80th German Club Oktoberfest at Solaire

I wouldn't wanna miss this for the world.

It's Oktoberfest season once again and this year they are holding it in Solaire's Oktoberfest Tent. Hosted by the German Club Manila, this is their 80th year and they are building the tent just for the occasion (a whole 2,400 square meter that is) so they can pack more people, booze, Bavarian food in it. This will happen in 3 fun days from October 4-6, 2018. So what to expect? Easy...

5.5 Million Pesos worth of prizes will be given away to lucky raffle winners. They are doing this together with their sponsors Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Technik Philippines, Royal Cargo, Smart Infinity, Ticketworld (where you can buy the tickets too!), FoodPanda, Asia Grand View, The Peacock Garden, Transwing Art Gallery, Allianz PNB, CS Garment Inc, Bosch, Leather Plus, BDO, Rhenus Logistics, Brotzeit, Schenker, Nivea, Dusit Thani, Veltrup, Siemens, Riekermann and a whole lot of other German companies.

Also 25,000 Liters of wheat beer from the makers Weihenstephan, Schnitzel, Sausages, Pretzels, plus a 12 man German Band called Bavarian Sound Express flown in to the country. The party is only for 18 years old and above, for obvious reasons. So bring yourself and enjoy free flowing beer, food just for the ticket price.

Don’t say I didn’t tell you!

Go visit Ticketworld.com.ph for ticket inquiries, it’s all there! You may also check the seat plan via http://www.oktoberfest-manila.ph/oktoberfest-prices/.

If you have questions or want to  reserve a table or two, you may call German Club Manila at (02) 894-2899/ (02) 818-4236 or email them via reservations@germanclub.ph. 

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

The Hoegaarden Party at Manila House Private Club

I've been drinking Hoegaarden for years now and I've seen bars serve them in different forms. During an event a couple of weeks ago, Hoegaarden introduced themselves to the public by showing off music performances with local indie bands, tons of crafting activities at the lovely Manila House Private club's outdoor space. I felt so right at home.

The event was some sort of a celebration as they have been winning awards, of which the recent one is the GOLD at the World Beer Cup, specifically at the Belgian Style Witbier Category. This is a very prestigious award giving body that only does this annually. It is organized by the Brewers Association and is eagerly awaited by Been enthusiasts, lovers and connoisseurs worldwide.

In the Belgian-Style Witbier Category, they bested 78 Entries from around the world. The Gold award went to Hoegaarden Wit, Hoegaarden Brewery, Inbev Belgium, Hoegaarden, Belgium while the Silver was given to Gentleman’s Wit, Camden Town Brewery, London, United Kingdom and the Bronze was given to Plum Island White, Newburyport Brewing Co., Newburyport, MA. This is an outstanding feat and only proves why Hoegaarden has been loved by beer drinkers around the world.

They also had us try the new Hoegaarden Rosee which wouldn't be just perfect for men, but for women too who would love something fruity, as it reminds me of raspberry fruit notes all throughout the drink. I hope these things would be available not just in major bars in Metro Manila, we deserve good Belgian beer and I wouldn't mind having this every special occasion, or everyday so we could just chill and have a bottle or two.

Grace Lee's New Dining Spot: Kko Kko Home of Seoul Chicken

It's been a while since I've seen Grace Lee, last time of which I think was during a men's magazine launch. A lot has happened in the past few years and now she's one of the most sought after host and news presenters in the country. Star power aside, she's got her hand on kitchen tables a few years ago and put up a business with her Mom and a couple of business associates. That restaurant has flourished and is very successful especially with the young Korean crowd that's already in the community. The demand for authentic, current food from Korea has increased over the years and they're giving Filipinos what they want. This time, they're donning a new name and keeping the same good dishes that they've served over the years. They're also taking it up a notch by putting the great food in an equally better ambiance at the Sapphire Bloc in the Ortigas business district and calling it Kko Kko. As the name suggests, it's going to be about the good chicken that they're serving... which I absolutely loved that evening. 

The place can hold about 40-50 people. That includes outside seating for those who prefer to do that on lunch and dinner. The interiors are mostly farmed wood, concrete, some bunk chairs, mirrors, some greens and flowers on the wall. I like that it's like a modern Asian kitchen, a little cute from outside.

Kimbap - This is a staple in most Korean meals. The white one was done with soy and green mangoes/jicama if I'm not mistaken. The red one is a little spiced up with kimchi, which I actually liked. I'd order the latter if I'd go back to this place.

Snow Chicken - You can have this ordered half or whole. I'd suggest you order the whole one if you're a bunch of guys because I'm sure it'll be out quite quickly. Don't be fooled by it's appearance because those things on top of the chicken ain't snow but tons of cheese, cheese, and cheese. It's out of this world and I thought this won't work but it actually did. This was a hit also on their other restaurant so they kept it on the menu and tons of people are absolutely praising it. You can also have this with Fire Chili, we didn't have it that evening but I'm planning to get some the next time I'd visit. They say it's the hottest stuff on the planet! I'd give this a 4/5 and definitely recommend it.

