Bakla Goes to the Trinoma Blogger Food Tour

Nothing beats an invitation to pig out all afternoon for free, so when I found out about the TriNoMa Blogger Food Tour, it did not take me more than two minutes to express my interest through their email sign-up chenes. When the initial list came out, I was surprised to find my name on the fourth spot. One word to describe that speedy response: Hayok!

The event, which was originally scheduled for December 13, 2007, was postponed (to the next year) at the last minute and many were dismayed by such news. And due to conflicts in schedules, some people who were in the original list couldn’t go to the re-scheduled event anymore. And that bumped me up to the number 2 spot! Parang Miss Universe!

January 9th came and the cinema lobby of TriNoMa was abuzz with bloggers of different persuasions. Many of those who attended the event were familiar faces, some (I think) will become familiar — give or take two more events. Oh, and one thing I learned too late was that TriNoMa actually stood for Triangle in Northern Manila and not my Makati-centric Triangle North of Makati!

And before I go any further, may I just say that TriNoMa is the best place in the North to go boy-hunting? So many hot men, so many gay men, and so many hot gay men too!

The Tour

The more than 100 bloggers at the event were divided into different color-coded groups, with members of Team Yehey and the TriNoMa marketing staff leading each group. On every level of the mall, various restaurants, food shops, bake shops, and other dining establishments opened their doors to the bloggers who were hungry not only for food but also for knowledge and information. Most of the establishments served samplers, some served full-course meals, while others served… uhm, flyers? [Related post: Bakla and His Cabalen TriNoMa Experience]

So let’s be objective about our reaction to the tour. The concept of the tour was very ingenious and quite creative. It was like going on a field trip, except that the field trip was inside a mall and the “tourist spots” were the restaurants and what they had to offer. It was a very promising concept. In my experience with events (planning, organizing, execution, and also attending), I would say that the tour was just so-so. While it was fun and exciting, there were some downsides and misses that made the event too heavy for the participants.

My suggestions would be:

ensure that everything is well-organized
make sure that the traffic of the groups is well-coordinated so as not to have several groups cluster up in one establishment
make sure that the list of establishments is updated and that these establishments are prepared and know what they’re getting themselves into (some of us were turned down and faced embarrassment because the establishments were not part of the tour — see Bakla and His Cabalen TriNoMa Experience)
have a timeline and follow it. there’s a reason why ushers were assigned to the groups. I’m not saying that our ushers didn’t do a good job, but it would have helped avoid negative experiences for the participants if they were not left to fend for themselves.
proper coordination among groups, ushers and partner establishments (some establishments were nit ready with their samplers/offerings even if it was already past 5 PM)
more lively closing event (not the band’s fault because they were so great! I worked for the music industry handling bands and artists so I kid you not when I say that SOUND is a band to watch out for!)

The Food

With an exception of a handful of establishments who did not serve food at all (or didn’t know they were a partner establishment), most of the food served to us were great! I assume they put their best foot, or should I say best food, forward! It was like traveling around the Philippines and the whole world inside a mall through food: Filipino, Kapampangan, Bacolodnon, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, Vietnamese, American (?), Mediterranean (?)! Even though I’m not a big fan of vegetables, some dishes were just oh-so-good I was forced to chew on and lug down veggies. I’m not really that particular when it comes to food (as long as it’s not all-veggie) so I’m not really in the position to do a critique of each and every item I consumed. Like my Multiply page’s title, all I know is that IF IT LOOKS GOOD, EAT IT!

Recommendations

Among the more than 20 establishments that were part of the Blogger Food Tour, here’s a list of those I would reccomend. This list is based on food taste, ambiance, service, price, and the over-all experience.

La Maison - excellent service, great food! We got the best service here! The manager and the staff were very accommodating. Try the Dover Sole Fish Fillet (it really does melt in your mouth!) and the Barkada Ribs!
Bacolod Chicken - they were the only establishment that served a full-buffet. Try the Ysabella’s chicken!
Sgt. Pepper Steak - excellent service, great food! Try the Beef Rice thingie (I forget the name, just ask for their bestseller rice)
Super Bowl of China - good service and really good Lemon Chicken.
Mangan - ah! the platter thingie with chicken, mussels, shrimps, and something else is a steal! And the puto bumbong is just so delectable!
Marina Oyster Seafood Grill - OYSTERS! Steamed, fresh, baked oysters! Need I say more?
Mann Hann - the best salt and pepper spare ribs I’ve tasted!
Abe - a must-see and a must-try is the Binukadkad na Plapla and the rellenong mais!
Haiku - very classy and sophisticated, not to mention exquisite Japanese dishes! This was the only restaurant at the tour that made me eat veggies without me complaining! (And they were very gracious enough to allow us to shoot a soon-to-be-viral video, watch out for it soon. lolz!)
Good Earth Tea Room - although I wasn’t able to go there, I was just amazed with how persistent the manager was. He (or she) really went out of her way to look for participants and invite us to go to their establishment. Well, not really out of her way like she did it personally but through the roving guard at that level. The guard was very relentless in asking us and convincing us to go to Good Earth Tea Room as the manager personally asked him to tell us all to visit them. We told Mr. Gardo that we may drop by later on but we’re not that sure yet. Hours later, even after the closing event was over and we were already having coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, the guard spotted us and convinced us to go to Good Earth! Some of the bloggers went, but those whose tummies disagreed with the idea stayed. We heard that Good Earth treated them well and good and with a full meal (?) to cap the event.

Even with my complaints, err, suggestions above, I can say that the efforts of those who organized the event paid off. Congratulations and many thanks to Team Yehey! and TriNoMa for mounting this event. And congratulations to all the bloggers who joined. At the end of the day, our tummies were the winners.

[LinkLove will be updated every so often]

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