Entries Tagged 'Affairs' ↓

Members of the media and bloggers recently had the chance to meet and watch the 12 Kiddie Cooks of ABS-CBN‘s Junior MasterChefs Pinoy Edition as they prepare scrumptious recipes at the kitchen of Trescon International College.

Patrick is one of the Super 12 Junior Masterchefs

The Pinoy Junior Masterchef cooking reality program showcases a pool of talented kids coming from different backgrounds. It was astonishing to see how the little master chefs effeciently held the knife as they cut ingredients into desired shapes and pieces.

Weeks of tough cook-offs have brought together the best 12 kiddie cooks from the country in the “Junior MasterChef Pinoy Edition,” impressing viewers with creations kids their age might not be able to cook with ease.

Junior MasterChefs Contenders Ian, Kyle, Acee, Philip (L-R)

First up in the Super 12 is Bianca, 9, one of the youngest kiddie cooks in the show.  Both of her parents were formally trained in the culinary arts and have taught her proper cooking techniques at such an early stage.

Cheerful Philip of Cebu made his way into the viewers’ hearts by dancing every time his dish gets complimented by host Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo and chef judges Ferns, Lau and Jayps. He lacks formal cooking training but still manages to whip up the best-tasting dishes in the show and even led the culinary race last week by topping the scoreboard.

Junior MasterChefs Contender Bianca

Iain masterfully creates various Italian dishes which he and his family enjoy.

Mika on the other hand has extensive training in Japanese cuisine.

Also getting into the Super 12 is Tricia, who plans to major in Business Management to help their family business thrive. She goes straight to their family-owned restaurant in Batangas every day after school to watch their chefs cook or help out in preparing their customers’ orders.

Junior MasterChefs Contenders Jobim (top right), Miko (bot left), Emman (center), and Tricia (bot right)

Judy Ann Santos

During their family trips abroad, Patrick asked his parents to buy him cooking tools and equipments instead of toys and gadgets.

Outside the kitchen, Miko is a school varsity basketball player. His first dish created was beef broccoli, when he was just eight years old.

Emman’s most memorable cooking experience was cooking pancakes for his mom who worked on a night shift when he was six years old. From the usual pancakes, he can now cook a variety of dishes from ham and cheese omelette to beef steak and pizza rolls, among others.

Eleven-year old Kyle has an instinctive approach to cooking. He is fond of using the Ouido style-cooking through reliance on look, feel and taste instead of measurements.

Jobim likes to experiment in the kitchen by adding different herbs and spices to his dishes.

Junior Masterchef Super 12 Presscon

Acee hopes to win the competition one dish at a time. During an immersion, she wowed viewers with her spaghetti Bolognese with béchamel sauce and tomato salsa.

Caitlin on the other hand, impressed the judges early-on in the competition with her dishes such as ‘rice in ampalaya silog’, which gained the highest score in the program’s silog challenge.

Junior Masterchef Pinoy Edition at Trescon International College

One of the two Pinoy Junior Masterchef recipe made in the press conference

Catch more of “Junior MasterChef Pinoy Edition” on ABS-CBN, visit www.masterchefph.tv, www.facebook.com/jrmasterchef, and @jrmasterchef_ph on Twitter.

Junior MasterChefs Chef Judges Chef Rolando Laudico, Chef Ferns, and Chef Jayps (L-R)

* Text and Photos by Marjorie Pineda

All of them were very energetic. We saw the passion in what they were doing, from preparing the ingredients, cooking up to keeping their work station clean and orderly. They prepared two recipes during the press conference of the Junior MasterChefs Pinoy Edition. All these they learned from the Judges Chef Ferns, Chef Lau, Chef Jayps, and celebrity Judy Ann Santos.

The Oakroom International Restaurant is located at the 6th level of Oakwood Premier Joy Nostalg Center in Ortigas and it’s a haven for culinary cravings spearheaded by Chef Jerome Cartailler.

From November 7-27, 2011 Oakroom together with the US Department of Agriculture and Robert Mondavi Wines will hold the Great American Taste Festival where in you will be able to taste the richness of good old American cuisine paired with the right wine from no less than the winery of Napa Valley’s finest, Robert Mondavi.

For most Filipinos, wine is reserved for special occasions and pairing it with food is a rare indulgence but as culinary experts start to ease us to the goodness of proper wine pairing, many Filipinos embrace wine as part of their meal. Did you know that a glass or two of red wine a day will do your body wonders? Of course, moderation is still key to a healthy lifestyle.

