Food Trip Paper by Evan Uy - Sentrep

Evan Uy
S100056

Eating and cooking have a very special place in my heart. Ever since I was a young kid I have been
interested in consuming and making food. My mother even enrolled me in summer cooking classes back
when I was in grade school. With those early experiences in the food world, I believe that my taste buds
have been honed well enough.

The Food Bazaar

Last meeting, we embarked on a food trip along Makati Avenue and A.Venue mall. I live in the northern
side of the Metro so going on a food trip in Makati is something I got excited about. Our first stop was
the food bazaar at the open parking space of A.Venue mall. There were lots of interesting eats there
however there were also some dull and unattractive choices. Typical mouth-watering “ihaw-ihaw” like
assorted BBQs were on display to be grilled upon order. The grilling process created appetizing fumes
which made everyone in the place crave for BBQs.

Fiesta-themed Food Bazaar at A.Venue Mall

Just like everyone, the class ordered assorted BBQs – Chicken Isaw, Pork Isaw and Vegetable BBQ. The
isaw tasted ok, nothing remarkable but the price is on the expensive side but still acceptable since
they are leasing out a stall in the mall’s premises. The vegetable BBQ, which consisted of 2 slices each
of bell peppers, red onions and carrots, was a good idea but the execution and actual product was
unsatisfactory. First, the serving was small. I know bell peppers are expensive but those little ones are
not expensive at all. I go to wet markets and our “suki” just gives out free bell peppers. Those BIG (and
branded) bell peppers like the one brought to class by sir Jorge are the expensive kind. Secondly, it

Assorted BBQs

wasn’t cooked very well or wasn't even cooked at all. Eating raw bell pepper and carrots is fine with me
but lightly cooking it is better. A generous slice of red onion, however, when eaten raw really gives a
sharp sting to the point of making one cry. Lastly, the roasted, grilled or BBQ flavor I was expecting was
not there; it was very plain.

I would like to recommend that they use white onion instead of red onion since white onion is not as
sharp when eaten raw. Another suggestion is to marinade or dip the vegetable BBQ in BBQ sauce first
before cooking to give it an extra kick. Grilling the vegetable BBQ well might also give it more flavor and
smoky taste, a perfect complement to the sweetness of the vegetables and the savory flavor of the BBQ
sauce.

Roasted Veggies and Roasted Garlic

Another appetizer we had was Ilocos enpanada which is a fried pastry with vegetable, longganisa
and egg mixture filling. The empanada was good - crispy and hot. The lady cooking and serving the
empanadas was also entertaining and always giving out smile to everyone.

The whole class also had Gulaman drink along with our appetizers. The drink was bland and only had
a few small bits of gulaman, very frustrating to drink. The vendors should regularly taste their items
especially the local refreshments since the ice dilutes the flavor when it melts.

Aside from the food we had in the food bazaar, I saw some interesting finds there. What really caught
my attention amongst all stalls were the healthy Falafel and Pinoy Peri-Peri. Some of my classmates
and I tried the Flafel, a middle-eastern fried vegetable balls. It was made from scratch right there so
you could really see that it’s fresh. It tasted great, a healthier alternative to other fried foods. For 55
pesos you get 5 small balls, a bit expensive but like the others it’s still acceptable for me since they’re

Ilocos Empanada cooked on the spot

leasing a mall space. The Pinoy Peri-Peri, on the other hand, was also cooked on the spot. Peri-Peri is
the Portuguese counterpart of Inasal, grilled Chicken or any other meat marinated in various spices and
herbs. It’s displayed in a chafing dish with the marinade. My only comment against it is that instead of
grilling the Peri-Peri BBQ, it was pan-fried. I wasn’t able to taste it as the cooking time is long. I will try to
drop by their stall next time to taste their unique offering.

Healthy and delicious Falafel also cooked on the spot

The food bazaar was aimed to appeal to young professionals, students and people living nearby who
want quick and affordable meals; the bazaar offered a wide range of food items with prices friendly to
students, yuppies and alike. It is a place where the mentioned target market can go to everyday since
choices are not limited unlike in restaurants. Since it is located in an open parking space surrounded by
high-rise buildings, ventilation can be an issue once summer starts.

