasn't as juicy as I would like it to be. The coating would have also been better if it was crunchier. 

Our last stop was MARMALADE KITCHEN. A hidden JEM in this part of BGC. Just a few steps away fomr T& S. It opens at 7:30am for its breakfast and brunch fair but definitely their desserts must not be missed.
 Here, MC gave her last tip, try out VSCO CAM. An app for those INSTAGRAM savy guys and gals out there. She showed how to use the different functions.
 Although a little more work, it definitely would do wonders for your food pics.
We were served a lot of cookies and pastries and even some of their cakes.
Just a sample of their other dessert dishes.
What's on my plate? A little bit of everything! LOL!
The place offers cooking classes and has an awesome breakfast fair. The ambiance is chic and relaxing.
Aside from breakfast, they also got some pasta and you could get some freshly made pasta which you could cook at home. They also serve coffee and tea so its a place where one could kill time.

Berylle and Darrel of Its Beryllicious, was a pleasant surprise. I got to give it to sir as his photography tips was spot on! LOL!  It was also an awesome surprise to finally meet
Stacy of Tsinoy Foodies , and Sumi of The Purple Doll. I totally love their blog and instagram posts! These kids are pretty awesome and cool. Wait.. Am I that old!!! Nooooo I am so like their age! Promise!!!
And with that, the food tour ended on a sweet note. Unfortunately, there are no longer tickets available as I mentioned and maybe you could get lucky next year...I gave away my stash so that others could also give it a go. So I guess, I won't be on the next ones. The tour lasts around 3 hours and you won't get full but you definitely get to try new and amazing stuff. Next Saturday, they will have drink pairing with food and the one after that would be healthy eating. Arghh! Something we must all aspire to do. LOL!


VISITED: 
ORALE! -  Fort Strip, BGC
SARSA - G/F
TIPPLE & SLAW - 2nd Floor
MARMALADE KITCHEN - 2nd Floor
Forum South Global,
7th Ave corner 25th Street , Fort Bonifacio 


DISCLAIMER: wrote this based on my experience and I got hold of the tickets by redeeming them.
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