Food Tasting # 18: Purpledish's Couples Night

Last Sunday, Mox and I went to Chef Velmor's private dining place at Paranaque for Purpledish's third Couples Night. Actually, the purpose of this event is for Chef to demonstrate how he would serve out the dishes to the VIP's, but Mox and I were to busy eating and planning our initial menu that we didn't really pay close attention to what he was saying. I'm so sorry Chef!

Stylento's setup for this event was quite simple, with baby's breath, some purple and white flowers, and candles as centerpieces. But Mox and I liked this styling better than their previous setup during our first food tasting with Purpledish because it looked so elegant and clean. There were no more unnecessary clutter in the table. Now this is the only picture that we took of the setup so I hope you could see the styling despite our crappy shot.

Now on to the hors d' oeuvres or appetizers! We were served four appetizers  that were arranged in a cocktail table, so we just had to go over there and pick our chosen entress.

Mox loved the first appetizer, the Mango Salsa Salad. The mangoes used were sweet and succulent, and were the perfect complement to the tomatoes and leafy greens. I actually thought it was more of a dessert than a salad because the mangoes were so refreshing! Mox and I agreed to add this to our initial menu so that's one appetizer down, four more to go! :)

Mango Salsa Salad

I was a bit hesistant to try the second appetizer, Cirkulo Tofu, because I'm not really a fan of tofu. The texture was similar to that of bread, but I really couldn't describe its unique taste. Its toppings were a bit too spicy for my liking though.

Cirkulo Tofu

Honestly, I wasn't particularly wowed by the Avocado Roll, our third appetizer. It didn't taste badly, but it didn't wasn't spectacular either. It was just okay. I couldn't even taste the avocado so this dish was a bit of a disappointment.

Avocado Roll

Our last appetizer was the Sardines and Feta Bruschetta. It was similar with the spicy salmon bruschetta that we ate during our first food tasting. Again, the bread was soft and chewy. However, the sardines were too spicy and tasted too sardine-y? Haha! I like sardines when it's covered in tomato sauce, but on its own? Well, not so much

Sardines and Feta Bruschetta

After cocktail hour, we were served our first course: the French Onion and Cheese Soup. We were not served soup shots this time; instead, the soup was served in a large bowl, Chef said this is how they will serve soup to the VIPs, so I know my VIPs will have very satisfied tummies afterwards. Haha

French Onion and Cheese Soup

This soup is a definite must-try! It was thick and creamy, with a hint of cheese that was not so overpowering. I practically finished my bowl of soup just minutes after the waiter gave it to me. Patay-gutom lang ang peg! Haha! But seriously, that's how good the soup was. And since we couldn't decide between the potato pumpkim soup and the french onion and cheese soup, we decided to just get both! See, problem solved. Haha!

Our second course was a familiar pasta dish: the Beef and Veggie Lasagna. It was topped with two big slices of Baked Norwegian Salmon in Lemon Butter Sauce. I won't go into the details on these dishes since we've already tasted them during our first food tasting. But everything was delicious and so filling! I only ate about three bites of the lasagna, and yet I was already bursting to the brim. Busog-lusog!

Beef and Veggie Lasagna with Baked Norwegian Salmon in Lemon Butter Sauce

For our third course, we had the Mushroom Risotto, 10Hr Slow Roast US Beef Belly, and Oriental Chicken Roulade. We loved the beef belly! The meat was so soft, succulent and tender! Just one swipe of the knife and the meat would come right off the bones! It was the perfect complement to the sticky texture of the mushroom risotto. I couldn't remember the taste of the oriental chicken roulade though. It was definitely upstaged by the beef belly. I guess we still have to attend more food tastings to find the perfect chicken dish for our wedding. *Yey, more food tastings! - inner Nat*

Mushroom Risotto, Roast Beef Belly and Oriental Chicken Roulade

Now for our desserts! We were served Macedonia Fruits, Bluer Than Blueberry and Devilish Food Cake. I won't talk about the fruits and the blueberry cheesecake anymore since we already had those during the first food tasting, so let's get to the devilish food cake. It's the bomb! Seriously, this cake is a dream come true for all chocoholics like me. The cake was moist and soft, and the bittersweet chocolate sauce balanced the overall sweetness of the cake. Gaaah, ang sarap niya!

Macedonia Fruits, Bluer Than Blueberry and Devilish Food Cake

We were actually served a special dish: the Seabass En Papilotte. But I really couldn't comment on it since I didn't taste it at all. I was just too full to take another bite. But it looks promising. Hope that we could taste this during our next food tasting.

Seabass En Papilotte

VERDICT: Again, this food tasting with Purpledish further confirmed that we had made the right choice for our caterer. We just love the food, and now even the styling! :) Just a side note, we had leftover lasagna and desserts from the food tasting, and we only remembered about it a week later. But the food still tasted delicious! Now, I'm craving for more Purpledish food. Haha!