C2 Signature Series Pinoy Favorites

Treated my family last week to C2 Classic Cuisine, thanks to Redge, who gave me a C2 Signature Series GC to use. Good thing that I brought my family with me because the set was a lot to finish on my own, given that the serving size of each dish was huge.

We were asked to choose among C2's 3 Pinoy Favorite sets, dishes that are award-winning and uniquely Classic Cuisine:
Set 1: Seared Tilapia in Coconut Emulsion served with Lumpiang Hubad, Walastik, Pandan Rice and Pandan Iced Tea;
Set 2: Crispy Kare Kare served with Tatlong Ensalada, Sizzling Bangus Belly, Rice and Iced Tea; and
Set 3: Seafood Inasal served with Chicharong Monggo at Crispy Paksiw, Sisig Express, Rice and Iced Tea.

We got the Set 2 :)

The star of the Pinoy Favorite Set 2 is the Crispy Kare Kare (Php 685) - C2 Bestseller! Crispy, boneless pork leg served with sauteed vegetables, and rich peanut sauce.



Along with it was the Tatlong Ensalada, or three kinds of salad. This dish was served with Salted Egg, Mangga't Bagoong (Mango and Shrimp paste), and some eggplant in really yummy sauce.



Last but definitely not the least was the Sizzling Bangus Belly (Boneless, of course!) I love this dish.



The set came with pandan rice, and iced tea. You've got to try this Sooo Pinoy sets! :)

Poptalk's Summer Coolers Special: Halo-Halo

POPTALK by Tonipet Gaba will air its "Summer Coolers" special today next week Tuesday? at 10:00pm on GMANewsTV Channel 11. Catch celebrity guest Patani Daño, student JM Araneta, and yours truly as the food blogger, as we review three kinds of halo-halo in this episode :)

We were asked to eat, and eventually rate three kinds of halo-halo from three different establishments. First up was the Giant Halo-Halo of Max's, then the Halo-Halo of Razons of Guagua, and lastly, the Special Halo-Halo of Iceberg's. It was a long and tiring day as we did the shoot in different locations, and we only had one camera so we did more than the usual number of takes for angling and safety. One thing is for sure, the level of utility the halo-halo brought decreased as we transferred to the next restaurant, and as we tasted the dessert on camera, on cue.



Max's Giant Halo-Halo (Php 419) is the first one we tasted. It's REALLY huge with lots of toppings like macapuno balls, sweet beans, red mongo, garbanzoes, banana, kaong, gulaman, nata de coco and langka, shaved ice soaked in milk, topped with ube, leche flan, a generous sprinkle of rice crispies and cheese, plus three huge scoops of ube ice cream, oh, and sticks of chocolate wafer. This dessert is perfect for groups of friends, as it is good for 6-8 people. 4 of us finished a bowl. :)) The good thing about this besides that it could be shared, it can also be taken out or delivered right to your doorsteps.




Next up was the Halo-Halo of Razons of Guagua (Php 90). We weren't asked which one is the best among the three kinds, but I would go for this one if you ask me. Razons Halo-Halo offer you a simple yet flavorful dessert experience. It's made of the usual shaved iced and milk, but this one just has banana, macapuno, and leche flan (my favorite!). This one's creamy and it melts in your mouth. You could arguably say that maybe the best halo-halo could be judged by the texture and taste of its shaved ice.



After the shoot, we took a rest from eating Halo-Halo and indulged on one of Razon's bestsellers, their Sizzling Bulalo Steak. My friend Yuri of Lost Tsinelas wrote about it in his blog. Aside from their Halo-halo, this is definitely one of my favorites in Razon's :)



Last but not the least, we tried Iceberg's Halo-Halo (Php 98). At this point, after shooting at two halo-halo places, we were kind of sick of eating already. The show must go on, as they say, so we mustered enough eating prowess we have, and shot the last of the three. Surprisingly, I like theirs more than Max's. The serving is also good for two people.



After all the shots of us tasting all three kinds of halo-halos, it was time for us to say if it was "POP" or "FLOP" according to taste, presentation and price. I gave all of them a "POP" in all aspects. If I had to choose among the three (which was what I wanted) and rate them in descending order, I would go for 1. RAZON'S HALO-HALO (WINNER!) 2. ICEBERG'S HALO-HALO and then 3. MAX'S HALO-HALO.

Don't get me wrong: All three have their own pluses. Max's Halo-Halo presents an innovative way of enjoying the popular dessert, with friends, at an incredibly good price; also it can be delivered to you with their neat packaging. Iceberg's Halo-Halo comes with heaping yet balanced servings of ingredients, ice and everything else. It tastes better than a lot of halo-halo's out there. Razon's is a sure winner for its creamy and yummy halo-halo which melts in your mouth.



Thank you to Tonipet Gaba, Leah and Jessica, and all the people I was with during the shoot. :) Poptalk airs every Tuesday at 10:00-10:30pm on GMANewsTV Channel 11.

Manila's Signature Dishes 2010 - C2 Classic Cuisine's Redefined Filipino Classics

Located at Cravings Center along Katipunan Avenue, C2 or Classic Cuisine, is one of the restaurants I visited for the Manila Signature Dishes 2010. The set that was tasked I try was the Redefined Filipino Classics Set, which included several Filipino favorites, such as the Sinigang, cooked in a modern way.



One of the best sellers of the restaurant, the Crispy Ribs Sinigang was the first one served. Sinigang has a big following in the Philippines, but now, C2 redefined the way of cooking by infusing the crispy fried ribs with the popular soup dish.



The Adobong Sitaw came after. I am not really a fan of veggies, and it's the first time I ate Sitaw, or String Beans, and surprisingly I like it. The few pieces of pork and shrimps made it more exciting and flavorful.



Last served was the Dory Escabeche. It's a dory fish fillet, pan fried of poached, served with an acidic sweet-sour sauce like vinegar or citrus juice. The sauce was just right. I enjoyed this fish dish.



For dessert, we were served leche flan, or what you could call as a Filipino custard. It's smooth and creamy with the right amount of sweet syrup poured on top and all over it.



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Unilever Foodsolutions (UFS), being the preferred foodservice business partners among restaurateurs, felt the need to acknowledge notable restaurants who are developing Manila as a culinary city. They have partnerered with select restaurants within the metropolis in coming up with signature dishes. UFS has synergized with these restaurants, both through dish development and promotion campaign for these signature dishes, in achieving one common goal: coming up with a different culinary experiences that provide value for money and culinary memories for diners.

If you’re a restaurateur (or an aspiring one) and in need of help in coming with your signature dish, call (632) 588-8855 or email at foodsolutions.philippines@unilever.com.