Traditional Pinoy meals – Bagnet, Tokwa’t Baboy

Fresh from Korea

Our second stop is a Korean restaurant named Donna-Donna a few minutes walk from the A.venue mall.
It’s owned by a Korean family who immigrated in the Philippines 5 years ago. Upon arriving here in the
Philippines, the mother of the family establishes the restaurant while her son studies and tries to help
the new family business. What’s good is that the mother and son are really hands on in managing their
restaurant. The mother even served and cooked our food which really made us feel welcomed. The son
is the cashier of the restaurant.

Dona Dona Korean BBQ Restaurant

The food is tasty but the serving sizes are small. Prices of the food are also quite expensive considering
the serving size and the ambiance of the restaurant. The three biggest factors in the success of any
restaurant are food, ambiance and service.

Self-cook Korean BBQ (the owner cooked for us instead)

Food was not as spicy as other Korean restaurants, just right for us! Delicious!

I think Donna-Donna’s service is outstanding and the food is great although there’s still room for
improvement. Their current weakest point is the ambiance and atmosphere of their restaurant. The
lighting was not enough or the temperature of the lights is not ideal for restaurants. They could either
brighten up their restaurant or make the light temperature warmer to create a fine dining-like mood.

Not so attractive interior design

Their utensils were also not matching. I have nothing against old and mismatched spoon and fork but for
a restaurant charging a base price of 300 pesos for a meal, I expect more than that. The interior design
was also half-baked. There’s a nice accent wall showing a Korean inspired design but the other half of

Mismatched and old utensils

The target markets of the Donna-Donna are Korean tourists and immigrant and social classes A and B.
Dining here really costs a hefty sum of money so yuppies and students are rarely seen dining in Donna-
Donna.

Korean inspired design in one side of the restaurant

The Sweet Ending

We went back to A.venue mall for some after-meal coffee and sweets. We ordered two cakes from
Goldilocks– chocolate mousse and chocolate cherry torte. I ordered Milo since it is the only available

decaf hot beverage. The Goldilocks store we went to was only a take-out store without any dine-in
facility. Fortunately, the establishment beside it, Domino’s Pizza, was a sister company so they allowed
us to use their tables and chairs.

The cakes tasted just as what I had expected them to be– spongy and sweet. Since the cake was spongy,
it was light and easy to eat; it wasn’t overpowering. The sweet cream-based filling was artificially
flavored but was still delectable. The cakes were not really gourmet choices but for its price tag, it’s not
bad at all. It’s a comfort food you can eat any time of the day.

Sweet ending at Goldilocks take-out store in A.venue mall.

As the biggest bakery in the country, Goldilocks targets a very vast market – from classes A to D, kids to
the elders, professionals to home makers and so on. They have a wide range of food items, from cakes
to assorted Filipino pastries to instant Filipino meals like dinuguan and lechon paksiw. The interior of
the take-out store in A.venue is very refreshing to my eyes. The modern interior design is brightly lit
with accents of pastel blue and yellow colors. Quality of the food items are consistent with every other
branches I’ve visited so far.  <very critical and observant;  detailed>

Reaction Paper to Food Trip by Joseph Cunanan

1.       The Tent A. Venue Makati

I have been to different “ tiangge” stores and mercato and I must say that The Tent A. Venue offers almost the same thing. From street foods, bargain apparel, to perfumery & accessories and all other stuff, all these you can find in any “tiangge” store around the metro.

If there is one stall that really caught my attention, that is the stall that showcases different kinds of lamps and lightings as shown above; this is none other than Light’em Up! The stall offers innovative decorative lights from Thailand which can be used at home or during special events like birthday parties, weddings etc.. The materials are shipped and are easily assembled. Customers have an option to buy it as it is, or buy the materials alone and assemble them at home for that extra creativity and functionality. The product comes with an instructional material which customers can use as a guide in coming up with different light forms out of the same set of materials. Price ranges from P500- P1,300. I must say that the product is innovative, and is easily accessible to the public. The store is also successful because it catches the attention of many especially at night because of the different colors that light up the actual venue.

