U.P. Economics Society: Foodgasm 2013

Just 6 months after the first Foodgasm 2012 event, U.P. Economics Society successfully organized a repeat held last March 09, 2013 at Mercato Centrale - Foodgasm: Take a Second Bite. There were still a number of sponsors, and even more food business entrepreneurs with their best products of around 800 samples.

The event started on time and was even more organized. There were some freebies and discounts from sponsors, but the photobooth and game portions were no longer there. Anyway, this is a food tasting event and competition so what matters most are the food samples. The more food merchants, the more food to experience. Glad to still be part of this event through Allen.

Allen of Stop! Look! and Capture!

*in no particular order

Sweet Baum Cafe: Baumkuchen

Sweet Baum Cafe: Baumkuchen

Baumkuchen is a Japanese layered cake. This seemed to be intricately done, layers in rings similar to a chopped tree trunk. The texture is that of a chiffon cake except that it captures the flavor more - for this case, creamy cheese flavor.

Sugar Rush: Chocolate Kiss Cupcake

Sugar Rush: Chocolate Kiss Cupcake

Chocolate Kiss Cupcake literally looked and tasted like Hershey's kisses turned into mini cupcake. I like its moist texture and creative appearance. The Kisses is with almonds, but I'd appreciate it better if the Hershey's paper strip was removed to enjoy the cupcake fully.

Sweet Confections by Giselle: Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

Sweet Confections by Giselle: Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake has a chocolate moist cake base and a cute frosting which tasted differently but in a good sense. Not sure if it's berry-like but it's something I haven't tried before. At first I thought the name of their sample is 2 Broke Girls, but I wasn't really able to connect it with the product.

Mila C's: Sinantol

Mila C's: Sinantol

This is Sinantol's come back and I'm still in love with it. I regret that I wasn't able to buy a bottle but I'd just be checking where they are selling. There's sourness and flavor that makes me want to go for more. I was also surprised that they featured my blog on their station.

Le Kitchenita: Bacon-wrapped Embotido Cupcake with Mashed Potato topping

Le Kitchenita: Bacon-wrapped Embotido Cupcake with Mashed Potato topping

Bacon-wrapped Embotido Cupcake with Mashed Potato Topping seemed to have a really complex and confusing name. But once you have tasted it, everything will be in harmony. I've never thought that the flavorful embotido and soft mashed potato would go together this good! This won my instant 5!

Paire Foods Inc.: Ligid (Pork Appetizer)

Paire Foods Inc.: Ligid (Pork Appetizer)

Ligid is an effective appetizer with its salty tasty flavor best dipped in vinegar. It's comparable to chicharon minus the fat portion, or pork chop sliced into pieces and deep-fried to goodness.

Paire Foods Inc.: Class A (Almond Pair)

Paire Foods Inc.: Class A (Almond Pair)

Class A introduced (at least for me) a new way of enjoying a pair. While chewing the Almond slice, drink the Amaretto Sour. The result is a mix of flavor and refreshing zest.

Ricasa's Kitchen: Flan de Coco

Ricasa's Kitchen: Flan de Coco

Flan de Coco tasted like a mix of leche fan and coconut macaroons with a soft texture and sweet taste. Though Flan de Coco is Ricasa's Kitchen's official entry, they have generously offered their other products such as mini cupcakes and yema balls. I really liked the Yema Balls as they are milky, soft, and so yummy!

Kuya Boyet's Cheesecake: Neopolitan Cheesecake Bites

Kuya Boyet's Cheesecake: Neopolitan Cheesecake Bites

Neopolitan Cheesecake Bites looked like mini cupcakes but they are actually individually created cheesecakes. I'm a cheesecake fan but I find this too soft. It has a sweet taste which is balanced by the strawberry syrup.

New Zealand Natural: Macademia Ice Cream

New Zealand Natural: Macademia Ice Cream

Of all the food business owners, it was New Zealand Natural who provided the most generous amount of sample in terms of volume. Add to that their creamy delicious ice cream, making them the top favorite of the foodies. Nuts in ice cream is cloud 9, though adding caramel syrup would make this heaven! 

Frabelle Foodie Chef: Frabelle Mini Pies

Frabelle Foodie Chef: Frabelle Mini Pies

Frabelle Mini Pies have soft tart crust loaded with meat toppings: sausage, ham, bacon, etc. I just had a bite-size piece but it satisfied my processed meat craving. 

