From Gobblers To Bloggers

Originally scheduled last December 13, the TriNoma Blogger Food Tour was moved to this day. Consequently, the number of participants was extended from a hundred bloggers to a hundred and fifty. 'Twas my first time to attend such an event so there's no denying how excited I was! I even applied for a half-day leave and I was at the office by 7:14am! And if you think that was a typo, then I'll type it again. I was at the office by 7:14am! Seriously! Hahaha. ;)

At one point, I felt that the Gods were conspiring against me. The Red Fairy came and gave me menstrual cramps in exchange for my appetite. And for whatever fucking reason, I had to answer nature's emergency call twice! Wah! To think that I only had tuna sandwich for breakfast! *toink* But I didn't wake up early for nothing. Afterall, it's all in the mind... Hehehe.

Since JP and I were too lazy to walk and climb the stairs to ride the MRT, we hailed a cab instead. When we reached TriNoma, we both forgot where the registration was. We asked the people at the information booth but they said they weren't informed of such event. Huh? That's weird. So we just texted Ms. Elaine for the venue.

The registration and cocktails were held at the 4th floor cinema lobby. We were given our group color (Pink Five!), a TriNoma baller, a bag of goodies containing Hershey's chocolates, a notepad and a movie pass.



Food was also being served, but we were saving space for the tour so we just had some puto, kutsinta, and a glass of iced tea. Hehe.



After the opening remarks and a lengthy presentation of the mall's facilities, we were grouped according to our colors. Our marshals were Ms. Kankan from Yehey! and Ms. Anne from TriNoma. We started the tour at the mall's 2nd level. Zong was closed and Crustasia did not confirm their participation. So we first tried...

Cabalen. I'm only speaking for myself but I know that most bloggers who joined the tour share my sentiments as well. Cabalen sucked big time. Not because they didn't serve us good food but because of the condescending attitude and the bad customer service that we received from no less than the manager herself. Haven't she heard that good customer service is the lifeblood of any business?! We may not be paying for the food but we weren't a bunch of PGs taking her restaurant under siege! Wasn't she informed that we would be writing about them? I may not be a professional food blogger, but I would be writing about them. And I think I do have my fair share of readers, don't I? Nyehe. Nweiz, from the large buffet selection, we were only allowed to taste three dishes - kare-kare, sisig, and lechon. I won't be spending another minute of keyboard action to review their food. Everything is mediocre anyway.



La Maison. When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted warmly by their friendly staff. I think the manager was also there, but I'm not sure if he really is the manager. He reminded me of Director Fritz Infante. No wonder I assumed he manages the restaurant. Hehe. Taken from their write-up: La Maison is French for home as it is the home of the best ribs, steaks, and seafood. A place where one can really feel at home. And I sure did! Hehe. They served us three of their popular dishes. The Barkada Ribs was so delicious and so tender, the meat just fell off the bone. The Mussels in Creamy Wine Sauce was cooked to perfection. And because I loove anything with cream on it, I had to remind myself that I still have a triple dozen more restaurants to visit and to just eat in small portions. Ehe. Lastly, we got to taste their Dover Sole Fish Fillet, whose claim to fame is that it melts in your mouth. In one word: Succulent! JP thought of treating us there for dinner when his turn comes so we're definitely coming back! ^_^



Second level: Done!
Next stop: Third level.

Abé. Abé serves Filipino dishes, with a strong bias for the cooking of Pampanga. My uncle have tried this restaurant once at Serendra and according to him, they offer great food. Then I guess we were just served the wrong food. Coz honestly, I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the food in La Maison. Sorry, I can't help but compare. Nyehe. The first dish is called Lumpiang Pica-Pica. I asked one of the waitresses for the ingredients and everything she said sounded gibberish to me. Basta. For me, it's everything she said mashed into an unrecognizable yellow paste. Hehe. Another dish is called Rellenong Mais. It tasted good but not to die for. The Pork Binagoongan was good too. But again, not to die for. I wanna go back to taste their other dishes, though. Coz I've read a couple of impressive reviews and the Chicken Supreme looks wow! Hehehe.



Haiku. The first and only Japanese resto that we got to try. Loved its interior, modern yet classy. The food presentation was beautiful. We were given a starfish-shaped plate of greens and sashimi. Cute!

JP: "Excuse me, anong tawag dito sa dish na to?"
Waiter: "Bali po sir meron siyang..."
*He lost us when he started talking about the ingredients. Hehe.*
JP: "Ahhhh.. so anong tawag?"
Waiter: "Salad."

We thought so! Wahahaha! I am not a fan of raw fish but when I ate it with a serving of pickled ginger, my taste buds actually liked it! Surprisingly. Hehehe.



