Written by: Gabrielle Borromeo
Photos by: Gabrielle Borromeo
Published in the Daily Tribune (Life Style section) on Monday, 04 August 2014.
Published in the Daily Tribune (Life Style section) on Monday, 04 August 2014.
Bonifacio Global City (BGC) Eats 2014 is back for the second time. Chef JJ Yulo, contributing editor for Rogue and part of the Pinoy Eats World, the group dedicated to everything food, is still the curator and tour host for this event. This year he will be joined by four other experts. Not only will BGC Eats 2014 be another chance to learn more from Yulo, but the tour destinations will also be an exciting and unique experience for all.
During the launch of BGC Eats 2014, I found myself standing at an open space with an amusement ride in front of me. It was the kind of lifesize children’s train that usually circulates in malls, except this one was parked right at the center of the open space where everyone joining the tour was to meet.
I had heard BGC Eats 2014 included an exciting ride, but the lifesize train just couldn’t be it, I thought. Of course it wasn’t. Instead, a huge BGC bus was reserved just for this event to take us places within the city — places none of us knew we would go to. And that was the thrill of it. We had three surprise stops.
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| Inside the BGC bus, the media and the bloggers each find a comfortable seat before reaching the next destination. |
First stop was Gustaré Kitchen, situated right behind The Goose Station, with the address at the ground floor of W Tower, 39th Street, Fort Bonifacio. Gustaré Kitchen is owned by Ginny de Guzman, the former owner of Sugar House. At Ginny’s Gustaré Kitchen, everyone was treated with Ginny’s calamansi sansrival, canonigo and meringue kisses.
The second stop was Prost, a German beer bar located at the ground floor of Pointe Building, 26th Avenue corner 5th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio. It is also beside the Early Bird Breakfast Club.
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| I came in early so I got the chance to see Prost empty. |
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| This was when all the guests hadn't arrived yet, of course except me. While waiting, I took the opportunity to take pictures of the empty German bar. |
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| This was when everyone came in to enjoy what Prost had to offer. It was full house! |
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| Mario of Prost |
First on the table was the goulash, followed by the rosti, spaetzle, Nürnberger sausage and finally the sausage platter composed of a selection of Hungarian, kielbasa and bockwurst.
Every dish was a new discovery for me except for the Hungarian sausage that was a familiar favorite.
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| Goulash |
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| The Goulash was served with Bread Sticks |
The Goulash, which is a German soup made from stewed tomato sauce, corned beef, potatoes and Hungarian sausage, was rich in taste. This stew reminded me of pork and beans. This was served in a miniature cup, just the right amount to have space for other dishes.
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| Rosti |
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| Rosti |
The rosti is a pancake-sized hash brown topped with egg, cooked sunny side up. The fried hash brown was crunchy to the bite, but inside was smooth with a certain texture to the palate as the potatoes were grated like shoe strings.
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| Spaetzle |
The spaetzle, a dish found in Germany made from egg noodles or dumplings, I found to be like rice except it’s more like a pasta.
What everyone was digging into though were the sausages, which were such a hit.
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| Hungarian Sausage |
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| Hungarian Sausage |
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| Hungarian Sausage |
The Hungarian sausages were immediately wiped out from the table because of how good it was. It was chunky, juicy and had a bite to it, although I personally found it a little too mild since I was looking for the spice usually found in Hungarian sausages.
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| Nürnberger Spiral |
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| Nürnberger spiral |
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| Nürnberger Spiral |
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| Nürnberger Spiral |
The Nürnberger spiral, on the other hand, caught everyone’s attention. The length of the sausage was coiled to fit almost the whole platter. It also came with fries so the dish was good for sharing.
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| Here's my Instagram post on Prost! Follow me at gabrielleborromeo |
For the third stop, we were all transported to the Future Feast, the culminating event for “The Apocalypse Project: Imagined Futures,” an exhibition about our environmental futures under climate change. This occured at the Mind Museum, the country’s first world-class science museum that caters to Filipino families and students, both from private and public schools.
Food of the future
The Future Feast at the museum came to be the shock of our lives — and no it’s not the Tyrannosaurus rex that stood tall looking ready to devour us. It was the menu the chefs came up with in collaboration with the museum. Together they insisted that in 2050, livelihood will be different from today, that we should rethink our food supply and get used to munching on the kind of delicacies they had prepared for us.
The Future Feast at the museum came to be the shock of our lives — and no it’s not the Tyrannosaurus rex that stood tall looking ready to devour us. It was the menu the chefs came up with in collaboration with the museum. Together they insisted that in 2050, livelihood will be different from today, that we should rethink our food supply and get used to munching on the kind of delicacies they had prepared for us.
