The Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 (Part 4)
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The Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 (Part 4)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Food, food and still more food!

The first food I've tasted at The Ultimate Taste Test was Carmen's Best Ice Cream, particularly the Malted Milk flavor. Can I just say that it was indeed to die for. As soon as the owner, Paco Magsaysay, noticed us, he immediately launched into an animated account of how their ice cream utilizes the same stuff used for Holly's Milk, which is made fresh right out of their own dairy farm. His staff handed me a spoonful of Malted Milk, and as my mouth closed in on the cold ice cream, his words were drowned out by the immense flavor that overtook my dancing gustatory organ. This dense, rich and creamy frozen goodness with the makings of an ambrosial food had me enamored right off the bat. Subconsciously, I knew there was a man standing right next to me, his voice droning on in my left ear, albeit I couldn't concentrate on anything else but relishing what's left of that small portion. And since they focus on producing high quality goods made with the freshest and most exquisite of ingredients, they don't have the liberty of selling it in the market, rather they opt to have it available only in small quantities through pick-up orders.

Carmen's Best Ice Cream
Spot: Centrum II Bldg. 150 Valero St. Salcedo Village, Makati
Contact Nos.: 0916.6235956 or 809.2042
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/CarmensBest


The Holly's Fresh Milk came in whole milk and low fat chocolate milk (which I've tried). I delight in the fact that the chocolate milk is not saccharine-sweet and echoes the luscious and light flavors of really fresh dairy. It brings fond memories of vacationing in the States and immersing myself in gallons of Lucerne chocolate milk. While others are thick and overbearing, this is silky smooth and has a low viscosity, a consistency I prefer in my lactic drinks.

Holly's Milk
Spot: Rm. 202 Centrum II Bldg. 150 Valero St. Salcedo Village, Makati
Contact Nos.: 0939.5406908 or 813.1385
Website: hollysmilk.com
Facebook: facebook.com/hollysmilk

The Chocolate Chunk Cookies of Hansie's Desserts had an enshrouded chunk of chocolate instead of the sporadic chocolate chips usually found in other cookies.

Hansie's Desserts
Contact No.: 0906.5084086

Elle's Torta didn't really make an impression. Frankly I don't even recall what it tasted like, save for the fact that it was more than a bit dry.


Both the Adobo and Bangus Quiche of Casa San Luis were flavorsome. The flakiness of the pastry is evident in the break of the crust; the cross section reveals closely intertwined food elements that summon softly. One bite is loaded with such savory meat and eggs, so much so that it leaves you yearning for another one.

Casa San Luis
Contact No.: 0916.6448522
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/casasanluispastries
Twitter: twitter.com/CasaSanLuis


The Kiddie Affairs booth offered mini cupcakes of Cookies and Cream and Chocolate Coke Cherry (fond of C's, aren't we?). I grabbed a piece of the latter from the tower of red, brown and white. After plucking the cherry off its stem, I took a bite of a cake so moist, you'd think it was drenched in soda. But there was no vestige of Coke, though that was soon forgotten with the continuation of devouring the petite dampish cupcake.

Kiddie Affairs
Contact Nos.: 0915.4949336 or 882.0036
Website: kiddieaffairs.com
Email: [email protected]

The Fruit Garden
Website: thefruitgarden.net/

I prefer my chocolates to have the right balance of sweetness and so I shy away from bittersweet ones with very high cacao content, as well as those treacly ones that leave a mawkish taste in the mouth. Don't get me wrong, I love dark chocolates, especially those with mint in them. But there's a fine line between dark and cacao dark, a line I'd rather not cross. Unfortunately, Theo and Philo chocolates reside on the other side of the fence. Furthermore, the smorgasbord of ingredients incorporated into each variant left a disagreeable memory on my palate. The Labuyo was like a forest fire that blows up suddenly on your taste buds, while the Barako was very much like how the coffee counterpart is, strong, robust and bitter. Suffice it to say, I didn't dare try the other varieties anymore. Chocolates for me should be comforting and sadly, Theo and Philo's were disorienting at best. I have to give points for presentation though, their patriotic wrapper designs are definitely eye-catching.

Theo and Philo
Contact Nos.: 0920.4315650 or 242.4093
Website: theoandphilo.com
Email: [email protected]

I love Flavors in Ice Cream for the clumps of different fruits inculcated in their wide array of flavors. A favorite is the avocado among others. Too bad I didn't get to try the Lemon Crumble Yogurt sample.

The Ice Cream Bar
Spot: Joya Tower, Joya Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati
Contact No.: 403.0891
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/The-Ice-Cream-Bar

Okay, here we go again. I'm sorry but my predilection for Pancake House's Spaghetti hinders me from appreciating every other meat spaghetti that isn't up to par. But then, that's just me. It isn't so much that this spaghetti wasn't any good, it just so happens that it's not better than Pancake House's. At least not for me.

Heart, Meat and Soul Foods
Contact Nos.: 0905.4389269 or 0922.8170385
Website: heartmeatsoul.blogspot.com/
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/heart.meat.soul
Twitter: twitter.com/HeartMeatSoul



As I reached for my Asado and Roast Chicken with rice in a small cup from Hong Kong Roast, I could smell a whiff of both coming from the display glass case beside the booth. Slabs of roasted pork (asado) with oil painted skin, scintillating against the light, dangle in bunches with fat drippings collecting in the aluminum pan below. Adjacent are roasted whole chickens with glistening skin hanging provocatively, its fragrance intoxicating. As I ate the piece of tender poultry, I was inundated with a flavor so sapid, I literally closed my eyes to fully savor it. The asado was not to be ignored either. The pork, although a bit dry, possibly due to being exposed for a few hours already, had a tinge of sweetness and was still scrumptious, nevertheless.

Hong Kong Roast
Spot: 7467-C Bagtikan St. San Antonio Village, Makati
Contact Nos.: 984.7760 or 553.7846
Website: hkroast.com
Facebook: facebook.com/HongKongRoast
Twitter: twitter.com/hkroast_makati

Party Fuel Mobile Bar
Spot: 25 A Don A. Egea St. Cubao, Quezon City
Contact Nos.: 0917.5376750 or 216.9212 or 725.2396
Website: partyfuelmobilebar.com/
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/partyfuelmobilebar
Twitter: twitter.com/partyfuel

5 comments:

[pinkc00kies] said...

choco chip cookies look yummy. :D

Casa San Luis Pastries said...

Thanks for the great review, we are glad that you enjoyed our quiche ! Come visit us at the Legaspi market every sunday :-)

peachkins said...

Now I wish I went there!

MrsLavendula said...

i love carmen's best ice cream and holly's milk! yum yum!

oggi said...

The adobo quiche looks interesting. I might make a copycat version.:))

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