Let’s learn a few tips on how to taste wine:

How to Taste Wine

Continue reading →

Old Vine Restaurant

Venice Piazza once again becomes a perfect place for friends and family to get-together with mouth-watering line-up of great food, good booze with the “Platter for 8“.

Ramen Bar

Venice Piazza recently launched the Party Platter Promo. All your food favourites in just one plate! Platter for 8 is available on  all weekends from October 15 – November 2011

The Food

For only P800 satisfy your taste buds with scrumptious pasta dish from Empire Deli or Blackwood Bistro.

How about a food trip from Japan, Korea and China – all these restaurants are participating the Platter for 8 too!

Yoshi’s Platter from Ramen Bar

The Restaurants:  choose from 14 participating establishments.

• Pasta Trio Platter from Blackwood Bistro
• Fantastic Four Platter from Carlo’s Pizza

Stackers Burger cafe

• Empire Italian’s Platter from Empire Deli
• Korean Group Meals Platter from KBOP
• Salo-salo set from Kuse
• Little Asia Symphony of Flavors from the Little Asia
• Fish and Steak Platter from the Old Vine Grille
• Nachos and Wings Platter from Pinchos Bar & Restaurant
• Yoshi’s Platter from Ramen Bar
• Arianne’s Platter from The Red Crab Alimango’s House
• Cheaper by the Dozen by Sol Gelato
• Auss’m Party Platter from Stackers Burger Café
• James Dean Platter from The Sweet Pea
• Nakayoshi Platter from  Tokyo Café

Nachos Platter from Pinchos Bar & Restaurant

Wings Platter from Pinchos Bar & Restaurant

Blackwood Bistro

Aside from the Platter 8, here are other things you can do at the Fort:

• Enjoy Everyday Happy Hour with colleagues and a bottle of beer for only P30 on weekdays. But if that’s not enough, enjoy buy 1 take 1 cocktails for only P40.
• Rockeoke  from Wednesdays at 8pm with 88.8 band. Listen to the music of The Beatles, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Gin Blossoms.
• Draybers every Saturdays at 7pm. With classic rock bands inspired by the likes of Lep Zeppelin, The Easgles, and Samantha.
• Spirit of ’67 every Sundays at 7pm. Enjoy good music from the 70s and good repertoire for the classics.

Yoshi's Platter from Ramen Bar has of course, Ramen! 🙂

12 Scoops of Ice Cream Dessert called 'Cheaper by the Dozen' from Sol Gelato - Yum!

So bring a healthy appetite when you come to the Venice Piazza Platter for 8!

Red Crab Alimango House

The Verdict

With the myriad of choices, NomNom’s Top 3 Picks of Recommend platters from among those we were able to try are the following:

• Korean Group Meals Platter from KBOP

• Salo-salo set from Kuse

• Yoshi’s Platter from Ramen Bar

Kuse

Ironically, only one of those three have photos in this article. I think we were too overwhelmed and busy eating hence the absence of their photos. lols 🙂

*Written by Marjorie Pineda and Jonel Uy for NomNomClub.com
There’s always room for more fun at Venice Piazza so bring your family and friends of 8 and celebrate good times. For more inquiries, call the concierge at 709-0888, 709-9888, and +63917817655.

So when are you visiting Venice Piazza for the Platter for 8? 🙂

Customers await this time of the year for the return of their favorite Starbucks Christmas products and to start collecting stickers to redeem their favorite Starbucks Planner 2012. But before I reveal the 2012 Starbucks Shared Planet Planner, let’s take a look at the old Starbucks Planners of the past 8 years. 🙂

2012 Starbucks Planners

Thanks to Starbucks, I was privileged to join a group of bloggers at the recent unveiling of the 2012 Starbucks Planners! Everyone was excited to see how the 2012 planner would look like!

Now, on its 9^th year, and for the first time, this year, your favorite Starbucks Planner will be available in five (5) unique covers (Polar, Cherry, Spruce, Bamboo and Oak).

Starbucks Shared Planet

The design and materials used reflect this year’s Starbucks Shared Planet theme.

Starbucks Shared Planet is the company’s commitment in doing business in ways that are good to each other and the planet. This year’s planner supports these pillars through the Ethical Sourcing, Environmental Stewardship and Community Involvement.

