Entries Tagged 'Rockwell' ↓

Although our editor-in-chief has been to previous UTT, Clasrissa and I were first-timers and excited to be “food critics” for a day in the recent Rockwell’s Ultimate Taste Test 2.

The Fruit Garden

Knowing that there would be 40 different food stalls to try at the Rockwell Tent, we had to craft a plan so we can try everything just like how our EIC made it in last year’s Ultimate Taste Test. I couldn’t imagine how to go through each and every booth so I told Clariss that we should start with main dishes such as pork, chicken, and other meat down to the desserts and beverages.

Frisch Liquor Ice Cream

We were given a set of food tray, a pen, and a map with a grading sheet with the names of the participating vendors. It’s actually our passport to every food stall. We don’t have to finish all the stalls but it would be an awesome experience if we do!

The Scoring System:

• 1 – Thanks, but it could be better
• 2 – It’s Okay
• 3 – We had a good time!
• 4 – I love it!
• 5 – Awesome! I would recommend!

Bayani Brew

The UTT management has made it very comfortable for the “food critics”, there’s enough space, drinking water dispenser and disposable plastic cups.

On my list, I actually had 12 different food stalls with a grade of 5, but will shorten it the Top 10. Let me share our great food finds with a grade of 5 at UTT2.

1. Hillside Ranch
o This is one of the most scrumptious meat entrée in UTT2. To be honest, I’m a little picky when it comes to meat. I always want it juicy, moist, flavorful but definitely not salty, and most of all tender! Available in two variants, the corned beef brisket an my favorite  slow roast beef belly. Unfortunately, they are not available in major supermarkets but you can buy them at Trellis in QC and Essel Supermarket in San Fernando, Pampanga (the province where they came from – a place famous for good food).

Hillside Ranch

2. Carlo’s Kitchen
o The crispy, crunchy goodness of Carlos Kitchen pork belly goes very well with a bottle of San Miguel Beer! I got to try it when I visited Mercato Centrale about few months ago. The flavour, which is not too salty, and the crispiness remain the same. Crunchy belly is good for “pulutan” (finger food or appetizer). I almost forgot my favourite Bulacan chicharon!

Carlo’s Kitchen

3. Baked by Anita
o Known for their delicious cupcakes, Baked by Anita surprised us with their newest offering – a flavourful savory pie called the “Wild Mushroom Gruyere & Truffle Oil”. The truffle oil made it more appealing to the palate.

Baked by Anita

UTT would not be complete without dessert such as creamy and irresistible ice cream, cakes, pastries and smoothies. Here’s my take on their dessert & beverage section.

4. Blue Togue
o When it comes to desserts, I highly recommend Blue Togue! Initially, I was hesitant to try the cakes and pastries since I had some cheesecake overload the past few days. As of this writing I still have two boxes of Conti’s cakes in my fridge. Nonetheless, their Nutella Mouse Cake looks so divine I can’t resist! And yes, I was bewitched with its moist and creamy chiffon. I highly recommend Blue Togue!

Blue Togue’s Nutella Mouse Cake

5. Matasami Flavoured Shave Ice
o This one is definitely different from other flavoured shave ice I tried in the past. I never thought it would be so smooth, so luscious, so creamy and so delicious! I tried two flavors – the Swiss Cheese and Langka, in favor of the former. The owner was very generous offering us to try other variants but I had to refuse. Perhaps on my next visit, I will try the Hawaiian Shave Ice and their liquor syrups.

o Matasami can be found in: SM Mall of Asia, Robinsons Galleria, Glorietta 4 Cinema Level and soon at Robinsons Magnolia.

Matasami

6. Villa Del Conte
o I’m already familiar with Villa del Conte as boyfie once gave me a box of these luscious, rich, premium chocolates.

Villa Del Conte

7. Saint Alps
o They served us their refreshing Blueberry Double Chocolate which was outstanding!

Saint Alps

8. Bayani Brew
o Bayani brew offers interesting and healthy beverages. I tried their Lemongrass Pandan Iced tea and Purple leaf tea Iced tea. Guess what is a purple leaf tea? It’s actually “talbos ng kamote” (kamote tops)! Interestingly, it doesn’t taste like kamote tops. However, the lemongrass pandan is just like a regular brewed iced tea but I liked it nonetheless! Each bottle costs P35.

Bayani Brew

9. Pinkberry – They served us Coconut Pinkberry and made us choose 3 toppings. It had a good balance of tanginess and sweetness to crave for.  Check out my separate post on Pinkberry.

