This post is written by our friend and guest writer for Manila Reviews, Nikki Gloria-Dizon, who aside from being a dedicated mother & wife and brand manager-extraordinaire, is also a foodie like us! Thanks for sharing your experience, Nikki!

The thought of free good food is just too tempting to pass up. A friend offered me tickets to Our Awesome Planet and San Miguel Lifestyle Brews’ Ultimate Taste Test 4.0. Being the foodie that I am, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to sample fare from the promised 50 suppliers offering a wide range of foodstuff from savoury selections to homemade sweet treats.

This degustation celebration was well-attended, as expected, as throngs of food lovers, bloggers and curious palates packed the NBC tent. The food trays ran out when I got there so the original intent to just taste, shoot and take notes quickly progressed to becoming a juggling 101 course. Along with other “jugglers”, I turned and dodged my way around the food circus to find these gems…

Best Over-All Taste Test Experience: JAM Foods’ Angus Beef Tapa

Ultimate Taste Test JAM Foods Tapa | ManilaReviews.com

Ultimate Taste Test JAM Foods Tapa


The line was long but true to the adage… it was VERY MUCH WORTH THE WAIT! The tapa, sliced thinly, has to it the perfect blend of sweet and salty. The tapa experience is even taken a notch higher because it’s of the Angus beef kind—tender, tasty, with just enough fat to bring you to heaven and back. Needless to say, I went home with two kilos of this ready-to-cook winner. (Php 500 per kilo)

Runner Up: DULCELIN’s Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese. Filling, tasty, with generous cheesy goodness.

Best Dessert/Sweet Treat: CAMBELI’s Dulce de Leche Cake

Ultimate Taste Test Cambeli's Dulce De Leche Cake | ManilaReviews.com

Cambeli's Dulce De Leche Cake


Creamy cheesecake with toffee pieces, made even better by the indulgent caramel sauce on top. Among all the cheesecakes there, for me this was “the fairest of them all”. It’s the kind of dessert you savor every bite of and not just wolf down. CAMBELI’s Chocolate Praline Ganache also tops my desserts list.

Runner Up: Purple Dough’s Peanut Butter Cookies. Reminiscent of Reese’s, the cookies are also chewy and chunky, the way homemade cookies are supposed to be and more.

Best Packaging: FRUIT GARDEN LUXURY JAMS

Ultimate Taste Test The Fruit Garden Luxury Jams | ManilaReviews.com

The Fruit Garden Luxury Jams


I’m not a fan of jam but this line of luxury jams is just too pretty to ignore! The packaging is minimalist, echoing the all-natural attitude their company applies to their goods. The jams are made in small-batches from all-natural ingredients, cooked in a copper cauldron. A medium-sized jar is Php 140 and a sampler set of 6 costs Php 350. I’m not a jam fan but I enjoyed their Orange Whiskey variant.

Best Brand Ambassadors: GOLDEA RICE BRAN OIL

While others sold food and beverage, they sold cooking oil. Still they managed to engage me with their passion for their product and animated brand talk. Rice bran oil is supposedly a healthier, yet tastier alternative to typical cooking oil. A liter costs Php 250.

Special Citation:

CHILE VITAS – Delicious sauces and dips in sexy packaging with Cracklin’ Cropeck to boot. Hot!

Ultimate Taste Test Chile Vitas | ManilaReviews.com

Chile Vitas

Though we left the event really thirsty and smelling like a walking office cafeteria, I’d say I would love to do this again. Props to Anton and Rache Diaz for organizing events that bring together the gourmands of the metro. Looking forward to 5.0! In the meantime, I have my JAM FOODS Angus Beef tapa to be excited for.

Contact Info:
JAM Foods & Co. Premium Homemade Products – (02) 502-5282; (0922) 8505658
CAMBELI Homebaked Cakes & Pastries – (02)4355467; (0917)8103807
GOLDEA Rice Bran Oil – (02) 5131903
CHILE VITAS – (02) 8125001; (0920) 5917001

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15 Responses

  2. ej

    @foodie_girl: you would've enjoyed it! we'll definitely let you know about the next ones. that's what we're here for! :)

    Reply
  3. foodie_girl

    Hi!

    I'm a foodie but I didn't know about this event sayang! Will you let us know when the next one will be? :)

    Reply
  8. Michelle

    Our product is JAM Food' Angus Tapa. Let me know if you want to order. :-) Thank you.

    Reply
  10. Michelle

    thank you for a very nice review of our product. hope you all order again soon. =)

    you and your followers may order from us directly (02 5025282; 0917 5331371; 09228505658) or through our distributors.

    we welcome distributors as well.

    and we will definitely let you know if we have new products coming out and we'll invite you to a "mini taste test".

    Reply
  11. Grace Lamorena

    Thanks for posting JAM Food's number. Totally lost the flyers with all the food tasting going on!

    Reply
  12. Grace Lamorena

    Nikki,

    I didn't see you there! But I agree with JAM foods' tapa — I was actually looking for rice to pair it with, haha!

    The fruit garden jams were my standard gifts for friends and clients last Christmas. They're wonderful with butter and toast!

    Reply
    • Nikki D.

      Hey Grace! There were a lot of familiar faces there. Too bad I missed you.

      My thoughts exactly on the Fruit Garden jams, they make great gifts. :) And perhaps I could try your jam suggestion. When I'm feeling a little Brit. :)

      Reply
    • Nikki D.

      I did! A kilo is PHP 500 and comes in a microwavable container with cooking instructions.

      The beef cooks really easily since they're sliced thinly. It makes for great breakfast—easy to cook and without a doubt delicious. :)

      Reply

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