Ultimate Taste Test: How I Made it Through 51 Food Stalls in 5 Hours

What do you call the act of devouring food at the Ultimate Taste Test event? – ‘Ultimate Taste Testing’. 🙂

Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet, NomNom, & Tricie (R-L)

Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet, NomNom, & Tricie (R-L)

Ok, I made that up.

A week after the Ultimate Taste Test 6.0, people have been asking how many food stalls was I able to try. And when I answer 51, they seemed to be amazed and ask how I did it.

It’s simple actually.

If you approach it mathematically, ~50 stalls in 5 hours is equal to 10 stalls per hour or 6 minutes per food stall. Thinking about it, 6 minutes is already a good rate which includes taking photos, lining up, and asking  a little background about the food from the owners.

Here are some tips on how I was able to make it through 51 of the 55 food stalls in Ultimate Taste Test 6.0:

1) Skip Breakfast – this readies your tummy with maximize space available. 🙂

2) Come Early – I came 15 mins. ahead of time. There were only a handful of people and you’ve got the food suppliers pulling you by the arm just to try their delicacies. You’ll never feel unwanted. 🙂

Conquering 51 Food Stalls at the Ultimate Taste Test 6 (2011)

Conquering 51 Food Stalls at the Ultimate Taste Test 6 (2011)

3) Relax, Don’t Panic – Eat in pace, one at a time. You’re not in a race. Get rid of the greedy mentality and trust the organizers that they prepared enough food for everyone and that you will not run out of food to taste.

4) Take a Sip after every food stall visit – this helps clear your palate for objective tasting of the next, and pushes down the previous. You can also bring a water bottle just in case the event lacks beverage suppliers.

Nomnomnom...

Nomnomnom...

5) Eat in Line – when rush hour strikes, you might find yourself waiting in line specially if the stall is a blockbuster hit. This is the best time to eat your haul from the previous stall. By the time you’re finished, your’re in front of the line. Efficiency is key. 🙂

6) Bring an Eating Buddy – (preferably with the same level of appetite)  nothing beats peer support. If you see your friend eating along with you, you will be more determined. Although I came by myself, we didn’t fall short of having the other food bloggers around for company (and critique).

7) Strategize – being my third UTT, I already learned from my previous mistakes. I utilized a different strategy this time. For the first hour (11am-12nn), I just took photos. The title should actually be 51 Stalls in 4 Hours. 🙂

8 ) Alternate Main Dishes and Desserts – my first approach was from left to right, but there came a point when there was a series of dessert food stalls which overwhelmed even my sweet tooth. I decided to drop my sequence and just remember to go back to the ones I skipped.

6 Ultimate Finds from the Ultimate Taste Test 6.0

This was my alternate title for this article. But since a lot of food bloggers already came out with theirs days ago. I surmised mine was old news.

Anyhow, so here’s NomNom Club‘s Top 6 Ulitmate Finds from the Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 last week:

Symphony of Flavors

Symphony of Flavors

6.)  Symphony of Flavors – Best Leche Flan Cheesecake ever! The goodness of Lech Flan and Cheesecake combined.

Carmen's Best - Holly's Milk and Ice Cream

Carmen's Best - Holly's Milk and Ice Cream

5.)  Carmen’s Best – Using 100% fresh cow’s milk, I love the Salted Caramel Ice Cream.

Chef C's Paella

Chef C's Paella

4.)  Chef C’s – I can’t remember if they served other dishes but I was extremely satisfied with their Paella De Andaluz.

Dek A Thai Authentic Cuisine

Dek A Thai Authentic Cuisine

3.)  Dek A Thai Authentic Cuisine – The Popia and Thai Milk Tea were indeed authentic and very good. You’d want to dine in and ask for a full serving. 🙂

Luigi's

Luigi's

2.)  Luigi’s -  They almost made my top spot with their awesome Phillychangas and Chicken Cordon Bleu with Aligue Mayo. Yummy!

PinakBest

PinakBest

1.)  Pinakbest – Aptly named, Pinakbest was my pinaka-best pick with their Bagnet and Ilocos empanada. They also got the longest line.

But…but…I have  more recommendations! Allow me to give my next 6 as well:

Spring By Ha Yuan

Spring By Ha Yuan

7.)  Spring by Ha Yuan – Their Ka-Pao variants Pulled Pork, Beef Shortrib, and Monk’s Dream were a sight. I was only allowed to try one though – Beef Shortrib – and it was good!

Theo & Philo Artisan Chocolates

Theo & Philo Artisan Chocolates

8.)  Theo & Philo Chocolate – these Artisan Chocolates come in interesting packages and chocolate flavors combined with the not-your-usual chocolate partners. 🙂

5 Loaves & 2 Fish

5 Loaves & 2 Fish

9.)  5 Loaves and 2 Fish – not sure if I should call it nachos or tortillas, but the baked chips were crunchy and the dips were interesting and flavorful

Chori Chori Burger Joint

Chori Chori Burger Joint

10.)  Chori Chori Burger Joint – they got the Chori Burger taste from Boracay. You should try the Chori Burger with Egg.

The Sweet LIfe's 'Sweet Surrender'

The Sweet LIfe's 'Sweet Surrender'

11.)  The Sweet Life – You should try their “Sweet Surrender” which is a frozen soft meringue with custard and French Vanilla ice cream. It is held by a graham cracker crust.

Eat My GF (Garlic Fries)

Eat My GF (Garlic Fries)

12.)  Eat My GF – Aside from the interesting name, it’s basically Garlic French Fries at it’s best.

An additional special mention would be  Chef Bruce Lim’s Chef Table’s Buco Pie Martini for its creativeness. 🙂

Chef's Table Buco Pandan Martini

Chef's Table Buco Pandan Martini

For more photos of the other exhibitors, check out the photo albums in our NomNom Club Facebook fanpage.

Ultimate Taste Test 6

Ultimate Taste Test 6

And those are my 13 Top Picks form the recent Ultimate Taste Test 6 and how I made it through 51 of them in 5 hours. See you next year! 🙂