Ultimate Taste Test 2014: The Ultimate Gastronomic Adventure

Last September 27, 2014, my officemates and I joined 900+ foodies at Rockwell Tent for the ultimate food event of the year: Ultimate Taste Test 2014. We had the chance to become food critics for a day and try out a smorgasbord of dishes from 53 home-based food concessionaires and some establishments from Powerplant Mall. The participating establishments were personally handpicked by food blogger Anton Diaz. 

The event is actually the 12th series of the UTT and this is the 4th time it was held at Rockwell Tent. It was hosted by Mr. Spanky Enriquez, a blogger and a certified foodie.

We bought our tickets days before the event. One ticket costs Php 600.00 but we got 1 free ticket because of the Buy-5-Tickets-Get-1 promo. :)

At the event, we presented our tickets to get our passports and plates. The passport served as a map, rating sheet, and claim stub. 

The food enthusiasts rated the various cuisines on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest. The winning establishment will take home a cash prize of Php 15,000.00, will get 1 month free rent for a night market booth, and will be featured in the food blog site, The Awesome Planet.

Although the event is from 11am-9pm, it's really impossible to try all of the food offerings. I tried 41 out of 53 but it's been a hit-or-miss for me. Allow me to share my top 10 favorite food discoveries. :)

10. Kisstachio by Sweet Fevrier 

Kisstachio is an oatmeal cookie made of kisses and pistachio.

9. Nutty Toffee Candy by Chrainis Red Confectionery 

The Nutty Toffee Candy comes in 3 flavors: Almond, Cashew, and Mocha. All the flavors has the right amount of sweetness. 

8. Calamansi Cupcake from My Cup of Cake

The cupcake is perfectly tangy which is complemented by the cream cheese. I also loved the texture of the cake. 

7. BerryBlue from Fat and Skinny Desserts

I love blueberry cheesecake especially if it melts in your mouth like BerryBlue. ;)

6.Organic Microgreen Pizza from HomeGrown Greens

Homegrown green's pizza has Kale and Arugulla microgreens which vegans and non-vegans alike would surely love.

5. Premium Beef Lasagna by Bhest Lasagna

This is, by far, the best lasagna I've tasted! :) And I don't even like beef! Hehe.

4. Toast by HOFT (Home of French Toasts)

I'd love to start my day with HOFT's toast smeared with Chocolate Fudge, topped with Banana Mocha Cream and Almonds. It's perfect with coffee. ;)

3. Almond Butter Banana Smoothie by Made by Max

I expected little when I got this smoothie but I was in for a big surprise. Aside from the fact that it's healthy, it's very refreshing and the combination is perfect.

2. Red Rice Salad w/ Shrimp and Quial Egg on Shiso Leaf and Choco Cake Base w/ Cashew Nougatine by Dulcelin Gourmet. 

I had foodgasm! The boiled quail egg adds a perfect touch to the rice salad. The choco cake is heavenly!

1. Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus by Fisher Farms

This was the first dish I tried in the event and I really liked it. The relleno which is a mixture of fish, sweet potato, Bangus belly, and shrimp was very rich in flavor. I gave this a 5 in my rating sheet :)

We also got a complementary beer from San Miguel Lifestyle Brews. I don't drink but I got Cerveza Negra just because of the free shirt. Haha.

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Aside from the food tasting, there were also raffles and contests which made the event more fun.

I wanted so badly to try all establishments but my tummy can only hold so much. 

Looking forward to UTT 2015! :)