Food Tasting # 24: Final Food Tasting with Purpledish

Attending food tasting events was probably my most favorite thing to do during our wedding preparations. In fact, I have attended more than 20 food tastings, even with caterers that weren't part of our shortlist. Ganun ako ka-adik noon. Haha. Now with less than three weeks to go, I won't have any excuse anymore to attend these events. This will probably be my last food tasting entry for this blog, so it's a bittersweet moment for me. Mamimiss ko ito.

Anyway, last February, Mox and I attended another group food tasting session with Purpledish so we could finally create our final menu. This time, the food tasting was held in Columns, Makati. At least it's much nearer to us than Paranaque. Iwas toll fees rin.

I really liked Purpledish's setup during the event. It was elegant and classy, despite having little flowers on the table. I am not really a fan of lush and high centerpieces anyway. I want our guests to see one another during dinnertime, so short centerpieces are the best.

For our cocktail hour, we were given five appetizers: Asparagus Wrapped in Smoked Bacon, Cirkulo Tofu, Eggplant Parmigiana, Sausage Bruschetta and Fresh Veggie Rolls.

Asparagus Wrapped in Smoked Bacon, Cirkulo Tofu, Egpplant Parmegiana, Sausage Bruschetta and Fresh Veggie Rolls (Clockwise)

I won't rate the others anymore as I've already tasted them before. Only the fresh veggie roll was the new appetizer in the bunch. It was the ordinary lumpia, but I thought its peanut sauce was delicious. It didn't have that strong nutty flavor, which I liked as I'm not a fan of peanuts. However, I'm not sure if this would be included in our final menu.

Then we had two choices of soup shots: Broccoli and Cheese and French Onion and Cheese. The french onion soup was our early favorite then, but when we tasted the broccoli and cheese soup, we didn't know which tasted better! It was so delicious. It was creamy, and the hint of broccoli was the perfect complement to the cheese flavor. I actually wanted to get one more soup shot because I couldn't get enough of it. :)

(L-R) Broccoli and Cheese Soup; French Onion and Cheese Soup

We also had two choices for the salad: Mango Salsa and Asian Chicken. Again, the mango salsa was our favorite, and while we thought the Asian chicken tasted okay, it didn't really surpass the mango salsa's yumminess. The mango salsa has that certain sweetness, while the Asian salad has the sourness brought by the oranges in it. Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the Asian chicken salad because my camera's battery died before they served the salad.

Mango Salsa Salad

Now on to our main dishes! Again, we didn't have any pictures of the main dishes as our camera didn't have enough battery life, so please bear with me.

We have a new fish entree for today: the Baked Fish in Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce. It was a welcome change from the Norwegian Salmon that is usually served during the food tastings. The fish is cream dory, which explains why the fish was so soft and tender. In fact it just melted in my mouth as soon as I ate it. I love it!

We also had a new pasta entree: the Creamy Veggie Fusili. Although it has a creamy white sauce, the pasta itself is not so flavorful. Apparently, it's targeted for vegetarians so it has this bland taste. Sorry, I really didn't like it. I rather have the beef and veggie lasagna than this.

For our chicken entree, we had White Chicken in Mascarpone Sauce. I really couldn't remember the taste, but it was at least different from the oil-based chicken dishes that I usually taste from the previous food tastings.

We were served two pork entrees: Herbed Roast Porkloin in Dill Cream Sauce and Pork Bourguignon. Again, I couldn't remember how both dishes tasted like, but the difference of the two is that the former has white cream sauce, while the latter has red cream sauce.

Of course, we had the usual 10 Hour Slow Roast US Beef Belly with Mushroom Wine and Caldereta Sauvignon Sauces. If you booked Purpledish's 2014 package, you get to choose two sauces for the roast beef, but since I booked their 2013 package, I only get to choose one. Better wait for my wedding to see which sauce I chose for the roast beef. Hehe.

Finally, we have the desserts: Macedonia Fruits, Bluer than Blueberry Cheescake, Strawberry Mousse Cheescake, Khamizu Cheesecake, Beco Cheesecake, Pistachio Sansrival, Mango Creme Brulee, Cream Puff, Night and Day Eclair, and Chocolate Truffles. I won't go into details anymore since these are already staples of Purpledish's food tastings. However, I have to let you know that I was very disappointed with the Mango Creme Brulee. During our very first food tasting with Purpledish, I raved about their creme brulee. I even said that it was the best I have ever tasted. But during our last food tasting, the creme brulee was very runny and bland. Mox even said it was disgusting. What a huge letdown. :(

Overall, the food tasting was a success. We were finally able to create our final menu, and we got to take home some leftovers too. Ang saya ko lang. Haha.

