ASEAN Food Festival at Ayala Malls Vertis North Presented by Smart

It looks like the ASEAN fever is not over yet as our friends from Ayala Malls Vertis North, co presenters Smart and PLDT is making your ASEAN Foodie dreams come true with the ASEAN Food Festival at Ayala Malls Vertis North's Parking Area. It's a new mall that is about to open right beside Trinoma (situated along North Avenue) and they've got tents put up to accommodate thousands of people who want a glimpse of food from around the ASEAN region and that's what we actually got. This festival will only run from May 11th (Yesterday) up until May 14th (that's this Sunday) which means you have all weekend to go there for lovely glorious food!

They've got a Beverage station in every exit so if you're looking for something to drink, just claim it here. The entrance they charge (50 pesos) already has a drink with it so just give them the stubs if you want mineral water or sodas. They also sell beer but separately.

Smart and PLDT are partners so if you need to enroll in promos, a charging station, or just a place to lounge, Smart has that taken cared of as about an 8th of the venue is dedicated for Smart and PLDT Subscribers. I love it that when I was already low batt, they had me just plug in on their stations :)

The ASEAN food festival also featured regional merchants which means they are well represented. From as far north as Ilocos to down south as Zamboanga, they've got that covered with tons of food from around the Philippines.

What stood out for me was the stalls from Cavite and Central Luzon.

Estancia de Lorenzo had different Duck and organic products which they served quite nicely. 

Their PrimaDuck line from Estancia De Lorenzo was served with Brown Rice and if I didn't notice, the duck parts looked high end as it looked like worthy of a fine dining restaurant. (Thanks to the Chef Lowell Tolentino who prepared it meticulously).

Took their Premium Duck Ham from the last event and I had the best breakfast with these lovely slices on my sandwich. You can also have it with rice, ughh.. super good.

They also have spicy stuff like this Hungarian Duck Sausage, finished this in less than 2 minutes haha!

Estancia De Lorenzo also manages THE FARMHOUSE by EDL which is a farm tourism destination in Capas Tarlac. If you want to arrange a tour so you could live the farm life (complete with planting sessions in an actual farm) just contact them through 09177096908, look for Mr. Edgar Duenas and they can arrange how you can get there. Or inquire through thefarmhousebyedl@gmail.com. Perfect for tours and team building sessions!

Popular Alavar Seafood Restaurant represented Zamboanga quite well. With their seafood dishes and products, you'll feel right in Zamboanga without leaving the streets of Manila.

I super like this stall which had my favorite Ilocos/Vigan Empanada done in different ways. Super innovative retailers from around the country participated so if you're looking or craving for an empanada fix, this is the place!

Sisig you say? Well let's just say it's not the ordinary sisig you'll see here because there were about 4 of them selling their best versions, isn't this a sight for sore eyes?

Buddys was selling the best products from Quezon Province, including Broas, Pansit Habhab, Longganizang Lucban, it was super good!

There are also some FREE samples, just ask nicely.

Chef Gene Gonzales did some of his favorite Pampanga delicacies, I was drooling when I opened that schafing dish.

Since this is an ASEAN Food Festival you'll never run out of food from the region. Chef Gene also did Myanmar and Laos dishes on this station aside from the great Pampanga delicacies he presented.

Super Chef Mike Tatung from Pampanga also did Singaporean and Malaysian dishes, his curry dishes were so good I found some of my blogger friends going back for more.

Chef Rob Pengson was a little busy when I got to his station. He was preparing dishes from Brunei and Cambodia, which I found so good later on. I didn't hesitate to have a selfie with him (you can see if you're following me on @kumagcow on my IG account of course!)

Of course it was given for Berjaya to do Malaysian Cuisine.

Wild Ginger did Vietnamese, Thailand and Indonesian cuisine. I saw Japanese Hotel Seda doing Filipino Cuisine though, that was out of the box!

Juan Longanisa had really good sausages, on display were these that were getting air dried and fried on the spot! I will be going back for this later!

If you want to take home legit Pansit Habhab, they've got dried ones available. Costs cheap too!

Bagnet rice? Oh don't even get me started. Rodel Flordeliz had this and almost all the yummy fried products only for 200 bucks. He couldn't finish it all.

Shoutout to the ladies of Helen's Empanada for getting me the lovely Ilocos Empanada and the perfect Sukang Iloco with it. I had three servings all on my own, each for 60 bucks would you believe?

I will not convince you to eat BAGNET... no I will not convince you. Haha! It's from the same stall! Super good!

They don't run out of yummy grilled ISAW and other fried greats.

Go ahead and make tusok tusok

Pasalubong finds abound, so come and take home sweets, salty chips which you can buy 3 for 100 pesos. You can mix and match too! Make sure you try the CHICHARON on this stall because they've got it with back fat and all!

This lady was the only one selling PUTO from CALASIAO  Pangasinan but make sure you finish it as it only is good on the day itself!

I also bought several things like Suman and Calamay from this stall, Mom and Dad enjoyed it at home!

That jar of Pipino or Cucumber lemonade was good, they serve it in a huge batch with 2 straws so you can share it!

The Antipolo greats such as Salted Egg, more Suman and Garlic Cashew Nuts was just so good!

The Mimaropa region was well represented and carry really good stuff and produce from the region. One caught my eye though.

