Food and Leisure

'World Eats' at The Podium

August 18, 2011 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - The Podium celebrated food and the joy it brings to us in “World Eats,” a festive showcase of specialty food items, which ran from Aug. 12 to 14 at the mall’s Atrium.

Organized by Pinoy Eats World, a company dedicated to food culture, the event aims to give foodies an interesting, slightly irreverent, and always delicious look at the world of food in the Philippines and beyond.

Eric Tan, Ramon Magsaysay Jr., Ambeth Ocampo, Aleth Ocampo, Pinoy Eats World’s representative, and Paco Magsaysay

World Eats gave mallers the chance to explore the diverse flavors and pleasures of world cuisine through Manolo’s Mobile, Little Miss OC’s Kitchen, Soul Food to Go, B&T Mexican Kitchen, and Pepi Cubano. They will also learn delicious ways to eat healthy with Zen Yu Negative Ion Products and Organic Manila, as well as ways to indulge through Risa Chocolates, Holly’s Milk and Carmen’s Best Artisanal Ice Cream, Baras de Oro Mazapan, and Fog City Creamery. They also learned how to entertain in style with Spruce Floral Blooms.

Manolo’s Mobile is what owner Manny Torrejon calls an underground kitchen, which can only be accessed via reservations. It offers a treasure trove of Spanish cuisine like paella Valenciana, Paella Negra, callos, lengua, porchetta, bacalao, and fabada.

Little Miss OC’s Kitchen is Anna Ocampo-Sarmiento and Aleth R. Ocampo’s tribute to their mother, the late Belen Raymundo Ocampo’s cooking legacy. Inspired by her tried and tested recipes, it is known for its custom-made cakes and cupcakes with Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies themes; as well as its assorted Terra Chips (three colors of kamote and yaro) and dips –

Mexican treat: B&T Mexican Kitchen’s guaca de frito with your choice of filling: carnitas, steak, barbacoa, alpastor, lengua verdure

tinapa pate, eggplant jam, and chicken liver with mango confit. Little Miss OC’s Kitchen also has scrumptious cakes, pies, tortes, cookies, and other desserts; as well as savory dishes like beef lasagna, chicken braised in olive oil, fresh corned beef, and bite quiches.

Soul Food to Go is run by the husband and wife team of Archie and Helen Gavino, who not only like to serve good food, but also to minister to people and feed their souls.

B&T Mexican Kitchen is all about real good Tex-Mex stuff – from nachos to tacos, flautas to burritos, enchiladas to horchadas. Throw in some chicken mole and some guaca de frito, and you have one big Mexican fiesta ready to go!

Orange you glad?: Risa’s seasonal chewy and refreshing orange peel dipped in delicious dark chocolate

Pepi Cubano brings the iconic Cuban sandwich to Manila. Anyone who has tasted a Cuban sandwich knows that it is not like anything else: Cuban bread, soft on the inside and forming a crisp, hot-pressed shell around stacks of ham, roast pork, and Swiss cheese inspires a heavenly taste. Pepi Cubano highlights pork and ham, steak, roasted pork, roasted chicken, and potato ball with ham sandwiches.

Zen Yu Negative Ion Products as well as Organic Manila both offer healthy eating options. Zen Yu Negative Ion Products highlight the amazing Japanese negative ion technology that is used for healing as it counteracts radicals that cause cancer. Pale products can be used to make yogurt, and other enzyme juices; while the Eco-Pack can be used for anything, especially food. Organic Manila, meanwhile, offers the finest and cleanest vegetables, culinary herbs, and fruits from its various organic farms.

Risa Chocolates is a premium brand of artisan chocolates created by Pam Lim-Cinco. It offers fine bespoke chocolates, which are locally made using imported ingredients. You’ll love its Truffles in Dark Rum Cerveza Negra, Orange and Classic flavors, as well as Cuadros (chocolate bars) by Risa in Tira Misu, white chocolate with cream cheese filling and dark chocolate flavors.

Rice, rice, baby: Manolo’s Paella

Carmen’s Best Artisanal Ice Cream is the only ice cream maker in the Philippines that uses the freshest cream and milk from its dairy farm. Named after Paco Magsaysay’s daughter Carmen, it uses all premium ingredients, which comes from its own Holly’s Milk. Among its artisanal flavors are Butter Pecan, Coffee, Salted Caramel, Malted Milk, Butterscotch, Strawberry, Rocky Road, Cheese, Cookie Dough, and Vanilla. Other flavors like Carmen’s Best Low Sugar, Tahitian Vanilla, and Spanish Turon ice cream can also be custom-made.

Baras de Oro Mazapan are made of carefully selected pili nuts, mixed with only the finest ingredients to come up with a premium grade mazapan bar from a recipe that has been in the family for generations.

Fog City Creamery’s delicious all-natural artisanal ice cream uses only the best quality ingredients from around the world. Named after San Francisco, where Edy Gamboa started making his special ice cream, their ice cream flavors are only made in small batches at a time, which means every scoop is made with a lot of love and attention.

I heart chocolates: Risa chocolates melt your heart.

Spruce Floral Designs makes dining a sensory experience through the World Eats Trading Post Theme. Patricia Pastelero’s formal training in color psychology, color science, display design, and textiles in New York City; plus her training at the Flower School of New York and with master floral designers Michael George and Felipe Sastrel have helped her make her niche. The initial focus of Spruce was private and corporate functions, but over time, their focus has shifted to doing floral designs for weddings.

World Eats is one of the many exciting projects of The Podium in partnership with Pinoy Eats World.