La Española at Madrid Fusion Manila

We're in Madrid Fusion Manila today for another round of Taste Setters, SYSU International's Series of Workshops this time discussing about Olive Oil Trends. Trends? I don't know about that but isn't Olive Oil just supposed to be the regular one and the EVOO? Well I was wrong. La Española has been doing this since 1840, and aside from the classics, there are a lot of other varieties apparently. Chef Xavier Btesh told us "People think Olive Oil is fancy, but it's really not hard to cook with it. You can even use it for your skin, and find it all around the mediterranean sea. We lost a lot of trees in the past but only Olive trees went back to life. It's forever going to be there and in fact, we've got a healthy sald we'll prepare with Extra Virgin Olive Oil". He then proceeds chopping the ingredients, mixed it and voila!

Tabouleh has couscous, tomatoes, raisins, mint and parsley. It was really good. Olive oil should at least have a little bitter but have a peppery note.

He also taught us how to make our own Mayo with Dijon Mustard, Red Wine Vinegar, egg yolks, salt and pepper. Of course you have to  He also introduced to us QUORN which is a meat free option, a mycoprotein. It's best for those who want a healthier meal and is available in leading supermarkets in the Philippines. You can keep it until the day after though (the mayo). It's so different from the one you buy in jars, and it was pretty good, the Quorn tastes like a chicken nugget! They also used the Extra Virgin Olive Oil on Vanilla Ice Cream then sprinkled with tomato, parsley and basil. You just have to melt the ice cream a little before you combine it with the olive oil and the more you use it, the more bitter the note will be. It's been a new thing in Europe, crazy, but crazy good.

Chef Xavier Btesh will also be launching his first this May in National Bookstore and leading bookstores nationwide. 

Ms. Marjorie Cleofas also adds "Apart from the world's first olive oil from spain, we have flavored olive oils in Basil, Garlic and Lemon. It's available in all leading supermarkets and online at www.sysuinc.com.ph."

Madrid Fusion Manila was just super fun! I'll feature one of the vendors next!

KUMAGCOW

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Scents of Style: Downy Parfum x Folded and Hung

It was an exciting Valentines day for me because this is the first time I'm actually covering the Folded and Hung runway show. This is part of their efforts on the collaboration that they're doing with Downy Parfum and they call it "Scents of Style".

The inspiration comes from Downy's scent variants which they call Timeless, Passion, Fusion, Mystique and Romance. Different scents appeal to different sets of people, what might smell "okay" for you might mean the whole world to another individual. This individuality, being feisty, the classic scents just made me a little excited on how it would actually translate into clothing. I've had the privilege of actually covering countless fashion shows, different brands of the same caliber, but never have I encountered scents donned style on the runway. This is something interesting as I also got to see the people from Folded and Hung, one of the Philippines' reputable brands when it comes to fashionable retail clothing. It might surprise you but this is actually the first time I shopped in their store too. I usually don't go here as I don't have sizes (yes I admit I'm a very BIG boy), but this year felt different, one that would actually took me to have a second look at the well loved brand.

Janeena Chan hosted the show

 

I took the liberty of shooting the entire show and present them in photos. This happened on Valentines day, together with Earth (earthlingorgeous.com), Ruth (ruthdelacruz.com) and Rodel (nognoginthecity.com), we took our dates for later and saw the show in Glorietta's Activity Center. Thank god for really good seats!

Rock & Seoul Bibimbap Bar at SM The Block

There's a new restaurant that opened at the Ground Floor of The Block in SM North Edsa. They've made it like a new strip of some sort that would probably cater to the more growing crowd in the area. Management probably had a hand choosing tenants as they've put up some pretty new brands instead of just the veterans they had inside their other malls. That's a step in a new direction. If you've heard of the Relish Group, (the ones who also owns Wee Nam Kee, Osaka Osho and Kumori Japanese Bakery) this is an original restaurant concept they call Rock & Seoul Bibimbap Bar.

The premise is easy. You choose the meat, the veggies that come with it, then the sauce. If you prefer the "easier" way, they've got specially prepared Bibimbap varieties that you would love. Thing is, they're not serving the usual too. It's more of like fusion, like east meets west. Still, it would be in Bibimbap form.

You've got the usual Banchan, with Kimchi, Chicken Salad, Korean Soy Fried Chicken, Cold Pickle/Noodle Salad too. This would be a thing that would go nice with your Bibimbap so instead of eating it all up, I suggest you leave some for later use.

 

They serve everything in a hot plate so they have paper shields reminiscent of other restaurants you may know who have them. As with any Bibimbaps, they have rice in the center, the whole enchalada on the sides, then the special sauce on the table which you can put in generously over your Bibimbap.

I thought this was Bulgogi but no, this is actually Bistek Bibimbap which is part of their Signature Baps. If you don't prefer to build a Bibimbap of your own, you can order these on the menu. They don't hold back on garlic as you can see, so this should be good.

This is my favorite, the Mexican Taco. It's got all the essentials in a usual taco plus corn and carrots on the side. Make sure you put in a generous amount of sauce on the rice while it's hot because this is good, really good that I am saying this is my favorite of all the things they have in the store.

This is what they call American Breakfast. You have the Potato hash, Bacon, Hamburger patty, Egg, Cucumber and Carrots. This should be ordered by people who would want to have something more filling, as it's carbs and protein mainly.

This is the Original Bibimbap. They've got the usual stuff, veggies, got Spinach which I love! 

This is the Korean Fried Chicken Bibimbap. It's got those yummy breaded chicken breast pieces, fried until golden brown, mixed with the usual veggies. You've got the house sauce on the table so make sure you put it on generously, you're basically dousing it so it won't be too hot (since it is on a sizzling plate) and also making it a tad sweeter for doing that. I like this too but if I were to choose between this and the Mexican Taco, I'd go with that.

I've had lots of Bibimbap in different restaurants, some are better than these but if you think about the price, this is way affordable. You can also customize which in my books is something that other restaurants don't offer. You get affordable but quality food, that is something you should really take note of. Go visit them at the ground floor of SM The Block right in front of the SM Hypermarket. They are on the left side, you shouldn't miss it. 3.5/5.

For more information about their restaurant:

Rock & Seoul

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Visit their official website

http://relish-group.com/rockseoul/