Food Tasting # 9: Juan Carlo the Caterer

Since we didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon,  my younger brother and I decided to attend Juan Carlo the Caterer's grand food tasting at Fernwood Gardens in Quezon City.

The entire Fernwood Gardens compound was  huge! Jocco and I even mistakenly went to a wedding reception instead of Juan Carlo's food tasting because there were so many venues to choose from. The whole place has that whole romantic, fairy tale vibe into it. There were fountains on the front yard, red vines hanging from the walkway's ceilings, a pond with a swan on it, and mini-waterfalls all over the place. There were also a lot of vintage bridal cars and even a horse carriage, perfect for brides who wish to feel like a princess on their big day.

Juan Carlo's food tasting was held at the Cycad Garden. The tables were set with navy blue linens with a white floral pattern. Their centerpieces were mostly white flowers, although using different types of vases and stands. Ours was a tall, metal stand with white flowers on top and at the bottom, which is part of the standard centerpieces. The setup was very elegant, but I found it too simple and generic. They can also upgrade your centerpieces to umbrellas and candelabras, although there would be an additional fee.

Now it's time for the good part: the food. For starters, we were both given different soups to try. I had the Sopa de Congrejo (Crab Meat Soup with Celery and Carrots) and Jocco had the Cream of Fresh Mushroom Soup. Both soups tasted alike, even though mine was supposedly crab meat soup while Jocco's was supposedly cream of mushroom soup. There were no crab meat in my soup, only little orange bits that were supposed to be carrots. Meanwhile, Jocco said his tasted like Nido soup. We were quite disappointed with Juan Carlo's soup offerings.

Sopa de Congrejo

Cream of Fresh Mushroom Soup

We were given different menus for the main courses. According to Ann, my AE, Jocco's menu consists of Juan Carlo's bestsellers while my menu consists of all upgraded dishes.

Jocco's plate

My plate

For the pasta course, I had the Penne Carbonara with Bacon while Jocco had the Angel Hair Puttanesca. I love carbonara so I had high hopes with my pasta, but unfortunately I didn't like this dish at all. The penne carbonara was very bland; the sauce wasn't creamy enough so the flavor did not stick to the noodles. You can taste a hint of the sauce at the first bite, but a second later, that flavor would be gone. Jocco also said his angel hair puttanesca also lacked the spicy and salty taste that puttanescas usually have. He thought the pasta was too saturated in olive oil that it lost the flavor of the tomato sauce. Another thumbs down for Juan Carlo here.

For our veggies, I had the Mongolian Vegetables while Jocco had the Stir-Fried Mixed Baguio Vegetables in Oyster Sauce. I really couldn't comment on my veggie dish because I didn't eat it, but I thought Jocco's veggie entree was quite good. The vegetables were soft and well-cooked, and the oyster sauce complemented the dish very well.

They also served us different types of rice. Jocco had the standard steamed rice, which they gave the fancy name of Steamed Fragrant Rice, while I had the Moroccan Rice. Honestly, I thought the Morrocan rice had no distinct flavor; in fact, both rice tasted exactly alike. I guess the only difference was their color. So not worth the price if the Moroccan rice is indeed an upgraded dish.

Now on to the four main entrees: fish, chicken, pork and beef. For our fish dish, I had the Salmon with Tequila Cream Sauce while Jocco had the Blue Marlin in Lemon Butter Sauce. I thought my dish was delicious because the salmon was very pink and so soft that it could practically melt in your mouth! Plus, you could barely taste the tequila in the cream, which is a good thing for me because I really don't like the taste of alcohol in the food that I'm eating. The blue marlin dish was also a hit! The fish was so flavorful that it would still taste delicious even without the lemon butter sauce. Jocco said this dish was one of his many favorites. Hehe.

For our chicken entree, Jocco had the Hong Kong Style Chicken in Oyster Sauce, while I had the Chicken Breast in Piri-Piri Sauce. The Hong Kong style chicken is a must-try! I don't know what kind of cooking style that is, but whatever it is, it made this chicken dish uber-yummy! The chicken was so tender that it would come off the bones cleanly with one slice of the knife. The oyster sauce also seeped into the chicken meat and skin, making it so savory even up to the bones. We were really satisfied with this dish! However, I couldn't say the same to the chicken breast in Piri-Piri sauce. Even though I don't know what a piri-piri sauce is, it didn't make any difference to the taste. It was simply grilled chicken breast with a special sauce drizzled on it. Nothing that special even though it was supposedly an upgraded dish.

For our pork dish, I had the Pork Caldereta, while Jocco had the Roast Pork with Prunes and Walnuts. The pork caldereta was actually quite good albiet a bit spicy for my taste. However, I felt that it was again too ordinary to be an upgraded entree. Mas sosyal pang pakinggang yung pagkain ni Jocco eh. The roast pork was delicious, by the way. While the caldereta has a hint of spicyness, the roast pork has the right amount of sweetness that is not too saccharine. I couldn't taste the prunes and walnuts though, but I'd still recommend this dish to future Juan Carlo clients.

Lastly, we had our beef course, where Jocco had the Ox Tongue with Buttered Mushroom, while I had the Kare-Kare with Alamang. Jocco's entree was actually the usual roast beef with gravy dish, but I still like this dish. The ox tongue was very tender and easy to slice, and the buttered mushroom sauce was heavenly. I didn't eat my kare-kare though so I couldn't comment on it. But I couldn't accept the fact that a caterer would charge more than P1,000 per plate for an meal that could be cooked every day in your own home. Of course, this could just be the kuripot in me talking. But still, I'd rather serve the not-so-ordinary dishes during my wedding instead of the usual homecooked fare. It's good to be a bit fancy once in a while.

We had the Strawberry Pannacotta, Pandan Pannacotta, Swan Puff and Parisian Fruit Tartlets for our desserts. At the first bite, the strawberry pannacotta would seem sour, but the strawberry's sweetness would soon invade your taste buds afterwards. Jocco thought the pannacotta was too sickeningly sweet though. He liked the pandan pannacotta better because it has the right amount of sweetness and the apple bits were a great addition to the dessert, but I still think Ma Del's Buco Pandan Jello wins hands down. I didn't eat the swan puff because I thought it was just an ordinary cream puff shaped like a swan, and Jocco said the pastry shell was hard to bite into. The Parisian fruit tartlet tasted okay, but the grapes used were too sour so the overall taste of the pastry was affected.

Strawberry Pannacotta

Pandan Pannacotta

Swan Puff and Parisian Fruit Tartlets

VERDICT: Juan Carlo the Caterer is one of the pricier caterers in the market and the package they offered me is the most expensive that I've received so far. I think there are other more affordable caterers whose food are at par with Juan Carlo, and who offer similar, if not, better wedding packages. Take Josiah's for example. Josiah's package for me costs around P164K and already has a salad bar, pasta bar, choco fountain, and 15 desserts. Juan Carlo's package costs more than P173K and only includes three pastas, five desserts and a choco fountain. It's really best to compare the caterers' packages to see which would be a better deal, and right now, I don't think Juan Carlo is the one for us.

JUAN CARLO THE CATERER
24B 11th Jamboree St., Tomas Morato, Quezon City
929-3674 / 416-5134
info@juancarlothecaterer.com