I ended my August with a bang! I got to try 2 new things, attending my first ever Foodgasm event and being one of the Food Blogger Judges, it's like having my cake with a sweet cherry on top! :)
Armed with a pen and my score sheets, we were allowed to roam around and take pictures of the food entries before Foodgasm officially opened to the public. As early as then, I realized that about 90% of the food entries were desserts. So I thought maybe I could just alternate eating a dessert and a non-dessert entry so I wouldn't get fed up that easily, but I wasn't able to stick to the plan because the crowds made a bee line to the non-dessert entries. @___@
Food Participant #1 - Chicken Isaw from Giga Bite Kebab. It's been awhile since I've had any street food so I was happy to see one of my favorites at the event. I lilked that the innards were cleaned thoroughly and very flavorful, I only wished it was toasted a little bit but that's just my preference. Rated 3/5.
Food Participant #2 - Black Mamba from B. Wings. Known for their interesting twists in the classic favorite of every foodie, B. Wings indeed ups the ante with their best-selling Black Mamba. Proceed with caution, addiction is highly likely. Fried to perfection, it starts to tickle your taste buds with the surprise addition of cocoa and then starts to build adrenaline as you experience spiciness that goes to the next level and ends with a bang. Rated 5/5.
Food Participant #3 - Deep Fried Burrito from Little Donkey Burrito Fiesta. I love Mexican food so clearly this was a winner for me. Rated 4/5.
Food Participant #5 and #6 - Sultry Roast Beef with Saucy Gravy and Spicy Tuyo Pasta Aglio by the Sultry Chef. The Roast Beef was tender and tasty. Rated 4/5. The Spicy Tuyo Pasta Aglio won my heart, very tasty but not overly salty. Rated 5/5.
Food Participant #6 - Bagnet Paella from Flavor Ave. One of the dishes that had the longest line, I knew exactly why after taking a bite. Crisp bagnet meets the fluffy and savory paella rice, and you have got yourself a wonderful medley of taste and textures, guaranteed to make you want for more. Rated 5/5.
Food Participant #7 - Schmidt's Wagamama by Schmidt's Gourmet Hotdogs. Another one where people flocked to during the event, because how can you go wrong with hotdogs? This Japanized take on hotdog had me with the heavenly combination of curry, coleslaw, nori and generously drizzled with Japanese mayo! Rated 4/5.
Food Participant #8 Organic US Angus Beef Tapa and #9 Organic Wagyu "Kobe Beef" Tapa by Angus Tapa Centrale. I found the serving size to be a wee bit too small, but I guess it's enough for one to appreciate their tapa. The Angus Beef Tapa was very rich and flavorful. Rated 3/5. I prefer the Wagyu Beef Tapa which was very buttery soft and delicious. Rated 4/5.
Food Participant # 10 - Pork Dinakdakan by DadMoms Kitchen. Dinakdakan is the Ilokano version of pork sisig, with added pork liver, pork brain and grated cheese. I think this goes well with ice cold beer. Rated 4/5.
Food Participant #11 Cookies and Milk Spread and #12 Cookie Spread by Monster Butter. Cookie Butter demand has been on a high lately thanks to imported brands that have people hoarding in order to find the perfect Cookie Butter for them, I honestly haven't had the chance to taste any imported brand and maybe I don't need to when I can have Monster Butter.
The Cookies and Milk Spread was so rich, thick and tasty that I wanted more! Rated 4/5. Their Cookie Spread was a good option too. Rated 3/5.
Food Participant #13 - Shmallows Marshmallow Spread by Shmallows. Their presentation looked very appealing to the kid trapped inside me, but the wafers got makunat/chewy from the prolonged exposure in the open area. I think they could have presented their spread better by making s'mores instead, but that's just me. Rated 2/5.
Food Participant #14 - Carrot Cake by Shawie Bakes. Can you tell by now that Foodgasm 3 was dominated by desserts? :) Their Carrot Cake was moist and flavorful, thumbs up for me. Rated 3/5.
Food Participant #15 - Rainbow Cake by Pastry Playground. It was a colorful mess :( It didn't appeal to me visually and didn't have a wow factor, sadly. Rated 2/5.
Food Participant #16 - Blueberry Cheesecake by Pastry Playground. Like their Rainbow Cake, this was a miss for me. Why? From the butchered presentation to the off texture and flavor, it didn't leave a good impression. Rated 2/5.
