A GASTRONOMIC FAIR: BEST FOOD FORWARD 2014 PREVIEW + CONTEST

When you’re invited to a special and exclusive preview of the country’s much-awaited food fair, you don’t say no.

So off I went to The Blackboard by Chef Michel with an empty stomach in tow, and took that gastronomic adventure with a few of Best Food Forward’s partners and concessionaires. My tummy was happy! Take a sneak peek of what to expect from BFF 2014 below:

Love, Agnessi

I stopped by the stall of Love, Agnessi. first to have a taste of their Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate and White Chocolate & Macadamia cookies.

These baked goodies are a bit crunchy on the outside and deliciously chewy on the inside – exactly the way I want my cookies to be. The level of sweetness is just right, making Love, Alessi a great go-to cookie dealer for people who are watching over their diet and blood sugar.

These two lovely ladies are the fairies behind Love, Alessi. They even gave me a small cup of milk, because cookies are simply best enjoyed with milk, especially when it's warm.

Lick the Spoon

Next stop is Lick the Spoon’s Deep Dips.

Chef Arnold Bernardo, the brain behind the bottled eats, proudly introduced his Gourmet Bagoong, which has three variants: Bagoong with Tamarin (which tastes like the perfect combination of mangga and bagoong), Bagoong with Mushrooms (which, I swear, can be eaten with rice), and Bagoong with Spicy Chocolate (a wonderful surprise to anyone’s taste buds!).

Aside from the Gourmet Bagoong, I also enjoyed trying out their Spicy Tinapa in Tomato Sauce and Tomato Eggplant Pate, both of which made me have more cups of rice than I would have wanted. No regrets though because those sumptuous bottled goodies are worth the calories!

Gourmet Garage

Gourment Garage, one of the hidden gems of Subic’s gastronomic hub, is now offering catering services in Metro Manila. To showcase what they can bring to the table for special occasions, corporate events and private functions, they served two spoonful dishes that you wish you can eat every day.

The first dish I tried was the Lamb Biryani in Filo Crisp. The lamb was tender and cooked perfectly that it almost melted in my mouth. The second dish I sampled was Grilled Shrimps with Babaganoush. I’m a seafood lover and this spoonful made me love seafood more. I wish Gourmet Garage opens a restaurant here in Manila soon!

Big Dog’s Kitchen

Have you watched the movie, ‘Chef’? If not, you may want to read the review here, watch the movie and grab a bite of Big Dog’s Kitchen’s sandwiches. Or you can just go straight to Best Food Forward and eat their Cubano.

I was able to try out the BMC sandwich of Big Dog’s Kitchen during the event and I just know that this sandwich shop will go places. BMC stands for Brocolli, Mushroom and Chicken – a healthy and delicious sandwich that will give BLT a run for its money.

Look for these sandwiches at their Best Food Forward debut.

Kewpie

A returning partner of Best Food Forward is everyone’s well-liked Japanese mayonnaise, Kewpie. To demonstrate how Kewpie can go so well with different dishes (and not just a dressing for your salad), they served two delectable snacks: Kewpie Roasted Sesame Pulled Chicken Sandwich and Kewpie Spinach and Artichoke Spread.

I got the recipes for these two, and I can’t wait to try and make them on my own!

Kooky Pam

If I were Cookie Monster, my famous catch phrase would be “Me want Kooky Pam cookies! Om Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom!” Kooky Pam will bring even our good old blue, cookie-loving muppet friend to cloud nine with its delectable gourmet cookies. I especially love their moist Red Velvet with Cream Cheese cookie.

Kooky Pam offers six different cookies, but will only be showcasing their best three during the event which are Dark Belgian Chocolate Chip, White Choco Macadamia Oat and Red Velvet with Cream Cheese.

Voila! Jars

Voila! Jars makes happiness just 6 teaspoons of water and 1 minute in a microwave away. They offer ready-to-bake jar cakes that come in three different flavors: Belgian Fudge No. 5, Peanut Butter Mudcake and Red Velvet Hazelnut Fudge.

This has got to be one of the best instant food that man made.

For something that is baked in a microwave oven, the cake is surprisingly really moist. I also like that it is not too sweet, and as my friend said, it is perfect for the tonsillitis-prone.

FREE TICKETS TO BEST FOOD FORWARD!

I bet you’re already hungry at this point and wish to have a taste of all the food showcased in this post…and more. Keep those tummies ready, because GEOFFREVIEW is giving away 2 Best Food Forward 2014 tickets to 10 lucky winners (2 tickets per winner)! Join the contest through the Rafflecopter widget below (please be patient as it takes time to load):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BFF 2014 is happening on October 11-12, 2014 from 10am-8pm at The Rockwell Tent, Makati City. See you there!