Hossein. Another restaurant with a lovely interior. The colors, the curtains and the seats gave it a Persian ambiance reminiscent of the Arabian Nights. All that was missing were the belly dancers! Hehehe. Nweiz, they made us eat Homos (or Hummus) with Meat. I really had no idea how to eat the homos. The dish, I mean. Ok, that just didn't sound right. Nyahaha. Sure, I could just mix everything together - the beef kebab, the homos, the pita bread - and eat it. But is there a proper way? Oh well. The beef kebab looked like poop but 'twas yummy. Hehe.



We were pressed for time so we had to move through the other restaurants quicker. Went up the fourth level and sampled...

T.G.I. Friday's. For me, it still is the perfect resto for casual dining. Every branch has this fun and lively ambiance, you wouldn't mind talking and laughing out loud. I love seeing the different memorabilia adorning their walls. If only I could take some of them home. Hehe. They served us Crispy Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard. The chicken was tender and juicy and... hotdog. Hahaha. Corny. But really, 'twas good as always. They also served Tangy Buffalo Wings but I chose not to take some. I didn't want to eat something messy coz we were just standing outside the resto. Hehe.



Italianni's. They served Penne Arrabiato, which is pasta with mushrooms, tomato and basil in vodka sauce. I didn't sample the pasta because it had tomato in it. Yak. Hehe. The Spinach and Artichoke Formaggio was sooo good, I had to stop myself from licking my plate! Nyaha. I learned from their article that their mission is to provide an authentic dining experience where Guest Requests Are Never Denied (G.R.A.N.D.). Hmm... that being said, may I have another serving please? Thank you. Now ain't that grand? ;)



Fish & Co. Taken from their write-up: Fish & Co. offers a unique menu of fish and seafood that are literally from the seven seas. For a seafood person like me, that is saying a lot. They served Fish and Chips, without the chips. Yum! And Mussels in Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce. Yum! Yum!

Waitress: "Ang sarap naman ng work nio..."
Me: "Ay! Di namin xa work. One day event lang xa for bloggers..."

How I wish I could make a living out of eating and writing! Hahaha!



Bubba Gump. Out of all the restaurants we've tried, Bubba Gump had the most friendly, most accomodating and most bubbly service crew. They treated us so extra specially, I seriously felt like a VIP. Hehe. They escorted us to their function room called "The House of Gump". The food presentation was very creatively done. Hmm! Tempting! We were curious about the signage on the tables so we asked one of the crews what it meant. According to him, the red "Stop Forrest Stop" means that you need table service and the blue "Run Forrest Run" means that all is well. Nice. Got a taste of Ping Pong Shrimp witn Mango Pineapple Salsa. Honestly, at this point, I could no longer tell the difference between the fried finger foods we were eating. The shrimp, the fish, and the chicken - all tasted the same. Nyaha. But the salsa was good, nonetheless. The Shrimp Shack Pasta was quite tasty. Not bad. Hehe.



Holy Cow Chop House. What a cool concept for a resto. Holy cow. A cow with halo and wings. Makes you a little less guilty about eating meat. They're holy anyway. Hehe. I have no idea what the dishes were called, though. I don't remember seeing any labels and I don't remember hearing the servers say a thing about the dishes. On the table were pasta, chicken fingers (or was it fish?), and nachos with spinach dip(?). I only got to try the nachos because I already wanted to dig into the cakes! Hehe.



Jack's Loft. Delicious cakes are always a welcome treat. So I shamelessly indulged my sweet tooth with slices of Blueberry Cheesecake and Chocolate/Caramel Cake! Waah!! It tasted like heaven, really! ^_^



Cyma. We were given a plateful of their sample dishes: Roasted Leg of Lamb, Pastisado Greek Osso Bucco, Chicken Souvlaki, and Spinach and Artichoke Fondue. The lamb wasn't that easy on the jaw but it tasted good. The chicken was flavorful. The spinach dip was ok too. Not much of a difference with that of Holy Cow, though. I didn't like the pasta. 'Twas too al dente for me. At this point, I was already full to the brim so I wasn't able to finish my plate. Sayang. Wish I could take them home. Pasalubong ulit. Haha.



The tour ended by 6pm. We weren't able to cover the two remaining floors. According to Ms. Kankan, we could resume the tour after the activity at the park. If we still have some room in our stomachs, that is. Hehe.

To cap off the tour, we headed for the park for a couple of raffle draws. Sound would be playing also. I'm not really that familiar with their songs, except for "Di Na Natuto", which is part of the APO album. But I must say, their songs were beautiful and relaxing. I think they kinda helped me digest my food. Hehe. I specially liked their song that was reminiscent of my Sesame Street years. Astig. I forgot the title, though. And I think the keyboardist is crushable. Ahihihi. ;)



Met up with the other pink team members and decided to drop by Conti's. When we got there, the floor manager was no longer around so they could no longer accomodate us. Sayang. Huhu. We also failed to visit North Park, Heaven and Eggs, Congo Grill, Giligan's Island, Mangan, Mann Hann, Pho Hoa, among many others. Duh. Like I could still eat another bite. Nyaha.

Photo credits: JP, Laszlo, Noemi, LordArtworks, Sgurd4