Food Tasting # 23: BridalBook's Tasteful Tastings

BridalBook's Tasteful Tastings event was probably one of the grandest food tasting events that I have ever attended because I was able to sample dishes from not just one, but three different caterers! Sirang-sira tuloy ang diet ko. Haha!

The event, held at the Blue Leaf Pavilion in Taguig, featured 14 different caterers and some cake suppliers too. Each caterer set up a mini-food tasting area where everyone can sample their best-selling dishes. So if you have the time (and the stomach room) to spare, you can go around and eat all the food from all caterers! And BridalBook gave the perfect incentive to do just that; all you had to do was to sample dishes from at least eight caterers and you would get a chance to win an overnight stay for two in Manila Peninsula! Oh diba, busog ka na nga, pwede ka pang manalo ng premyo.

Since the event was held on a Sunday, I had to go to work so I was only able to taste the food of just three caterers. Still, I'm glad I went to the event because not only was I able to eat lunch for free, but I also won a prize from the hourly raffle draws!  I still don't know what my prize is since I wasn't there when they picked my name, but at least I won something diba?

The first caterer that I went to was my dream caterer, K by Cunanan. I love how they were able to incorporate fruits into their centerpieces. It was how I pictured our own table setup to be, except we plan to use oranges for our wedding. It's simple, yet so elegant! :) Hope you can appreciate its beauty though despite my crappy shots. Haha.

Here are some of K by Cunanan's dishes during the event. Sadly, I wasn't able to get the names of all these entrees from the AEs, although I do recognize the Japanese Rolled Chicken with Cheese and Leeks in Teriyaki Glaze.

 And here are their desserts. Again, I really don't know their names, but the two shot glasses on top were delicious! However, I really didn't like the bottom one because I couldn't distinguish its flavor. Ang weird lang niya.

Next on our list to try was supposed to be Bizu Catering, but since there were no free tables yet, I then went to my former caterer, Richgold Weddings. We were dazzled by their setup; it was fit for a king and queen! I wasn't able to take a picture of the whole table, but just imagine a long table covered with these centerpieces. Plus we all have gold plates! Ang bongga lang!

The centerpieces were pretty, but I thought the setup was too extravagant. Also, we could hardly see the people on the other side of the table so it was a hard time to keep the conversation flowing. I am now convinced not to use tall centerpieces for our VIP tables.

Luckily, Richgold provided us with a menu today so we know what we would be eating.

So we were served Fish Goujons with Tartar, Beef Skewers, Roasted Chicken with Au Jus, Mini Lumpia and Fettuccine in Puttanesca.

The fettuccine was very flavorful; I actually enjoyed it very much. But I didn't like the beef skewers as much because the beef was very tough to chew. Meanwhile, the fish with tartar tasted ordinary; and I couldn't even remember how the chicken tasted like! Surprisingly, my favorite dish on the plate was the lumpia. I love its peanut sauce! Parang ang sarap iulam tuloy sa kanin.

For desserts, we had the Creme Brulee and the Fruit Trifle. I completely forgot to take pictures before eating the desserts. Tsk, tsk. Sorry, gutom na talaga ako eh. The creme brulee was as delicious as ever, but the fruit trifle, a gelatin dessert topped with cream, was just so bland. Even after mixing the gelatin and the cream, I couldn't taste the sweetness in the dessert. Minus points for Richgold for this.

After eating, we went straight to Bizu's area. Unfortunately, I had to leave for work lest I want to be late again so I only had time to sample their desserts. I don't know all the names of their dessert offerings, but all I can say is they were all so delectable! I especially love the macarons. First time kong kumain ng ganun eh.  Now I know why Bizu is famous for its yummy treats. :)

They also have a sample of their dessert table during the event, but sadly, the desserts there were only for display. Sayang, I was really tempted to grab one of the treats and run! Haha! Just see how mouthwatering they all were!

Thank you again BridalBook for organizing an event like this! I hope there will be another one next year, and you bet that me and my happy tummy will be there again. :)

Food Tasting # 22: Dorie's Catering

And we're back with another food tasting entry! Oh, I missed writing about my foodie adventures. Haha.