The planner was produced in a facility that is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. This is an organization established to promote responsible management of the world’s forest. How cool is that? 🙂

Features and Designs

This year’s planners are made from recycled paper and engineered wood cover.

Starbucks Planner is Hard bound and has Strap

It is hard bound, light and handy. The size is small enough to fit in your bag. It also has a strap to hold your planner.

Moreover, each planner comes with a pouch – you can place a pen, money or even your mobile phone inside. It is available from light to dark color.

Aside from the sleeve, it comes with a cute bookmark and a freebie – nine (9) different coupons that can be redeemed at all Starbucks stores in the Philippines in 2012.

Starbucks Planner Coupons

At the back is a pocket to keep your coupons.

Starbucks Planner Pages

Starbucks Planner for a Cause

The Starbucks Planner 2012 was made for a cause! For every planner redeemed, a donation will be made to Spark Hope, a program for early childhood care and development in partnership with UNICEF.

Exactly three days from now, you can avail of a Starbucks Christmas traditional  promo card and collect stickers! From November 3, 2011 to January 8, 2012. One sticker is awarded for each Starbucks beverage purchase.

How To Get A Starbucks Planner and Coupon Redemption

Customers have two (2) options in collecting stickers to redeem one (1) Limited Edition Starbucks Coffee 2012 Planner.

• Option 1.  Collect stickers by purchasing nine (9) Christmas beverages plus eight (8) core beverages except bottled drinks.

• Option 2.  Purchase 23 core beverages aside from bottled drinks

Starbucks Planner 2012

* Words and photos by Marjorie Pineda, Contributor

The Starbucks Planner tradition begins on November 3! Support the cause, buy a drink, collect stickers and have your Merry Christmas and a Planned New Year with the 5 Starbucks 2012 Planners! Which one will you choose? 🙂

We Filipinos are very familiar of festivals. With more than 7000 islands here in the Philippines, just imagine the number of festivals we celebrate in a year. Do we think that’s enough? Apparently, one cannot have too many festivals. On the 13th of October 2011, Appetite, together with Shangri-la Mall presented the Appetite Restaurant Festival to food writers, food photographers, food bloggers, and every kind of food enthusiasts.

Pages' Deli Meat Platter

Before going to the Appetite Restaurant Festival, I have prepared myself for a night of feasting so I did some chores which required walking from one mall to another. Finally, hungry from all that walking I headed to Shangri-la Mall for the upcoming festivities at the Appetite Restaurant Festival. Oh boy, did I have plenty to feast my eyes and mouth!

Cravings' Chicken A La Pobre

By now you might be thinking “what kind of festival is cooking at Shangri-la Mall”?

That was also my question when I arrived at Shangri-la Mall so I first stopped by at C2 Cuisine which I later learned is also one of the participating restaurants in the Appetite Restaurant Festival. The friendly C2 Cuisine staff instructed me to go to the ground floor where the Appetite Restaurant Festival will be held. I was thirty minutes early which is a good thing because I had all the pleasure of taking pictures of the different food selections at my pace.

I also had time to think about what to eat and try. There are lots (and I mean lots to choose from) and one can easily feel prey to gluttonous indulgences. After reaching the end of the station for pictures, the beginning of the festivities started.

Appetite Restaurant Festival Passport

Airplane Flight Theme

Apparently the theme is an airplane flight and that the guests are the passengers. Each passenger is given a passport which they have to show to each restaurant station for them to partake what the restaurant is offering. After the passenger receives his or her food, the passport is stamped which means that you have visited that station already. Apparently return visits were discouraged that time to accommodate other passengers.

Appetite Restaurant Festival filled the Shangri-La Mall Activity Area

By the way, the head flight crew is Sam O who donned a sexy flight attendant outfit. She introduced the representatives from Appetite Magazine and Shangri-la Mall who welcomed all the guests to try this one stop shop at the Appetite Restaurant Festival. The idea for the Appetite Restaurant Festival is to enjoy different cuisines coming from different locations: Asian, Mediterranean, American and European in just one stop which is Shangri-la Mall.

The Best from Classic Cuisine - C2

Lemongrass

What do I think of the concept? I love the idea! This is simply because it gives me choices on what to eat. I have a few favorite restaurants from the participating restaurants like Cravings and C2 Cuisine but I can’t go there every time. At the Appetite Restaurant Festivals I can still get something from the restaurants I frequent to and at the same time try also something new from other restaurants in just one stop. You have the elements of convenience and variety going on in just one location. I can imagine Sunday lunches with family or birthday celebrations being spent in the Appetite Restaurant Festivals.