The menu included chef Ian Carandang’s nut milk ice cream bar, chef Sau del Rosario’s togu moringa and aloe vera panna cotta, Kyle Imao’s croquek and seaweed tempura, Nancy Lumen Reyes’ Jello Insekto and Jeepers Creepers that both had fried locusts in it and EAT’s banana bread and burger patty made from real earthworms, not gummy worms. I gulped, my heart in my hand, just reading the dish labels in their booths.
After scanning the food around, my first instinct was to head for the safest booth I saw, Sebastian’s Ice Cream booth by chef Ian Carandang. Here he served nut milk and nut milk ice cream bars. His nut milk came from cashew nuts, which he mentioned can be “a dairy replacement. It is a climate change ingredient we can drink to survive in the future.” Before taking a gulp at his nut milk, I had to make sure it had nothing eerie in it, no secret ingredient that would widen my eyes. Thankfully it was really just made from cashew nuts. The nut milk was quite odd — like a watered down soya milk with a woody aftertaste. But the Dive Bar, Carandang’s artisan ice cream on a stick, was really good. If I had to live on this to survive, I wouldn’t mind. It tasted exactly like a banana cake made into an ice cream.
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| Chef Sau del Rosario |
Chef Sau del Rosario, the Green Chef, had on display his togu moringa and aloe vera panna cotta. They were also at the top of my list. I would gladly be a vegetarian in the future if these were the dishes.
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| Togu Moringa and Aloe Vera Panna Cotta |
Chef Sau said, “Moringa or more commonly known in the Philippines as malunggay, can be planted almost anywhere, and it is very fast growing and rich in vitamins. Soya bean can also be a dairy replacement. That is why these are very good resources for futuristic recipes, they are healthy and sustainable.”
I enjoyed the togu moringa and aloe vera panna cotta, which was also topped with banana, candied ginger and açai berry sauce. It was refreshing, healthy and tasted like a pastry dessert a cute little fat kid would run to.
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| Kyle Imao |
Kyle Imao, the kid who won the first Junior Masterchef Philippine edition, prepared croquek and seaweed tempura.
He said, “The croquek is made from chicken, which is easier to produce rather than pork and/or beef. It also has potatoes, which can be a replacement for rice or wheat as a carbohydrate.
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| Seaweed Tempura |
I also have along with me my seaweed tempura. Seaweed is very sustainable while the cassava flour replaces corn starch.”
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| Croquek |
Kyle had his croqueks shaped as an egg and showcased them together with colorful metallic plastic eggs in a plastic tray.
Last but not least were the locusts and earthworms being given their chance to shine at the booth. Of course this was the scare of my life.
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| Nancy Reyes-Lumen, the Adobo Queen eating her Adobo flavored Jello Insekto (locust) |
Dish on the dishes
Nancy Reyes Lumen, the Adobo Queen who comes from family-owned restaurants like Aristocrat, Reyes Barbecue and Serye, found her way to the Future Feast showing off her locust inventions. She strictly reminds people though that what she served at this booth were not served in their restaurants.
Nancy Reyes Lumen, the Adobo Queen who comes from family-owned restaurants like Aristocrat, Reyes Barbecue and Serye, found her way to the Future Feast showing off her locust inventions. She strictly reminds people though that what she served at this booth were not served in their restaurants.
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| Jello Insekto |
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| Jello Insekto |
Nancy’s Jello Insekto came in clear jello’s shaped from the ice tray. Inside each jello was a locust that looked fast asleep. Though I would rather not have disturbed its peace, Nancy kept promoting her goods to people that her tray was almost consumed.
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| Nancy Reyes-Lumen |
She said, “I wanted to make the locust visible, which is why I used a clear jello. I want people to know what they’re eating; I want them to see the locust. The procedure for the Jello Insekto was not too complicated. I made my own chili spice, added adobo powder and fried the locust to a crisp and then dropped it in the jello. Try it!”
I smiled back at Nancy, but I just couldn’t — not yet, not now. Maybe when the times are prehistoric, and that is still a maybe.
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| Jeepers Crispers! |
Nancy also had popcorn, I mean Jeepers Crispers — locusts made into a snack to delight on. They were in opaque paper bags exactly like fried snacks ready to eat, except I just wasn’t ready.
Nancy added, “Locusts are very rich in nutrients and can be farmed sustainably. It is a climate change ingredient we can look forward to!”
As if locusts weren’t enough, there were also earthworms on the menu. Since when did humans become fish who preyed on worms?! I just couldn’t digest this idea, much more the dish. I tried though, I really tried.