10. Mochi Sweets

o A soft and not-too-sweet mocha dessert goes well with a cup of hot tea. Since we’re already full, I paired it with Nescafe Dolce Gusto Cappuccino.

Mochi Sweets

With a wide variety of food, I never thought I would be spending almost four hours at UTT2.

Other interesting food items are the Hokey Pokey Ice Cream from New Zealand Natural, Frisch Liquor Ice Cream, Maria’s Ilocos Empanada, Chef Anton, Lulu Belle, & the Plaza.

Bake Buddy

The Plaza

Nutella Rocks

On the other hand, there were two food stalls that I had to visit twice because they run out of food – Chief Wings and Chow Fun. The latter offered us their interesting chocolate butchi.

* Story and photos by Marjorie Pineda of www.livingmarjorney.com

New Zealand Natural

Maria’s Ilocos Empanada

Nescafe Dolce Gusto

Those are my Top 10 food items from Rockwell’s Ultimate Taste Test 2! I was so full I had to skip dinner that night.

Food lovers, connoisseurs, and foodies, hear ye, hear ye! One of the most exciting food event of the year is back – the sixth edition of the Ultimate Taste Test!

Brought to you by Our Awesome Planet, in cooperation with San Miguel Lifestyle Brews, Rockwell’s Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 is happening on September 3 at the Rockwell Tent from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. as food blogger Anton Diaz  embarks on this first partnership with Rockwell.

Be a food-critic-for-a-day by sampling mouth-watering food preparations and concoctions from over 50+ home-based food businesses and some of Power Plant Mall’s own restaurants. Participants also get to rate the food samples and exhibiting food concessionaires on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. The hihgest scorers get to be featured in Anton’s site.

Each ticket costs P585/person and covers the ff:

• Food Taste Portions from 50+ Home-Based Food Vendors & Power Plant Mall Restaurants (new) for the entire Saturday
• A bottle of San Miguel Super Dry, Premium All-Malt or Cerveza Negra (18 years old and above only)
• Exclusive to 1,000 foodies

Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 2011

For ticket inquiries, call Power Plant Mall Office (Tel. # 8981702) during mall hours or Creative Juice Office (Tel. # 5707827) during office hours.

Here is a list of Food Exhibitors you might expect:

If you want to be a food supplier, contact Rockwell UTT Application Form and submit  via email to admin@ultimatetastetest.com.

See related Posts:

• Ultimate taste Test 4.0
• Ultimate taste Test 4.0 Photos

Rockwell’s Ultimate Taste Test Event
September 3, 2011, Saturday, 11.00 am – 9.00 pm.
Rockwell Tent
Email admin@ultimatetastetest.com.
P585/head. Tickets available at Power Plant Mall Office (Tel. # 8981702) during mall hours or Creative Juice Office (Tel. # 5707827) during office hours.

See you fellow foodies at the Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 on Saturday! 🙂

Remember the “However-You-Want-It Frappuccino Blended Beverage” article two months ago which showed ways to create blended beverages with a variety of syrups, toppings and intensities? Well, here’s some newer flavors Starbucks came up with which will be offered starting tomorrow, June 28!

Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino

Introducing the new Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino and Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino blended beverages!

The Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino blended beverage is a mix of  “matcha powder and black sesame powder, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream and black sesame seeds” while Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappucino is made with “soy milk blended with ice, infused with strawberry sauce and topped with whipped cream.”

Want to create something uniquely yours? Here’s how to create your however you want it Frappuccino blended beverages:

Request any milk:

• Nonfat, whole or soy

Choose the coffee intensity:

• Regular, double, triple, decaf

Or choose “cream” for a coffee-free beverage:

• Strawberries & Cream
• Vanilla Cream
• Caramel Cream
• Chocolate Cream
• Chai Cream
• Green Tea Cream
• Chocolate Chip Cream

Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino

Select your syrup or blend of syrups:

• Mocha
• White Mocha
• Mint
• Raspberry
• Vanilla
• Caramel
• Hazelnut
• Classic
• Sugar-free Vanilla

Choose whipped cream, light on the whip or no whip

• Add a topping:
• Mocha drizzle
• Caramel drizzle

I’ve tried and I’ve discovered that I’m lousy at experimenting with my Starbucks concoctions so I guess I’ll settle with trying out the new Starbucks Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino and Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino blended beverages first! 😛

Buon Giorno is the brainchild of Mark Floro and his wife, Linda Floro, both of them are food enthusiasts. The couple decided to share their passion with their friends through a quaint Italian restaurant, Buon Giorno.