Dessert Time!

It gives you that Sunday feeling of a laid-back eat-all-you can one-stop shop like the one in San Lorenzo’s place or the Sunday Market at the Lung Center (now moved somewhere!) but inside the mall. So for people who want to enjoy the comfort of an air-conditioned room with the feel of Sunday market menu, I highly recommend trying the Appetite Festival Restaurant.

Other participating restaurants include Lemongrass Asian Bistro, Cafe Provencal, Crustasia, Cyma, Pages, Pepper Lunch, Clawdaddy, Green Tomato, Secret Recipe, Pho Hoa, and Sing Hainanese Chicken House.

Appetite Magazine Dinner Event

Good food from Clawdaddy

I haven’t been back to the Appetite Restaurant Festival but I told the boys we ought to try it out after we get back from our diving trips. So far I want to know who has tried it too. Have you?

What was your experience during the Appetite Restaurant Festival? Drop me a link, a comment, or anything! I am really interested to know what you think of the Appetite Restaurant Festival.

Sarap at Home with Friends is now at its 4th season and the show promises more surprises and more easy to do recipes from San Marino and CDO Foodservice. The show is hosted by Sam Oh and will be joined by the young actress Jackie Rice, hunky model Fabio Ide and to bring comic relief to the show, Ramon Bautista joins the pack.

The new season will be formatted ala sitcom slash cooking show which will highlight sensational recipes that the viewers can re-create at their homes. With the additions of the new casts, twists and plots will surely be one of the things viewers should look forward to.

What’s totally new and unique at Sarap at Home Season 4 is the show’s support to viewers who are planning on starting up their own food businesses. CDO Foodservice will be sharing helpful tips on how to set up your own small food business so expect smart business solutions on starting up or running a small food business all throughout the season.

Here are sample recipes from Sarap at Home with friends and San Marino Tuna:

Everyone, get ready for the flavor filled episodes of Sarap at Home with friends. It is shown at GNTV11 3x a day from Monday to Sunday so no reason to miss it! Tell us what your favorite Sarap at Home with friends recipe or better yet invite us over at your homes to try your own San Marino recipe.

This has been your resident NomNom Club writer, Renz your Mommy foodie leaving you with a quote,” Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. “

Do you have the passion in promoting Filipino Cuisine?
Are you a creative writer with a knack for food?
Are you on a search to discover the best Filipino dishes?
Do you believe na “masarap” maging Pinoy?
Are you game for the challenge of going to 10 Philippine destinations and 101 restaurants for a total of 30-day foodtrip and P25,000 cash prize in hand?

Sooo Pinoy Kare-Kare

If you say yes to all of the above, then you should join Sooo Pinoy‘s The ‘Search for the Ultimate Food Blogger!’ (This reminded me of BloggerManila.com’s Search for the Blogger Apprentice, lols)

What is the Search for the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Blogger?

“It is a nationwide search to help us find the best blogger who best embodies the Sooo Pinoy advocacy and will help best promote Filipino cuisine”, according to Unilever Food Solutions who hosted a launch dinner last night at Milky Way in Makati.

Sooo Pinoy

Sooo Pinoy is inviting all bloggers to join its Search for the Ultimate Food Blogger for chance to go on a once-in-a-lifetime food trip – an all-expense paid journey to ten beautiful Philippine destinations to dine in more than 101 different Filipino restaurants.

This is in line with their Sooo Pinoy advocacy to heighten appreciation and awareness for Pinoy food as Sooo Pinoy intends to tap the blogger community to promote Filipino cuisine.

Sooo Pinoy Advocacy

Criteria for Judging

• 50pts. Creativity – how good the story is told
• 40pts. Technical Writing Skills – grammar, technical structure, logical flow of paragraphs
• 10pts. Number of shares/follower engagement
• 100 points – TOTAL

Mechanics:

Composed of three rounds, the Search will not only measure the bloggers’ writing skills but their ability to engage readers as well. Each round is designed to test the bloggers’ creativity and passion for the advocacy. The winning blogger should be able to encourage Pinoys to discover our cultural identity through Filipino cuisine with articles that will leave readers hungry for more.

See detailed Search for the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Blogger Mechnics here.