Chicken Cheese Fondue - This is the craziest thing on the menu and a LOT of people absolutely LOVE this. It's sweet soy glazed chicken fingers, tons of fries, and a batch of beer battered onion rings with a bread bowl full of Cheese in the center. Contrary to the usual fondue, this is a savory treat that shouldn't be missed because its crazy good. You would be sorry if you don't order this especially for cheese lovers because that thing in the center is made of dreams. If I was the only person in the table I would gladly drink that concoction and be happy for one day. It's freakishly awesome, but don't take my word for it... you should try it out yourself.

Here's a short interview we did with Grace Lee during the event.

Thank you so much to Kko Kko and Grace Lee for having us in their lovely restaurant! It's located at the ground floor of Sapphire Bloc along Garnet Road in Ortigas. Can't wait to see more branches of these soon!

For more information about their food:

Kko Kko Home of Seoul Chicken

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

https://web.facebook.com/KkoKkoPH/

Sweet Ecstasy Opens in Uptown Parade BGC

There's a new place in BGC that some of you should visit. If you're a fan of Sweet Ecstasy in Cubao a few years back (which unfortunately has closed already), they've been aggressively opening other branches already all over Metro Manila. This one however is situated very near Valkyrie in BGC. The complex is called Uptown Parade and this is their third branch after Regis Center in Katipunan, and Jupiter Street in Makati. Honestly, I haven't been to Sweet X (which they fondly call it) so this is a first for me and their BGC Uptown Parade branch is a good place to find comfort food when it's a bit too traffic to go home. This place is owned by Ms. Gelli Victor, Monica Francesca (RX Jock) and their other partners. They know how much the district actually needs a place for hanging out before people actually go to the nearby clubs, and they present a very awesome refuge for wings, burgers and craft beers. Speaking of which, we ordered different ones just for kicks!

This one was a tad sweet, it felt like it wasn't alcoholic but the mean label says otherwise. Comes smooth, Azrael liked it!

Ted and I had the Sierra Madre Wheat Ale which was sort of a wheat based beer, it's surprisingly light but you'll still get buzzed if you had a couple of bottles.

Enzo liked the Fish Rider Pale Ale and I've already tasted this in other bars, it's quite nice for bar chows and a good conversation starter don't you think?

This one's their Buffalo Wings. I asked for their hottest one and this is what the person on the counter suggested to me. It was spicy yeah, got that kick but it was bearable. It's Tabasco so it was tangy and hot, but I wanted it more HOT and I think they've got off the menu items to solve that. Kindly ask them because I can't really put the words here because it's explicit haha!

For a milder feel, or flavor, they've got these mean wings too. They call it Sriracha Wings, as they've probably used the Thai hot sauce to fuel it. Pretty good!

This burger wasn't mine haha. It's Sweet Ecstasy's Cheeseburger. They would actually ask you to customize how you want your ONIONS to be made and Ted wanted it to be caramelized, looks good eh?! He says they did it right on the grill. They also use 100% pure beef for the patties and I could see they did that in the kitchen. I like it.

This was mine. I wanted it crunchy and pungent so I had my Sweet Ecstasy Cheeseburger with Fresh Onions. It's not date food I know, but it's that exact thing that makes it appealing to me. I wanted to taste the onions so I went with that.

Azrael also got a Sweet Ecstasy Cheeseburger but had the onions made grilled. As you can see it also got caramelized a bit and by the looks of it, he loved it too.

Sweet Ecstasy Uptown Parade officially opens its doors today. I've seen Marian Rivera, Jennylyn Mercado, Raymund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala and a couple of other artists enjoy what they had that afternoon. Their prices? Not to worry because they're very affordable. You get premium quality burgers, wings and beers in this location and it's perfect before you party out in other establishments. Don't even think of drinking without eating something, that's totally unhealthy. But trust me on splurging with a burger, it helps heal your soul. These are X-citing times!

For more information about their place:

SweetXManila

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://twitter.com/sweetXmanila

The Perfect Pint

We visited "The Perfect Pint" over at 32nd Street in BGC. They are currently offering "The Perfect Match" which speaks of their warm delectable comfort food and the corresponding in house designer brewed beer that they think would perfectly go with it. It's not my first time trying out dishes with beer but I tried San Miguel Lifestyle Brews which is more on the commercial side. These are pretty good ideas and they gave us a sampler so we could get an idea on how both the Chefs and brewers would want their products taken in, literally that is. 

The sampler costs around 600 bucks which for me is a little pricey. If this were around 450++ range it would have been worth it. I think they are paying much of it to their space because this is after all still in BGC. Other than that, maybe because of the fact that it is artisanal in some way as these are designer brews.