The Palawan Sourced Cashew nuts were different from the Antipolo neighbors. You should get both and compare.

Take home Suman so you and your family STICK TOGETHER!

Come to the Parking Lot of Ayala Malls Vertis North today until May 14th as they are open from 4PM up until 2AM in the morning. Believe me, it's a really great way to end the ASEAN season and taste what our region could offer. Thanks to Ayala Malls Vertis North and Smart for making this possible! Cheers to more events like these in the future!

Costa Coffee Opens In Robinsons Galleria

It looks like the Ortigas Business district is about to get even better as the irresistable London brand Costa Coffee has opened up shop at the Robinsons Galleria in Pasig City. True enough, they opened up with a bang as their expert baristas whipped up several coffee concoctions so you could all taste London Roastery flavors right here in th Philippines. We''ve been in the BGC and Eastwood branch in the past and everyone has been raving about their Flat White and with good gusto I am too, as it's not just pretty but one of the nicest cups I've ever had in my life. I guess the secret is the Cortissimo which was explained to me as the perfect plaform to make latte art as you can see :)

They also have other things on the menu such as Capuccino, Latte, Cafe Caramella, Mocha and Ice Blended Frostino which are all best sellers. They also have fruit blends and I like the Lychee Blossom the most, though you could order the Watermelon Rose, Hibiscus Strawberry Cooler which would still hose you down in this hot summer weather.

The wraps are phenomenal, they have it in different savory flavors and if I were to choose the best, we need another article for that haha!

The Croissants are also good, pair them with coffee because the last thing you would want to happen is a lack of water, as it's flaky and cause that.

I had the Bacon with Cheese sandwich and it was SUPER Phenomenal! I had about 3 slices of it but don't tell people as I'm on a diet.

For Diabetics, don't worry as they also have Sugar Free cake, which I tasted that afternoon and I must tell you, it's not that bad at all.

They also have savory dishes, carrot cakes and New York Cheesecakes available so if you are hungry, this coffee shop can still satisfy you for lunch and dinner.

The pies are good too, it's tangy and sweet which would qualify as desserts right?

There are more things in the store that would make you happy especially the tumblers that you can take home (for a fee of course!). I will definitely make this my hangout when I'm around Ortigas because they have wifi too. I would gladly stay around a few hours, and the whole place is Londonesque so it's Instagram worthy. Have a cup today!

KUMAGCOW

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Carte D'Or Gelato Is Now In the Philippines

Had a wonderful time at Makati the other day for what I was informed as a Gelato Masterclass turned out to be the launch of British brand Carte D'Or Gelato. The well loved British dessert staple was super welcome as it felt like 40 degrees centigrade that afternoon, sans air conditioning at the venue. Chef Miko Aspiras taught us how to make one batch of Pistachio Gelato, a certain favorite of Filipinos and with a few ingredients, it was so darn good!

I think the main difference between ice cream and Gelato is the custard preparation, and that they don't aerate it so it's more dense than the fluffy usual ice cream you see in supermarkets. It's got egg, sugar, heavy cream and puree of pistachios. A simple blitz and a few minutes of cooking, would get you that velvety consistency. Then we just needed to fold in good roasted pistachios and voila! We've got Pistachio Gelato!

It's about the same process as with the salted caramel and double chocolate flavors, the base continues the same. Just switch it up and you're good to go. If you plan to make things easy, just buy Carte D'Or on selected supermarkets, groceries and weekend markets in the business district. You'll be seeing this regularly soon but for the mean time get them starting May 23 in Manila!

KUMAGCOW

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FAVORI Aroma Collections Launch

Just got off the FAVORI AROMA Collections Launch this afternoon with brand ambassador Ms. Angel Aquino and executives of FAVORI. It was a nice day to remember how they started three years ago and now they even had the scents categorized appropriately in Refreshing, Relaxing, Upbeat and Sexy. I heard oohs and ahhs in that sexy one, but my favorite still is the same which is the Sunkissed Citrus which makes me perky whenever it's in my room. 

According to the FAVORI people, the current best seller is the Peppermit scent which is quite surprising since I thought we were more tropical than the regular country. Apparently people might be identifying this with Christmas and we all know how much Pinoys always identify with that season right? Ms. Angel Aquino advises to actually choose your favorite scents and even have it mixed with the Peppermint base as it will be off the charts when you have this in your living room. Your guests will definitely tell you how upscale and rich smelling your house will be, she's got a lot of compliments of that nature.

We did a couple of activities during high tea but I was more interested checking out the Upbeat Collection they released today. It's got more of the fruity scents I wanted and having that in my room while working makes my mind a little more active than usual, a good thing for creative ones who need a little help in that department. So if you are studying, doing artwork, or into crafts, I suggest you choose the Apple Verde, Cinnamon Spice, Coffee Caramel, Eucalyptus, Fresh Cut Grass, Mango Mandarin, Merry Berry, Sunkissed Citrus and Tropical Blast. It's different from your usual scents, and is water soluble. I had my room smelling so great for months because of this - so if you are looking for that special addition to make the mood for your room, this is it!

Come to the 2nd Floor of SM Megamall, Robinsons Place Manila, SM City Marikina, SM Southmall and Market! Market!

KUMAGCOW

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