Today's entry is about Dorie's Catering. Honestly, I have never heard of this caterer until Marifel, one of my W@Wie friends, told us about their grand food tasting in Tanghalang Pasigueno. And since I couldn't pass up the chance to have a free dinner, Mox and I decided to tag along with them. Kebs kung di ko sila kilala, basta libre ang pagkain, game ako! Haha.

Well, the "grand food tasting" turned out to be a real debut event, but John, one of the owners of Dorie's Catering, assured us that it was okay to have our food tasting there. When we arrived at the venue, we immediately saw the debutante's couch surrounded by cherry blossoms. The tables also had centerpieces with dangling crystals and flowers on top. I thought the setup was very pretty, although I'm really not a fan of the monobloc chairs. Hehe.

For the food tasting, we were first served the vegetable dish: Lumpiang Ubod.  I just took a bite of it because I really don't like vegetables, but I thought it tasted fine. It's not really the most mouthwatering dish out there, but it tasted okay naman. Mox said the peanut sauce tasted too salty though.

Lumpiang Ubod

We were then given a plate filled with six different entrees: Fish with Tartar Sauce, Fettuccine Carbonara,  Chicken Flambe, Spanish Beef Caldereta, Chicken Pastel, and Roast Beef.

Clockwise: Roast Beef, Chicken Pastel, Spanish Beef Caldereta, Chicken Flambe, Fettuccine Caldereta, and Fish with Tartar Sauce

I honestly couldn't remember how each dish tasted like because their flavors all got mixed up in my mouth. Haha. The only thing that I could remember was all of them were too salty! Even Mox thought so too, which was why he didn't finish all of the entrees. I did like the Chicken Pastel though, mainly because it was the only dish that didn't taste as if a whole container of salt was poured into it.

The last dish served was the dessert: Mango Tapioca. The cream was sweet, but the mangoes were a bit sour. Still, I liked this dish. What can I say, I love anything with mangoes on it. Hehe.

Mango Tapioca

Dorie's rates are pretty affordable; I think the most expensive package costs less than P600 per head. Their food also features that same homey style as that of Ma Del's Cuisine, although admittedly, I like Ma Del's entrees better. But, for brides with limited budget, I still suggest that you try out Dorie's Catering. Who knows, they can be your this-is-it caterer. :)

DORIE'S CATERING
5 M.H. Del Pilar St., Palatiw, Pasig City
477-4902 / 401-9047 / 345-7556
doriescatering04@yahoo.com

Food Tasting # 21: Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko

Okay, this is not the usual food tasting entry that you guys are used to because I didn't really attend a caterer's grand food tasting. Instead, I, along with some W@Wie friends, went to Chef Kiko's house to taste some of his delicious cakes and desserts! I already booked my cake supplier, but I just couldn't pass the chance to taste some delicious treats for free!

I've heard a lot of great reviews about Toy Cakes and Pastries by Chef Kiko, and I personally love the cupcakes that he baked for the W@W Grand EB, so I was really excited to taste more of his goodies! :)

We picked the perfect time for our cake tasting because another client had booked Chef Kiko to do their dessert buffet, so there was a table full of cupcakes and other goodies when we arrived. And these were all served to us! Yey!

Now let's get a more close-up look at all these desserts. First up are the panna cottas. We had the Kit-Kat Panna Cotta, the Fruit Panna Cotta, and the Malteser Panna Cotta. I just made up the last one since I'd completely forgotten the name of the panna cotta. I just called it the Malteser Panna Cotta since it has a Malteser in it. Haha!

From L-R: Kit-Kat Panna Cotta, Fruit Panna Cotta, and Malteser Panna Cotta

What I love about Chef Kiko's panna cottas is that they have the right amount of sweetness to them, even those with chocolates as toppings! Hindi siya nakakaumay talaga. I especially love the fruit panna cotta because the sourness of the fruits was the perfect complement to the panna cotta. I loved them so much that I got three shot glasses! Patay gutom lang. Haha.

Then we had the cupcakes, both the bite-size and full size versions! We had Dark Chocolate Ganache, Banana Walnut, Red Velvet and Lemon cupcakes.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Boy, all of the cupcakes were yummy! Mox especially liked the dark choco ganache, although I found them a bit too sweet. Just one or two of these bite-size babies would satisfy my choco cravings. The banana walnut was also delicious, but I'm not a fan kasi of anything with nuts in it, so I'll probably pass on this one. I loved the red velvet and lemon cupcakes because both were not too sour nor too sweet, and yet you can still taste their distinctive flavors (the cream cheese frosting for the red velvet cupcake and the lemon flavor for the lemon cupcake).