It was first established at Cliffhouse, Tagaytay City where it has been hailed as one of the most romantic destinations in Tagaytay. The Cliffhouse Buon Giorno branch is very famous for its Opium bed because of the countless marriage proposals that has happened there (the Opium bed is the most reserved spot at the Cliffhouse branch- so better call them early if you’re planning special for your lovey dovey).

With the success of the first branch at Tagaytay, the Floros decided it’s  high time to bring Buon Giorno back to the Metro once again (they opened at Shaw Blvd a few years back but it was closed down).  Buon Giorno is currently located at Rockwell Business District in Ortigas.

I had the privilege to join fellow food bloggers as Buon Giorno introduced their palatial menu.

Antipasti/Antipasto (Appetizer) *this is not a complete menu list

Trio of Crostini P218

A thin of lightly-toasted bread served with pesto, chicken liver pate and  mushroom dip

Bruschetta P180

Tomatoes, mozzarella and basil on olive-toasted toast

Antipasto Platter P335

Marinates olives, pearl onions, roasted peppers, cheese cubes and Italian meats

Insalata (Salad)

B’uon Giorno’s Special

B’uon Giorno’s Special P218

Crema de Brocolli

A mixed of Buon Giorno’s best salad greenies and fruits drizzled with their delectable house dressing

Zuppe (Soup)

Crema de Brocolli P140
An awesome blend of cream and broccoli

Pizza

Mare Pesto P265

Mixed seafood brought together with lots of basil, pesto and cheese. The pizza is super thin crust which gives a crunchy feel with each bite.

Buon-Giorno-Pizza

New York Pizza

New York Pizza P295

It’s composed of assorted meat, bell peppers, and cheese topping on crisp, crusty dough.

This is truly a great break from the pizza that we usually order. Though it’s still far from the original Italian pizza, it’s as good. The chef needed to tailor the pizza according to the Filipino taste 

Other pizza flavours are: Vegetarian, Peperroni, Hawaiian, Salsiccia, Prosciutto A Funghi, and Al Margherita.

Pasta

Canneloni Spinaci P294

Tender bits of chicken & mortadella ham rolled in sheets of spinach pasta smothered with tomato sauce and cheese

Pescattore Alla Puttanesca P308 (Top Photo)
Assortment of seafood in spicy and peppery tomato sauce

Canneloni Spinaci

Risotto (Italian Rice Dishes)

Pollo E Funghi P302

It’s basically chicken in rice dish. It’s by itself a complete meal and will immediately fill your hungry tummy.

Piato Principale

San Prieto Con Basilico John Dory P470

Perfectly cooked cream dory fillet with creamy sauce and spinach

Beef Wagyu in Mushroom Gravy Sauce was also served that night and it’s available by request (in case you are dining in the future).

Chocolate-Pistachio Sans Rival

Dolci (dessert)

Chocolate- Pistachio Sans Rival P207

Layers of wafers covered in chocolate icing and drizzled with pistachio.

This may not be my favourite version of sans rival but if you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll dig it.

Buon Giorno Cheesecake

Cheesecake P170

It’s creamy and fairly yummy but I tasted better cheesecakes (but then I’m biased because I am not a cake person, I’d rather have cold desserts than sweets and pastries).

Bevande (beverages)

Fresh Fruit Shakes P120-P144

Watermelon shake, Grape shake, and Mango shake

Buon Giorno Watermelon, Grape, Mango Shake

Few facts on Italian dining:

Olive oil is a staple in any Italian pantry. There are many varieties of Olive oil and usually, different kinds are used for salads, entrees and cooking.

Italian Dining

For those wondering how to use olive oil with food and cooking, these could help you:

•    Use quality olive oil. Never use an olive oil if you can’t eat it as it is.

•    The most widely used olive oil on restaurants are the extra virgin oil and cold pressed olive oil. It’s also the highest in quality though it’s pricey as compared to the other varieties. Extra virgin olive oil is the best variety used over salads or for dipping bread.

•    If you do not want too much aroma from the olive oil, you may opt for virgin olive oil. It contains fairly less flavour and aroma that’s why it’s best used for frying, grilling and oven roasting. But ordinary or pure virgin olive oil contains even less flavour and aroma than virgin olive oil and is best used in recipes that flavour from olive oil is not desired.

•    Italians can easily determine the variety of olive oil. I was told that they can also tell if the olive oil was from Italy or from other parts of the world.

This has been your resident NomNomClub writer, Renz of Pinay Mommy Adreamer, saying Hanno un Grande Giorno!

Buon Giorno
Grnd Flr, Tower 1 Rockwell Business Center
Ortigas Avenue
Pasig City
Tel number- 5719092