Getting officially invited to the eagerly anticipated TriNoma Blogger Food Tour is the equivalent of a modern day golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Imagine being given absolutely free access to try out food from dozens of different food establishments scattered all over TriNoma. I have never seen a smile so wide on Ade‘s face in a log time before the food tour so, yeah, it was so awesome it’s still rocking my world up until now.

Apart from letting loose my inner glutton, meeting new people, getting reacquainted with past acquaintances, and spending time with old friends more than completes this rare opportunity. The event was successfully attended by about 150 bloggers.

I share with you below my take-aways from participating in the event. Much thanks go to the organizers, TriNoma and Yehey.com. Props go to Yummy Magazine for the post-event photo contest.

On with the tour:

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.: The first place that comes to my mind when somebody craves for shrimp. And huge-ass desserts like their 5-inch Alabama Mud Pie ice cream cake. And hula-inspired drinks. Bubba Gump’s TriNoma branch has a function room with a homey feel to it that could seat a huge group. Great for parties, yus!

Mann Hann: They have a dish called Lechon Macau wrapped in green leaves. The lechon is separately served along side fresh green lettuce with two different kinds of sauce (hot and mild). Get a piece of green, put on it the lechon, smother it with a thin topping of spicy sauce, wrap the greens around the lechon, and chomp away to something different yet sumptuously mind blowing. I have tried several of Mann Hann’s other dishes but the Lechon Macau is something I’ll remember and crave for a very long time.

Italiannis: They’ve been around longer than I could imagine but it comes as no great surprise why Italiannis branches still draw in Italian cuisine aficionados. During the food tour, Italiannis is among our group’s three last stopovers. The friendly store attendant asked me to try their Spinach & Artichoke Formaggio, much to my delight, despite having my fill from over 10 restaurants prior. This Italian cream cheese based dish is so appetizing, I forgot it even has spinach!

Holy Cow Chophouse: I have never heard of this restaurant before. The place looks cozy. Its interior resembles that of a barn since the flooring and the tables are all made of wood. What I’d come back for most definitely are their desserts. Try their cheese cake and caramel topped chocolate cake and have your photo taken with the haloed cow outside the resto to complete your Holy Cow experience.

Bacolod Chicken Inasal: I thought nothing in this resto could surprise me until the store manager introduced us to their new entrée tagged Ysabella’s Chicken. Bacolod Chicken Inasal has worked with ABS-CBN in the perfection of the Ysabella Chicken recipe (chicken marinated with different herbs native to provinces from all over the country), purportedly to likewise promote the local TV Series. If only to kill your curiosity on how it tastes like, go ahead and give it a try. I also had a helping of their KBL (Kadios, Baboy, Langka) which had too few kadios to make the soup turn a dark shade of grayish brown. The latter’s a tad too salty which may make it perfect if paired with a few rice helpings.

La Maison: I’m a great big fan of any dish that has Sea Bass. A friend who loves cooking once advised me to get the sole fish instead since I could get the latter cheap from supermarkets. La Maison’s Dover Sole Fish Fillet was my first experience at eating a sole fish dish and I must say I’m greatly impressed with its consistency. La Maison has most of their foods’ servings upsized to feed a barkada or family sized group. Speaking of barkada, their Barkada Ribs, delectably tender and flavorful, is also a must try.

Super Bowl of China: I have had their Steamed Fish Fillet with Garlic about a gazillion times now but it never fails to make me wanna compliment the chef each time. Their website has their full menu. Do check it out for future orders, either for there or to go.

Marina Seafood Restaurant: From Iloilo to Manila, they still uphold their creed to serving fresh seafood regardless of location. Try their Batchoy. It’s close to the real thing. Believe me, I’m no Mr. Batchoy Authority for nothing.

Teriyaki Boy: check out their site and the photos below for more of the goodness of Teriyaki Boy’s Japanese cuisine offerings.