Food Tasting # 1: Lina Vitan

*Disclaimer: I am no foodie expert so if you’re looking for a more comprehensive food review, then I’m probably not the right person to turn to. Hanggang "masarap" at "hindi masarap" lang ang alam ko eh. Haha!*

Mox and I were supposed to go to three food tastings last Sunday, but unfortunately our stomachs could only take so much food so we decided to forfeit our invitation to Hizon’s and just go to Lina Vitan’ and Patio de Tata’s events. We were also able to visit a few prospective churches along the way, so all in all, it was a very productive day (but more on that later).

Lina Vitan's  food tasting was held at the Oasis Gallery in New Manila. We were among the first ones to arrive, so we first took an impromptu tour around Oasis. The Pavilion was being set up for a wedding that day, so we went to see how it looked like when it’s decorated. Dakilang ususero ang drama. Haha! Although I have to admit, the Pavilion looked smaller than I expected. Mas malaki talagang tignan pag asa pictures.

Anyway, going back to Lina Vitan, their setup was simple and nice, but nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t know if they only showed their basic styling during the event, but I felt it was kind of dull. Maybe some DIYs would help add a bit of pizzazz to the styling. I liked their setup for the purple motif, but their balloon centerpiece for the white table looked a bit too children’s party-ish for me. 

My favorite Lina Vitan setup

Cute centerpiece :)

Sorry, pang-children's party ang dating nito. :(

Singit pa si Mox sa picture.

Our table at the food tasting

Close-up of the centerpiece

Now comes the fun part: the food! During the food tasting, Lina Vitan only served one entrée for each category, except for the salad, appetizers and desserts. According to one of their AEs, this was just to give the clients a taste of their dishes. For a more comprehensive menu, you can schedule for a food tasting at their office.

Here was our menu for our food tasting:

• APPETIZER: Asparagus Tips Wrapped in Ham with Cream and Tomato and Cream Cheese Bruschetta
• SOUP: Cream of Potato Soup w/ Leeks 
• SALAD: Mixed Green Salad and Potato Salad 
• BEEF: Roast Beef with Buttered Vegetables 
• FISH: Cream Dory Fillet with Tartar Sauce 
• PORK: Honey Pork Spareribs Barbecue
• CHICKEN: Creamy Chicken Ala King with Crust 
• VEGETABLES: Fresh Chinese Lumpia with Sweet and Sour Sauce
• PASTA: Pasta with Tomato Pesto Sauce and Carbonara Sauce 
• DESSERT: Carrot Cakes and Brownies 

The appetizers came in after we’ve already eaten the main dishes so I was only able to taste the tomato and cream cheese bruschetta. The cream cheese was a perfect complement to the sourness of the tomato, but it would be better if the tomato and cream cheese was spread all over the bruschetta instead of just being piled at the middle. I didn’t like their cream of potato soup with leeks because it was too bland. Walang kalasa-lasa talaga. Their potato salad was okay though, but nothing that special.

Our appetizers and the mixed green salad

Salad, desserts and soup

For their main courses, I especially liked their roast beef with buttered vegetables and honey pork spareribs barbecue, while Mox was raving about their creamy chicken ala king with crust. Their beef was very tender and the corn and carrots were a nice touch to the dish. The honey pork spareribs taste similarly to tocino, but I like tocino so I’m not complaining. Some people might find it too simple for a wedding though.

I don’t usually eat vegetables, but I liked Lina Vitan’s fresh Chinese lumpia because the sweet and sour sauce was able to mask the bland taste of the vegetables. I wasn’t too excited over their desserts because there was nothing with chocolate, but the carrot cake was delicious because it was moist and chewy.

My plate :)

Mox's plate :)

VERDICT: There were some hits and misses, but overall we were satisfied with the food of Lina Vitan. Still, we’re looking for other options because they are still out of the budget. And so, it's on to the next food tasting for the day: Patio de Tata! But that deserves another blog post. Hehe. 

LINA VITAN CATERING
40 Judge Jimenez St., Kamuning, Quezon City  
922-9975 / 412-0796
vitan_catering@yahoo.com