2.       Dona Dona Korean BBQ

This is the first time I ate at a Korean restaurant and I surely have enjoyed the experience. The food tastes great, and the service is personalized by the owner herself Dona Dona. Looking at the Makati Avenue strip, I think Dona Dona is the only restaurant that offers authentic Korean food. This makes the restaurant appealing to the Korean primary target market, and of course to locals and other foreign tourists around the area. Most of the meats are served raw for the total barbeque grill experience. The recipe that I liked the most is the JAP-CHAE noodle. From the taste of it, you can tell that the ingredients are truly authentic.

If there is one thing that Dona Dona should innovate on is her actual location. The ambience is ok, but it would have been better if the place is more cozy and relaxing. She can also add some soothing Korean music to make the whole dining experience remarkable.

I think that the store is successful if we’ll look at it from a service perspective by providing great food and good service.

 

3.       Goldilocks Bakeshop

After our sumptuous meal in Dona Dona, we head on to Goldilocks for our dessert and cup of coffee. There is nothing remarkable about this store except that if offers Filipino favourite desserts like classic polvoron, signature cakes and stuff. The store is successful in terms of its strategic location because I think it has no competition in the venue. Foot traffic is high from mall goers, restaurants, supermarket store, and the busy street of Makati Ave.

Food Trip Report by Athens Cruz

Athens Cruz

SENTREP – S20

Prof. Jorge Saguinsin

Food Trip Paper

When the food trip was announced, I was ecstatic. It was good news for me because I really love food. I arrived early at the venue so I scouted the place before everyone arrived. Great people bonds over great food.

I.                   Appetizer. A-Venue Parking Lot Food Bazaar

Food bazaars are the most amazing place to have a food trip. It offers a wide variety of food you can choose from.

In general, this food bazaar was surprisingly good. There were foods I am not familiar or never heard of like the Peri Peri. What surprised me the most was foreigners lined up for this one.

There were Mongolian, Korean, Middle-Eastern foods available. I noticed that the foreigners who went to the food bazaar knew exactly what they want to eat. I could not resist trying the falafel although it was not in the list of foods we planned to try.

I was at my usual self whenever I’m at a bazaar, asking too many questions trying to establish rapport with the stall owners. I have tried joining bazaars before (but my goods are children clothes) and I often ask them about their income. The concept was good for the food bazaar. To me this is the most different food bazaar I have tried so far. The variety of food makes it unique.

In my opinion, this concept was a success judging by the number of people going to the area.

II.                Korean Restaurant – Dona Dona Korean BBQ Restaurant

Nowadays, there are many Koreans that comes here in the Philippines for too many reasons. The most common reason is education. Korean restaurants proliferate too. The experience was exciting especially the grilling part.

It is not as different as other Koreans restaurants, but they tamed the Korean flavors of the food they offer to suit the palate of other nationalities.

The experience of grilling adds value to the experience of customers, cooking their food. They also help the customers in grilling. For people who wanted to try Korean cuisine this can be the first restaurant they can try so that their palates can get used to the spices and flavors of a typical Korean food.

III.             Dessert. Goldilocks

After all the stops, I was so full and I couldn’t dare bite another. When I found out that we were headed to Goldilocks I was not happy. I’m not fond of their cakes, so I really don’t think it was the best choice for the group. Unfortunately, it was the only place where we could have dessert.

I already have a prejudice about what it would taste like but I was wrong. I did try both cakes and it exceeded my expectation. Goldilocks is really pushing the standard of their cakes. I might have to try buying cakes from them in the future.

We knew the business concept behind Goldilocks, but what is striking about this particular shop at this location was the many opportunities it caters. It is a very strategic location, since it is the only store that offer cakes, pastries and other sweet products Filipinos are fond of. Because of this, it made the store different.

This venture is a success because at this specific location they are the only one that offers cakes and other sweet products.

The overall experience of the food trip was great. The businesses that we visited offer a diverse food. I just realized that a food business never really goes out of fashion.