For the first pairing, they got us Blackened Chicken Breasts with Charred Cuban Corn Salsa and a Sierra Madre Wheat Ale brewed by Francis Oñate. I super loved the corn salsa as it had a spicy kick on it. Pairing it with a light ale made the flavor pop out more on the palate. I know it was just corn but I enjoyed it much with the soft grilled chicken which was like a good canvas for flavor coming from its marinade. This was my favorite pairing that evening.

The Fish Ryder Pale Ale made also by Francis Oñate was a tad darker but it still felt light to the taste. The Glazed Pork Belly with Apple Onion Potato Mash was intensely flavored, a combination of sweet and savory. The accompanying beer just well complemented it and didn't make the whole thing contradict each other. That was good.

The third pairing had us try Katipunan No. 1 Stout by Kiyo Miura. Served with the yummy Mac and Bleu Cheese that had strong and sharp cheesy flavors, it was really good. The intensity from the food and beer was somewhat equal so you know you are getting the best of both worlds.

They also have us try the same beer with their special dessert called Smores. It's got a chocolate brownie cake base with fluffy marshmallows that are charred, a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and a caramely candy floss on top. The well crafted beer was also good with it, pairing wise... That tasted really well.

The last one was Salmon Gravad Lax and G Point Red Head Ale. I liked the salmon and the hint of saltiness from the olives and capers but the beer pairing wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The G Point Red Head Ale wasn't complementing the fish much, it just masked the fishiness by having itself bitter. I don't like the pairing to tell you honestly but I guess it stems from the Filipino preference for something sweet and smoother when it comes to beers. The bitter notes on this might be a bit harsh with most of us who find it the least appreciated one out of the four. I bet foreigners would get to love this even more as it might prove to be closer to home for them. 

A series of these pairings will happen in the next few weeks. From October 27-30 they will have a band of brew masters, on November 3-6 they'll have Food Writers like Ms. Nana Ozeta from FOOD Magazine, Ms. Nina Daza-Puyat of Appetite Magazine, Ms. Marilen Fontanilla of F&B World Magazine and Ms. Marie Pascual of again, Appetite Magazine. From November 10-13 there will be Chef's Specials by Chef Peachy Cebrero, Chef Bob and Nina Abes. And Chef Waya Araos Wijanco. 

For those who would like to experience it, come visit The Perfect Pint at the Crossroads Building 32nd street in BGC. It's quite near Home Depot, Skinny Mike's and Starbucks so you wouldn't miss it. Beer lovers rejoice! You've got a spot worthy of your time and good pub food, find your perfect pint here!

For more information about their brews:

The Perfect Pint

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

https://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectPintPH

Ultimate Taste Test 2014 with San Miguel Lifestyle Brews

San Miguel Super Dry, Cerveza Negra and San Miguel Premium All Malt Beer

I've been able to cover the first and second Ultimate Taste Test and was kinda sad I didn't get to do the third one. The stars and the planets aligned this last weekend and got us to attend the greatest foodie event in Metro Manila, Rockwell's 4th Ultimate Taste Test 2014. It's where 50 of Manila's greatest home based food businesses and Power Plant's Restaurants converge. Participants become true blue food reviewers for a day to see who fares the best in this year's Ultimate Taste Test 2014. The hits will also be gladly paired with their favorite San Miguel Lifestyle Brews which I saw all over the venue that afternoon which includes even the desserts which I'll let you see in a bit. Let's start the ball rolling shall we?

Fisher Farms Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus

I liked the part where it's baked so it's not as oily as your regular Rellenong Bangus. The taste, it was good but it leaned more into the sour side which might be caused by uneven distribution of the ingredient on the slice that I got or, it might be just the way it is. I give credit to the thought of baking this thing rather than deep frying because it presents a more healthier alternative to an already healthy fish. We'll score this 3/5. 

Belly Bob's Boneless Lechon Belly de Cebu paired with San Miguel Super Dry Beer

Belly Bob's Boneless Lechon Belly

Seeing the rolls of Boneless Lechon Belly on the display counter just made my mouth water. I thought it was going to be a hit already because it is after all lechon. The spice was good, the taste of the meat was good, but when I did take a bite on it I felt it wasn't "all that" good. It was a little upset because I had high hopes for it judging from the way it looked. It was good that this is the Ultimate Taste Test so I was with other foodies on the venue and when I asked about it, they had nothing but good things to say about the lechon belly. I got worried, so I went back to the Belly Bob's station and tried to taste it again. That's when I found out that I was tasting something off because the thing they served me the first time was cold. The hot one I got tasted differently and was a whole lot better. The air conditioning in the venue might have been the culprit. This thing should have a warning sign on it that it's best when eaten hot otherwise, they'll have a problem on the ratings later on. I'm giving this 4/5 on the premise that it's hot, when it's cold it would be like a 2. The beer made my life better as it's my favorite beer in the world. San Miguel Super Dry was perfect with the savory lechon, even more if it's ice cold!