Food Tasting # 14: CVJ Catering

I might have already booked my caterer, but I just couldn’t resist going to other food tastings to see what the other caterers can offer. What can you say, I just love free food! To give myself credit though, my food tasting with CVJ Catering was scheduled before I booked RichGold. See, I’m not as patay-gutom as you may think. Hehe.

The food tasting was held at CVJ’s clubhouse. Yes, you heard it right. CVJ actually has its own venue, which can be used for wedding receptions and other events. Aside from the catering services and other amenities, their wedding packages also include the use of their clubhouse for four hours. However, CVJ can also do off-premise catering if you already booked your reception venue and are just looking for a caterer.

While waiting for our food, we were shown pictures of some of their actual setups. I particularly loved one wedding with a yellow and black motif. The centerpieces used were bright yellow flowers on tall glass vases and the chairs were tiffany chairs with gold ribbon accents. I thought the styling was upgraded, but my AE told me that the tall centerpieces and tiffany chairs are already part of their basic packages. I have to give them plus points for that because other caterers only offer low centerpieces and monobloc chairs in their standard packages; you have to pay additional fees to get the tall centerpieces and the tiffany chairs.

Okay, now on to the food tasting itself. As usual, I had my food critics with me (my mom and Jocco). We were served two viands for each course so that we can compare the dishes to see which tasted better. For our soups, we had the Cream of Chicken and Asparagus Soup and the Seafood Chowder. We couldn’t really understand where the soup got its name because we couldn’t really taste the chicken and the asparagus flavors. In fact it tasted just like your ordinary Nido soup, and it looked like one too! If you would serve me Nido soup and this one, I’d probably never tell the difference. 

The seafood chowder, on the other hand, earned praises from all of us. It was rich, thick and creamy— just the way I like my soups. CVJ didn’t scrimp on the seafood either; you would get a mouthful of squid, tiny shrimps and more in just one bite. Jocco was already full before the first main course was even served because he drank all three of our soups. That’s how much he loved it. Hehe.

Cream of Chicken and Asparagus Soup

Seafood Chowder

We were then served our pasta dishes: Fettuccine Bacon-Mushrooms Carbonara and Baked Penne Pasta topped with Ham and Cheese. The carbonara was covered entirely in creamy, white sauce that we could barely see the noodles. Nevertheless, this pasta was delicious! It’s sweet, salty and oh so rich, and yet there is no umay factor. This dish is also full of bacon bits and mushrooms. I loved how the crunchiness of the bacon was able to balance the creaminess of pasta. The carbonara is definitely a must-try!

I also liked the baked penne pasta, although I think it would be more of a hit with the kids and the young-at-hearts because its sweetness is similar to our favorite Jollibee spaghetti. But I’m scared that our guests would be reminded of a children’s party instead of a wedding if we’d get this pasta. Kulang na lang na siguro ang mascot ni Jollibee. Haha!

Fettuccine Bacon-Mushrooms Carbonara

Baked Penne Pasta topped with Ham and Cheese

For our chicken entrees, we were served Baked Chicken Ala King topped with Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Toasted Sesame Seeds and Chives. Wow, these dishes sure have very long names. Haha! Anyway, I thought the chicken teriyaki was the better choice because the chicken was very soft and tender. And the sauce, wow! You would experience a myriad of flavors upon the first bite—sweet, salty and even a bit bitter. It’s just so good, although the sauce was too salty for my mom’s taste.

However, I was disappointed with the chicken ala king. It looked a bit weird, with some sort of crust covering the top of the dish. The crust was slightly crumbly and dry, and the filling tasted like Vienna sausages. I couldn’t even taste the chicken... that is if they even used chicken in the first place. Parang Vienna sausages lang ang laman eh. And there were supposed to be some mashed potatoes here (as implied by its name), but I really couldn't taste them either. Definitely minus points for CVJ.

Grilled Chicken Teriyaki with Toasted Sesame Seeds and Chives

Baked Chicken Ala King topped with Mashed Potatoes

CVJ was able to redeem itself with its pork dishes though. We were served American Style Prime Pork Spareribs and Fresh Baked Ham with Creamy Mustard Dressing, and we loved them both. Both dishes have meat so soft and tender that you can easily cut them with just a slash of your fork. The spareribs’ sauce was so savory and delicious, and I loved the mustard dressing for the baked ham because its sweetness complemented the ham’s natural saltiness. However, be careful with the amount of mustard dressing that you'd put on the ham because too much dressing can lead to panguumay.

American Style Prime Pork Spareribs

Fresh Baked Ham with Creamy Mustard Dressing

For our seafood dishes, we were given the Cream Dory Fillet with Pineapple Tartar Sauce and the Seafoods Teppanyaki. Fish fillets with tartar sauce must probably a staple in food tastings because this is already the nth time that I have eaten this type of dish during these events. CVJ boasted its fish fillet entree is different because of the pineapple tartar sauce. In reality, while the tartar sauce is quite good. there doesn't seem to be a tinge of pineapple anywhere. The only difference that I could see is that CVJ's tartar sauce is not as rich or too mayonnaise-y(?) as the usual tartar sauces there. 

My mom's favorite entree out of all those served was the seafoods teppanyaki. She loved how the assorted vegetables were able to give texture to the seafoods. As for me, I liked the variety of seafood in the dish itself. There are crabsticks, tiny shrimps, squids and even tahong! I wasn't able to truly savor the teppanyaki because I didn't eat the vegetables. Remember, I'm not a vegetable lover. Haha.

Cream Dory Fillet with Pineapple Tartar Sauce

Seafoods Teppanyaki

We had the usual Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy Sauce and the American Beef Stew with Vegetables Medley for our beef entrees. The roast beef emerged as the winner here because while both dishes have very tender meat, the beef stew's meat was considerably chewier than the roast beef, and that could be a point against them. Para ka kasing ngumunguya ng bubble gum eh. The beef stew's sauce was also very creamy, but it was too salty for me. Meanwhile, the roast beef's mushroom gravy sauce had the right consistency and the right flavor. So yummy! My AE said that it is actually one of their bestsellers, and I could definitely understand why.

Roast Beef with Mushroom Gravy Sauce

American Beef Stew with Vegetables Medley

We then had two fruit salads for desserts: the Peaches and Mangoes Cream Delight Salad and the Buko Jello Lychee Salad. Both salads were delicious, but I liked the peaches and mangoes salad better because I really love anything that has mangoes in it. Still, I felt that the desserts were pretty ordinary. Again, they tasted just like the usual fruit cocktails that we can buy in the supermarket. I guess I was expecting something special, something fancier than fruit salads.

VERDICT: Well, obviously I won't be getting them because I already have my caterer, but I would definitely recommend CVJ Catering to all the brides-to-be out there. They are a bit on the pricier side, with grand wedding packages starting at P130,000 for 100 persons. However, they have complete amenities already, including wedding cake, souvenir cakes for principal sponsors, bridal car, LCD projector and even musicians for your reception! They also have promo packages for those brides on a budget.

I also want to commend their AEs for being very attentive during our food tasting. They were so nice while answering our questions regarding their packages. They didn't pressure us into signing anything since they know that we still have other options, unlike others that would assume you would book them on the spot. And best of all, they packed some of our leftovers to take home! Oh diba, may free lunch and dinner pa tuloy kami! Haha.

CVJ CATERING
27 Flamingo Street, New Marikina Subdivision, Marikina
681-1682 / 646-1658 
info@cvjfoodcatering.com