Food Participant #17 Belgian Chocolate Bites and #18 Mr. Grey by Twister Desserts. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go back to their spot to try their desserts :( Not Rated.
Food Participant #19 Redamon by The Cupcake Dealer. An interesting combination of red wine and cinnamon infused in a cupcake. Looked very tempting but I was overwhelmed with the desserts at the event that I couldn't make myself try their cupcake. Not rated.
Food Participant #20 - Blueberry Cheesecake by Eve's Cakes and Sweets. They take cheesecakes into a whole other level by incorporating nuts into their orgasmic cheesecakes. So rich, light and creamy. Rated 4/5.
Food Participant #21 - Triple Dark Choco Tablea Fudge Bars by Choco ATBP. Ranging from Delightful Orange, Tsoko Sili Squares and Simply Original, their tablea fudge bars are the bomb! Very dense, intensely rich dark chocolate, it leaves you wanting more. Rated 4/5.
They also served free hot choco during the event, I was curious enough to try the Tsoko Sili hot choco and was pleasantly surprised. The sweetness tickles your taste buds and leaves notes of spice as you sip the hot and comforting drink down. Their Original hot choco and the version with nuts was a winner too, for my friends who came with me.
Food Participant #22 - Best Ever Carrot Cake and #23 - Choco Caramel Chewies by Susana's Kitchen. Not your typical carrot cake, topped with cream cheese frosting and coconut shreds. Rated 4/5. I didn't like their Choco Caramel Chewies that much though. Rated 3/5.
Food Participant #24 Red's Velvet and Abu's Favorite Cupcake by Fat Cupcake. I don't know if it was just my picky taste buds, but I found their red velvet too cloying. Rated 2/5. Abu's Favorite Cupcake is their version of chocolate chip banana cupcake with salty caramel frosting and with hints of cinnamon. Rated 3/5.
Food Participant #26 - Sampalok Sorbet by Pepito's Pinoy Sorbet. My favorite dessert out of all the many food participants of the evening. I love sampalok flavored treats to death so I could tell that was a good omen. Pepito's Sampalok Sorbet tickles you with perfect notes of sweet, salty and sour. Each spoonful melts beautifully in your mouth and leaves you feeling refreshed and craving for more. Rated 5/5.
I saw that they offer other sorbet flavors and I specifically wanna try their guyabano sorbet! Oh hell, I wanna try everything! :)
Food Participant #27 - Green Cayenne Reboot by The Juice Barista. A combination of apple, lemon juice, fresh and healthy greens plus just the right amount of cayenne for that extra kick. I maybe underestimating this since this is my first time to try green juice and have nothing to compare it to, so please pardon my inexperience. Rated 3/5.
Food Participant #28 - Aloe Vera and #29 - Basil Seed with Honey by Coco Royal. Both very refreshing to the palate, Coco Royal offers unique and interesting drinks which really helped since it was so hot that night. The Aloe Vera drink was simple and had soft aloe bits for an interesting texture play. Rated 3/5.
I loved the Basil Seed with Honey drink better, the seeds were enclosed in jelly like substance and the taste is reminiscent of our own gulaman. Rated 4/5.
After submitting my score sheets, we waited while UP Economics Society computed the accumulated scores for all the Food Participants. I am in no way a professionally trained food expert and what I loved may not have been a winner for another person but I think I did well considering that the food participants I really liked won most of the awards. They very much deserved it. :)
The Awards:
The Most Innovative Award - Coco Royal's Basil Seed with Honey Drink
The People's Choice Award* - Schmidt's Wagamama
The Expert's Choice Award** - Pepito's Sampalok Sorbet
The Foodgasm 3 Champion*** - B. Wing's Black Mamba
*Food entry that garnered the most points from the food attendees
**Food entry that garnered the most points from the food bloggers and special judges
***Food entry that garnered the most points from food attendees, food bloggers and special judges
In conclusion:
I thought this was gonna be an easy feat but the heat, the crowd, hours of walking and standing around, plus the overwhelming choices got the better of me. I did try my best to taste test everything but sadly I had too much of a dessert overload that another bite made me feel uneasy.
On another hand, I was ecstatic that I found some very delish dishes and interesting offerings from upcoming food businesses around the metro. Overall, it was a unique food experience that I'm happy to have taken part in. See you on my next pig out session. :)
Your pig out buddy,
Madz