Lastly, we hadFruit Tarts and Truffles. I really couldn't comment much on the fruit tarts because I didn't taste them, but for the truffles, I only have one thing to say: choco overload! Imagine this chocolate ball that is the size of a jackstone ball covered with cocoa powder. It was delicious, but I could only take so much chocolate for the day. Ako na ang gumive-up sa kanya! Haha!

Truffles and Fruit Tarts

Chef Kiko also showed us a sample of his three-layered cake, which costs about P6,500. The cake has one edible layer, which is the bottom part, and is taller than the average three-layered cake. I guess in a way, sulit na rin siya. And of course, you can be sure that your cake would taste delicious.

Despite being tired from conducting a dessert tasting for one client and baking a wedding cake for another client, Chef Kiko was still so cheerful and friendly to the group of very noisy people who went to the cake tasting. And mind you, we were 13 in the group, including the grooms. Talagang sinugod namin si Chef! Haha! Still, he was able answer all of our inquiries and even took a group picture with us.

Thank you again Chef Kiko for the very warm welcome and for the delicious treats! :) I'm really looking forward to tasting your Chocolate Cheesecake. A note to my darling fiance, you now know what cake to order for my birthday. Haha!

TOY CAKES AND PASTRIES BY CHEF KIKO
#5 16th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City
0905-3191296

Food Tasting # 20: Purpledish Catering Part 2

This is the last installment of my three-part wedding weekend adventure! :) After eating Juan Carlo's food for lunch and going to Ivory and White for some gown fitting, it was time to head to our last destination for the day: to Chef Velmor's private place for a food tasting session with Purpledish.

This is practically our third time to eat Purpledish's food, but we want to make our initial menu as early as possible so that it would be easier to narrow down our choices later on. And what better way to make a menu than by tasting their dishes over and over again? Hehe.

We also brought along Popong, Mox's brother and my future brother-in-law, so that we would have a third-party perspective on the food. We just had to pay P250 for the extra seat since the food tasting was only free for the couple.

By the way, I just love their setup during the food tasting. Everything was simple, elegant and dainty, with its  pink napkins and purple flowers. Chef said that this setup is actually part of their basic package, but only for the VIPs. If you would want to have this kind of setup for your guests, then that would be considered an upgrade since you would have to add lamps and all. I just didn't like the lamps and the tall bird cages because I couldn't see the person in front of me. Haha. Mahirap talaga maging vertically-challenged. But hey, that's just my opinion. If you want tall centerpieces, then by all means follow your heart's desire! Hehe.

Now for the cocktail hour, we were given four appetizers, one soup and one salad to try. First, let's talk about the appetizers!

The Avocado Roll was our least favorite in the bunch. There was avocado and cheese, all wrapped in a clammy lumpia wrapper. It was cold and it tasted weird. Honestly, I couldn't described how it tasted like. Basta weird. Even Popong didn't like it!

But we all agreed that the Eggplant Parmegianna was the best. We loved it during our first food tasting, and we still love it now. Everything was just so cheesy and yummy! Yes, this will definitely go on our menu.

I was the only one who ate the Spanish Sardines Bruschetta. It tasted fine; the tomato was able to balance the saltiness of the sardines. Although, I have to admit that it was really too much sardines for me. Medyo naumay ako eh.

The Cirkulo Tofu came in late, so again, I was the only one who ate it. Halatang patay-gutom. Haha! Chef said that it was their second version, because the first version was messier to eat. I love Cirkulo Tofu 2.0!  I really couldn't describe the taste before, but now, I could say it was spicier and definitely meatier because of the sisig in it. Who would have thought that there is actually meat in the tofu? I'm sure our guests will be tickled by the unusualness of this dish. Mox and Popong didn't like it as much as I did, but since I'm the boss, this goes in our menu. Haha!

Clockwise: Eggplant Parmegianna, Avocado Roll, and Spanish Sardines Bruschetta

Cirkulo Tofu

For our salad, we got the Mango Salsa Salad. Oh yeah, this will definitely be our salad of choice. Everyone loved it! The mangoes were sweet and juicy, and the dressing was just WOW! Kung pwede lang higupin, ginawa ko na! Haha! This was also a definite winner for Mox and Popong. Three thumbs up!

Mango Salsa Salad

Our soup shot was the French Onion and Cheese Soup. One of my favorite soups ever! I was actually torn between this soup and the Potato Pumpkin, but since my friend, who will be getting married this August, chose this soup, then we'll probably get the Potato Pumpkin. But this soup is a definite must-try!