Sooo Pinoy Food around the Philippines

How to Join

Bloggers must submit an entry for round 1, a blog article that explains why they deserve to be the Ultimate Food Blogger. All entries must be received before October 24. Entries will be judged according to creativity, quality of the write-up, and popularity among readers. Only those who pass the first round will continue to rounds 2 and 3 in the hope of becoming the Sooo Pinoy Ultimate Food Blogger. Those who want to join may visit www.facebook.com/SoooPinoy to see the detailed mechanics.

October 24 is the date to hold as this is the last day of submission for Round 1!

I Want To Join!

Adobo: one of Pinoy Food Signature Dishes

Search for the Ultimate Sooo Pinoy Food Blogger

Readers of my Adventure-Travel   blog LetsGoSago.net knows just how much I would love to participate in these type of challenges. However, due to my upcoming academic trip to Taiwan, I have a problem with the round 2 and round 3 dates if ever I qualify moving forward. I guess that’s good news for the rest of you guys! lols. 🙂

Sooo, what are you waiting for? Join the search for the Sooo Pinoy Ultimate Food Blogger! (I’ll just wait for the 2012 edition, if ever)

Last Tuesday at Society Lounge, Van Houten Philippines hosted a chocolate tasting affair for chocolate aficionados and several members of the media as hosted by food blogger celebrity Lori Baltazar of Dessert Comes First. Being a self-proclaimed chocoholic, I made sure that I am present for this special chocolate tasting event. 🙂

Ia Adam-Lim of NomNom Club w/ Van Houten

Van Houten Chocolate in Three Dishes

For this chocolate “affair”, we were served three dishes which incorporated Van Houten chocolates as a major element.

The first one that I tasted from the trays of food brought to us by the waiters was a Chicken Mole Negro. I heard chicken and I heard chocolate which are both edible to me but it was the first time I tasted chicken with chocolate. It has a spicy aftertaste which is not too strong. I felt that you need to drink water after, but obvious enough to realize that the spice was at the end of the experience.

I can honestly say that I liked it because I had two more of thereafter.

Guests had tortillas on their tables with chocolate enchiladas waiting for them. It wasn’t that popular on our table because when I left, the plate was still mostly full.

Van Houten Chocolate with Espresso Shot

And finally, for dessert, we were served a chocolate sponge cake called Chocolatini (I hope I got the spelling for that cake correctly). There were actually two variants: a dark cake and a lighter brown cake.

People prefer the lighter one and they say its mocha flavored but for me there is not much of a difference having taste buds which are not that too discerning with cakes.

Generally, I liked the Van Houten dishes being appropriate for the theme. It’s not something I am going to intensely crave for often but it the experience was light and satisfying for my chocolate craving.

There were other dessert items available such as strawberry with mango ice cream and caramel popcorn but I was already overwhelmed with the whole afternoon of chocolate indulgence. 🙂

Cocoaphilia Experience with Van Houten

“Chocolate is undoubtedly one of the world’s favourite foods. Thanks to the pioneering invention of the cocoa press by C.J. Van Houten who changed the course of chocolate making with the creation of the cocoa press, the result is the chocolate bars we know and love today” says Diana Obias, Van Houten Senior Brand Manager. “Cocoaphilia is our label for one’s passion about cocoa and all things chocolate,” she added.

Van Houten Chocolates

Van Houten Chocolate Highlight

The three Van Houten chocolate dishes were just an introduction for the highlight of the event which is a pairing of a Van Houten chocolate with a shot of espresso.

The first pair is a ristretto together with a Van Houten semi-dark chocolate and the second one is a caffe lungo together with Van Houten fruits and nuts chocolate.

To differentiate the two:  a ristretto is a very “short” shot of espresso coffee while Lungo is Italian for ‘long‘, and refers to the coffee beverage made by using an espresso machine to make an espresso (single or double dose or shot) with much more water (generally twice as much), resulting in a stretched espresso, a lungo.

So we had a short shot and a long shot of espresso. A nice play of contrasts. My new found friends from IBC 13 liked the lungo. I actually preferred the ristretto but my preference is mostly based on my liking for semi-dark chocolates.

It was a delight and I hope to have more chocolate tasting events in the future with Van Houten. Check them out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/cocoaphilia-philippines

Van Houten

Contributed by Blogger Apprentice: Ia Adam-Lim (some photos are from Cocoaphilia FB Page while source definition of ristretto and lungo are from Wikipedia)

Do you like chocolates too? Would you attend a chocolate tasting event if there’s one with Van Houten chocolates? Tell me what you think. 🙂