Marks and Spencer Food Fair at the Eastwood Mall

Sweet delights from Marks and Spencer

It was a Sunday and what better way to spend the day than to head off to the mall and check out Marks and Spencer Food Fair held recently at the Eastwood Mall. There had been a line-up of different activities for mall-goers and foodies to enjoy. There had been coffee tasting, sweets tasting (yes, they had given out free sweet treats like chocolates, gummy bears and worms, hard candies etc), tea time (guests had tea infusion samples and paired them with biscuits and cookies). Too bad, I came in quite late (just about 30 minutes since I decided to walk around 2km from my home to Eastwood City); I wasn’t able to try any Marks and Spencer coffee. So when I came, they were about to sample sweet treats to the guests. TV personality, endorser and foodie host Sam Oh hosted the said event.

The author with TV Personality/host Sam Oh

With fellow blogger Ms. Josie Esquiron

Items on Sale at really low prices from Marks and Spencer

Sweet treats from Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer had a wide range of products—from breakfast staples like cereals, mueslix, oatmeal, delightful snacks and crackers, sweets such as candies, chocolates, fruit juices, tomato and pesto based sauces, pasta, coffee, wine—along with a clothing line. Some people may not be aware that they do have other products apart from their apparel, lingerie and toiletries. I had always been a fan of Marks and Spencer’s pesto sauce eversince I stumbled upon its small bottle at Rustan’s Makati almost a decade ago.

Chef Luigi Muhlach at work.

It was delightful to see mall goers, foodies, bloggers and members of the press gather at the Eastwood Mall for the Marks and Spencer Food Fair. But the highlight of the afternoon was the cooking demonstration made by Chef Luigi Muhlach. His surename alone rings a bell, so if you’re wondering if he’s related to actor Aga Muhlach, well, Chef Luigi is Aga’s son with actress Janice De Belen.  But Chef Luigi has made a name for himself in the food industry. He studied culinary at the American Hospitality Academy and has worked under the tutelage of Chef Jessie Sinsioco and he’s now a resident chef at Bellevue Hotel and Resorts.

A bit shy for a Chef Luigi prepares his ingredients.

Chef Luigi Muhlach does his work while Sam Oh looks on.

Fellow blogger Josie Esquiron with Chef Luigi

A plate of Duck Spring rolls with hoisin sauce and Ham sandwich along with a slice of crab cakes.

I loved the Duck Spring Roll and the Mango Cheesecake. I think I’m going to try doing it at home one of these days. I just don’t know if I could do a mango flambé on my own. But it’s certainly worth the try. 

The ham sandwich made by Chef Luigi Muhlach

The Ham Sandwich that Chef Luigi has prepared is also perfect for Kyle’s baon in school. It is healthy but it does not sacrifice its taste. Who would have thought that ham + raspberry conserve + greens will go along well in a single sandwich? It had salty-sweet and somewhat tangy with a hint of bitterness from the alfalfa and arugula perhaps, but it’s perfect. 

Chef Luigi Muhlach's Creamy Pomodoro

Vegetable Curry with bagoong rice

A small slice of Mango Cheesecake flambe

What else can I say but the other dishes are also worth mentioning such as the creamy pomodoro (it tastes exactly as the way my Italian friend does her pomodoro), the vegetable curry is really spicy, perfect for those craving for some hotness on their meals. Fortunately, the bagoong (fermented fish paste) is a good contrast for the spice along with the thin slices of mango on the bed of rice. And last but not the least, the mango cheesecake is definitely just as lovely.

Capping off the night was a wine tasting and lecture from Ms. Chie Gachalian. She had discussed what is ideal to bring during a friends' get-together and for starters, prosecco is the perfect buddy. According to her, it is the prince of wine--very bubbly and light. The more it is dry, the better because that means it is sweeter. It only has about 13 percent alcohol content. 

Wines of the world from Marks and Spencer

Ms. Gachalian also talked about how to properly store wines. She made the audience taste different kinds of wines from prosecco to chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, bordeaux merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinoit and the port. She taught the audience how to appreciate wines through retro nasal approach: swirl the wine over before swallowing. 

I may not be a drinker, but going to Marks and Spencer Food Fair had taught me a lot of things plus I was able to spend an afternoon while learning a whole lot of new things and gaining a few freebies. 

Experience Marks and Spencer items from food, apparel, sweets, coffee, tea and wines. Visit the branch nearest you. 

Special thanks to Nuffnang for the invites.

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this post. Opinions expressed are my own.

Walking into Digital Walker Cafe

Digital Walker Cafe specially blended Iced Tea.

I was recently invited to cover an event somewhere in Eastwood City.  And I’d say I was quite surprised to find out that there’s a café among the rows of gadget stores along that side near the Eastwood mall. Upon entering Digital Walker Café, one could easily feel right at home. They have homey interiors similar to those found in those cozy little coffee shops in either Taipei or Japan.

The menu is posted on its wall.

Cakes and beverages galore!

A slice of these yummy cakes will surely satisfy your sweet tooth.

 The store offers more than just coffee. They had cakes (yes, lots of them), pasta, sandwiches and even rice meals to name a few.  But I heard the best seller is the unagi pasta.  Unfortunately, I never got the chance to sample or have a taste of that famous pasta. Instead, I had their Japanese Burger with sunny side up egg and plain rice. It was bursting with teriyaki sauce on it, in the process, soaking every bit of my burger and rice. Thereby making it a bit salty for my taste. I wish they could just hold on the sauce, put it on a separate container, leaving it all upon the customer if she wanted her meals to have as much sauce.

Japanese burger with teriyaki sauce, rice and egg.

I would also like to comment on their iced tea, it was good. Unfortunately, the café’s name on the container can’t be seen clearly. The writing was done in a deep hue of red with black background on them. Food bloggers like me had a difficult time trying to shoot photos of the said drink because of such. I strongly suggest that they make it in a different color, perhaps white than a dark hue.

In fairness, I loved the corn soup they’ve served us. It reminds me of my abuela’s  (grandma) signature dish. It is perfect for rainy afternoons while tinkering on your laptop with the café’s free wifi access. I had also tried their cakes, fluffy, velvety and perfect to cap off whatever meal you just had.

My fave corn soup.

Overall, I’d still recommend going to this café, because apart from its good ambience, they have really friendly staff. They are the ones that offer a smile each time you enter their shop. And even if one of my fellow bloggers was a bit straightforward to the point of saying outright how bad the food was, I knew that she didn’t mean any harm when she said that. She probably only wanted the café to further improve the quality of their food. I just hope they were not offended by her remarks though, and wishing they would heed our advices soon regarding their food. For I bet, given the right menu choices and presenting their food properly, Digital Walker café will soon be known on its own merits, apart from being a digital store sister.