Now on to the main courses. For our pork dish, we had the Honey Glazed BBQ Pork Spareribs. We thought it was delicious! The bbq sauce was heavenly, and the meat was so soft and tender. I actually listed this as our pork dish of choice when I first tasted it during our first food tasting. That's how much I love it! And luckily, Mox loved it too. Yey! :)

Top: Honey Glazed BBQ Pork Spareribs; Bottom: Norwegian Salmon

We  then had two upgraded dishes for our fish course: the Norwegian Salmon and Prawn Thermidor. The salmon has been a staple of our food tastings with Purpledish, so there's no need to go into details about it. Alam niyo naman kung gaano siya kasarap eh. Haha. Now I was really excited to try Chef's prawn thermidor. Luckily, he didn't disappoint us because the prawns were delicious! :) There was the perfect balance of the prawn meat and the cheesy sauce. Surprisingly, hindi siya nakakaumay! The portions were generous too, although not as big as Passion Cook's version. Now I'm torn between the salmon or the prawns! Decisions, decisions.

Prawn Thermidor

For our chicken course, we had the Pollo Diavola - Herbed and Spicy Olive Oil. When I had this during our first food tasting, I really didn't like it because I thought it was too bland. But surprisingly, I loved it during last Saturday's event. It was now very flavorful, a mixture of herbs and spices. :)

Pollo Diavola

For our pasta course, we had the usual favorite: Beef and Veggie Lasagna. Again, I won't expound on this anymore since this had always been the pasta of choice for food tastings. Bottomline is, we were pretty full aftuer eating the lasagna. Nakakabusog talaga!

Beef and Veggie Lasagna

Lastly, we had the Slow Roast US Belly for our beef course. The beef was very soft and tender, yet the slices were a bit thin during the food tasting. (Sorry, I wasn't able to take pictures.) If ever we'll get a carving station, I'll instruct the carver to cut thicker slices for the guests. Medyo nakakabitin kasi pag maninipis eh.

Now for our desserts! :) There were a lot of dessert choices during the food tasting, and I mean A LOT. Just take a look at our dessert buffet and see for yourself! Di pa kasama lahat ng desserts sa lagay na yan ah!

Clockwise: Cream Puffs, Truffles, and Eclairs

Clockwise: Strawberry Mouse Cheesecake, Mango Creme Brulee, Bluer than Blueberry Cheesecake and Beco Cheesecake

Since I was already too full from the appetizers and the main courses, I was only able to get three desserts. The first dessert that I got was a new creation called Vien Canoli. Chef said that it is fried cheesecake, and to eat it, you would have to dip it into the Belgian chocolate to give it some added sweetness. Honestly, I never thought that it was cheesecake; I actually thought it was turon! But still, this was definitely a hit. The chocolate has the right amount of sweetness to it so there is little chance of pangungumay. You can even drink it straight after eating the fried cheesecake. It's just like drinking hot chocolate, only it's no longer hot. Haha! Basta, this new dessert was a success! :)

Vien Canoli

Then I had the Truffles and the Devil's Food Cake. Chef said the truffles are not suitable for kids because they contain three different kinds of alcohol in it. And true enough, there was that hint of alcoholic punch to it. Not enough to make you outrageously drunk, but enough to make you aware of its alcoholic taste. It tasted okay, but I really don't want any alcohol in my food, let it be the main course or dessert. I asked Chef if there would be a huge difference if we would take the alcohol out and he said no naman. So I'll probably take the non-alcoholic truffles instead. Hehe.

As for the Devil's Food Cake, well, it was still the same moist chocolate cake that I had also tasted during the Couple's Night. However, I'd probably choose the Beco Cheesecake over this one because guests might find it too sickeningly sweet and chocolatey. But overall, it was delicious.

Left: Truffles; Right: Devil's Food Cake

Purpledish also offers candy buffet packages. In fact, if you would book on the spot during their group food tastings, you will get a candy buffet package good for 50 guests for free! Check out their styling for their candy buffet below.

VERDICT: This food tasting was a success because not only were we able to at least list down our initial menu choices, but we were also able to meet our fellow W@Wies! :) Special shoutout to Lala and Archie, Johanne and her fiance, Che and Erns, and Marifel and her fiance (sorry, di ko alam mga names niyo eh x_x). I'm so happy to finally meet the faces behind the emails and FB accounts. Hehe. Mox also made some new friends too. Close na nga sila ni Archie, pati pagkakasakit niya sa tiyan nakwento na niya. Haha!