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| Salis-Vermi Steak with Mushroom Gravy and Sautéed Talilong (Water Leaf) Weed |
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| Salis-Vermi Steak with Mushroom Gravy and Sautéed Talilong (Water Leaf) Weed |
Eric Capaque and Claudette Dy of EAT had for their dish Salis-vermi steak with mushroom gravy and sautéed talilong (water leaf) weed. They claimed that earthworms are easy to grow and are rich in protein and other nutrients; weeds are high in protein and a good source of iron, calcium and vitamins A and C, and that banana peels are waste products that we can use as food. Unfortunately, the burger patty was black and did not even look appetizing at all.
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| Fancy looking poop, but is actually banana peeling if I'm not mistaken. Eek! |
It looked like a burnt patty of some sort, and what made it more disheartening was what I suppose was the banana peeling designed like fancy poop on the side. Did I mention it was yellow? There’s no other way to put it.
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| Banana Vermi Cupcakes |
They also served banana vermi cupcakes still made with earthworms. It kind of destroyed my image of banana cakes especially since I love them. Unfortunately, I still couldn’t find it in me to try the worms in that form.
Not for the faint of heart
BGC Eats 2014 is definitely different this year, and there’s more room for those who are strong at heart and adventurous with food.
BGC Eats 2014 is definitely different this year, and there’s more room for those who are strong at heart and adventurous with food.
The next tour dates will be held on Aug. 9 and 16 with a special theme per week.
The tour last Aug. 2 was on photography. Mylene Chung, the co-founder of a food blog, shared insights on how to take better photographs as she is also the photographer and food stylist of PhotoKitchen. Over the course of her career, she has already had the experience working with companies like Resorts World Manila, Reader’s Digest Asia, Manila Peninsula, Nestle and Unilever.
The tour on Aug. 9 will be about drink pairings. Bel Castro, who studied at the University of Adelaide and Le Cordon Bleu Australia and is currently the assistant dean of Hospitality Management at Enderun Colleges, will be guiding tour goers on what drinks go best with food. To fully enjoy this experience, attendees must be of legal age as minors will not be permitted.
On Aug. 16, the tour will be on healthy eats. Denise Celdran, an agriculturist by profession, is a vegetarian who opened up Edgy Veggie Cafe. Edgy Veggie began in the year 2008 in the Legaspi Sunday market and soon branched out when demands grew higher. She began her business when she realized that most vegetarians don’t get enough of the nutrition they need, so she took a stand. She went on to help people make wise and healthy decisions. Denise also owns a natural farm in Nasugbu, Batangas where most of the regular table vegetables come from. She also teaches meditation and breathing with the Art of Living Foundations and runs a neuro feedback Brain Enhancement Center in Makati. If it’s a new life you seek, this tour would be a wonderful step to begin.
How to get a ticket for BGC Eats 2014
1. Shop and claim. Present a single receipt of purchase worth a minimum of P2,000 from Bonifacio High Street, Crossroads, The Fort Entertainment Center, Bonifacio Stopover, One and Two Parkade and the Mind Museum and get two tickets for the tour. All purchases from the following establishments are eligible. Eligible dates of purchase must be between July 21 to Aug. 16 only. Maximum of two tickets per claimant per day.
2. Hello BGCitizen. A maximum of one free ticket will be given to each BGCitizen upon proof of residence, employment or enrollment.
3. Straight purchase. Tickets are priced at P1,500 each and can be purchased 15 minutes before the tour at the meeting point.
Reminders
The tour starts at exactly 3 p.m. and will run for around two and a half hours to three hours. Late comers will forfeit their tickets. There will be a maximum of 34 participants per tour date only. There will also be no ticket reservations over the phone. Tickets can be claimed at the Bonifacio High Street Central concierge from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting July 21. If the tour date selected is full, claimant may choose the next available tour. Once tour is chosen and ticket is claimed, tour date is final and not subject to change. Meet-up point is at the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Stop on 9th Avenue, in front of Krispy Kreme.
The tour starts at exactly 3 p.m. and will run for around two and a half hours to three hours. Late comers will forfeit their tickets. There will be a maximum of 34 participants per tour date only. There will also be no ticket reservations over the phone. Tickets can be claimed at the Bonifacio High Street Central concierge from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting July 21. If the tour date selected is full, claimant may choose the next available tour. Once tour is chosen and ticket is claimed, tour date is final and not subject to change. Meet-up point is at the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Stop on 9th Avenue, in front of Krispy Kreme.
For more details, you can contact Martha Asuncion at martha.asuncion@artsatbgc.org or (02) 818-3601 loc. 3207.
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