Sophia School Cafe: Veggie Sisig

Sophia School Cafe: Veggie Sisig

Veggie Sisig is really a wonderful creation for vegetarians who still wanted to enjoy sisig, or to those who wanted to have a non-meat version without compromising the flavor. It's a bit spicy just how I wanted my sisig to be, and the best of all, it doesn't taste "fake" pork or meat. 

Sophia School Cafe: Veggie Dinuguan

Sophia School Cafe: Veggie Dinuguan

Veggie Dinuguan resembles much of the usual dinuguan except it didn't make use of pork blood nor internal organs. You can find tofu instead of meat. It's a bit spicy and has the sourness and hint of dinuguan taste. Yet I still find that there's something lacking to make it taste "real".

Granny's Dish: Lola Emma's Chicken and Lola Cory's Minci

Granny's Dish: Lola Emma's Chicken and Lola Cory's Minci

Both Lola Emma's Chicken and Lola Cory's Minci are flavorful that can be enjoyed more with rice. There were just bits of samples provided but they were oozing with savor.

LipDip Milkshakes: Milkshake

LipDip Milkshakes: Milkshake

I've tried milkshakes before but LipDip Milkshake was like blended ice cream, chocolates, cookies. It has a rich smooth texture and really milky and creamy. Despite that, I ain't a fan of melted ice cream so it wasn't able to "wow" me. 

The Cupcake Dealer: Black Velvet

The Cupcake Dealer: Black Velvet

There's the famous Red Velvet, and now, The Cupcake Dealer introduced Black Velvet. I am not sure what makes a red velvet, red velvet, or if it has a certain flavor, or it's just the color. The same thought I have with Black Velvet. I can just think of it as a chocolate cupcake with thick frosting. 

Crunchy Belly by Carlos Kitchen: Choco Belly

Crunchy Belly by Carlos Kitchen: Choco Belly

Crunchy Belly has been a normal sight at Food Bazaars and Events like Mercato Centrale, Cucina Andare, and even joined last year's Foodgasm and Best Food Forward. Their thin, crunchy, and fried bacon-like masterpiece has been reaping a lot of attention. This year, they added a twist in their usual crunchy belly by coating it in Belgian chocolate syrup, thus, the birth of Choco Belly. Though the chocolate syrup on its own is good, combining it with crunchy belly created a bit of confusion on the taste and lessened the crunchy belly flavor. Personally, I still preferred the original version.

Pretentieux: Petite Joie

Pretentieux: Petite Joie

Petite Joie Swirly Roll Ups is nostalgic and eating it reminded me of childhood days. Sticky, milky taste, rice crispies, cookies, rolled like popsies -- the kid in me would never say no to this. 

Shawarma Bros: Lamb Steak Shawarma Plate

Shawarma Bros: Lamb Steak Shawarma Plate

What made this Lamb Steak Shawarma Plate special is, of course, the Lamb Steak. Unfortunately, I had a hard time chewing the lamb meat as it wasn't that soft, at least for me. Still, the shawarma flavor and lamb taste were there making this a level up shawarma.

Sisnarp's Street Food Fusion: Jamaisian Bacon Wrap

Sisnarp's Street Food Fusion: Jamaisian Bacon Wrap

Jamaisian Bacon Wrap was plated in a very elegant and gourmet fashion like how it will be served in a fine dining restaurant. (But please don't refer to my picture.) I was eyeing for it because of how it was presented. However, the food was spicy, like Indian spicy, that I wasn't able to appreciate the details and ingredients. 

Queens New York Comfort Food: Grand Central Cheesesteak

Queens New York Comfort Food: Grand Central Cheesesteak

They were already running out of ingredients when I get to try Grand Central Cheesesteak. Lucky to still have some beef, cheese, and bread slice, and so I was surprised that it still tasted good even with minimal ingredients. It has a hint of spiciness, but what I really like about it is its cheese!

Ping Gu: Mushroom Fries

Ping Gu: Mushroom Fries

There was a really long line for this Mushroom Fries as they were being cooked as per order. But the long wait was worth it as this product is amazing! They simply looked like deep fried mushrooms but they're very crunchy and tasted like V-Cut Potato Chips. 



It was a great experience to see and have tasted a lot of innovations and new creations from our aspiring Filipino Food Entrepreneurs. Hoping to still be part of such events in the future. 



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