This is a post about the Carnation Food Trip that I attended back in 2008 that I never got around to post. It’s one of the best blog events that I had the privelege of being part of. Nothing can beat the free food and 2-day tour of different places in Central Luzon!

Even though I’ve been on hiatus for a couple of months, I was lucky to have received an invitation to join and experience the Carnation Family Food Trip 2008.

The Carnation Family Food Trip is a 2-day event held last July 25, 2008 where members of the press, as well as bloggers, were invited for a tour of North Luzon and get a taste of their delicacies. The said event was sponsored by Carnation and Appetite Magazine, and was made possible thanks to the Mega Publishing Group.

I heard that there were around 15 bloggers who were invited to the event, however, only six were able to go. These lucky people were: Noemi Dado, Dine Racoma, Raine Contreras, Jehzeel Laurante, Anton Diaz and myself.

The Dagupan Food Experience

Our first stop was the Lenox Hotel in Dagupan city. The group was welcomed with dancers donned in bright blue costumes dancing to the beat of the drums. I almost felt like royalty.

Being at the heart of the Bangus Capital City of the Philippines, it was expected that Lenox hotel would be serving us with a number of delicious bangus dishes cooked along with Carnation milk.

Some of my favorites among the dishes were:

Steamed Bangus in Cream Sauce

I’m not really a big fan of Bangus but this one is good. Plus, it’s boneless! Got 2 servings.

Bangus Pate

A good appetizer. Don’t know which part of it is the bangus, though. Got 2 servings.

Belly Burst with Rujak

I don’t really know what’s inside these mini-bite sized wonders, but they’re good. Got 3 servings.

Peppercorn Crablets

Mini crabs where you can eat them as is. No need to crack and take off their shell. Got 4 servings.

Satay Manis Barbecue

A good treat far from the usual hepa-trip barbecues down the street. Got 4 servings.

The Manor Hotel Experience

After getting our fill over at Dagupan city, we then headed to the Manor Hotel in Baguio City. I’ve been to a number of hotels during my previous travels, but I must say, Manor Hotel is one of the best I’ve seen. The facade blends perfectly with the surrounding pine trees that inhabit the forests of Camp John Hay. The interiors are as breathtaking as the view outside.

I was paired with Jehzlau and ended up in Room 111. The moment we got to our room, we were like “woah”. Curious and excited, we checked every nook-and-cranny of our room like kids from The Goonies.

“Wow, ang ganda ng room natin!”, “Uy, mini-ref! At may laman na mga softdrinks! Libre kaya ito?”, “Tignan mo! Ang linis ng CR! Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng malinis na CR!”, “Wow, may hair blower”, “Astig, may security-safe pa dito, try natin!”.

The Manor Hotel Food Experience

We stayed at Manor Hotel from 3pm of the first day to 12 noon the next day so the group had the chance to eat dinner and lunch personally prepared by Chef Billy King.

Let me just recall my favorite dishes that were served to us:

Beef Adobo Canelloni

I am one of the many Pinoys who loves Adobo. This dish takes it to the next level. Had 3 servings.

Pasta Bolognese

They say Pasta lengthens one’s lifespan… Probably by now, I am already immortal. Got 3 servings.

Steamed Sole in Berlinoise Sauce

Oh, Sole? I thought you were referring to the… nevermind. Got 2 servings.

Belgian Chocolate Mousse Gateau

You see, the more words you add to the name of a dish, the more delicious and exotic it sounds. Got 1 serving.

Brazo de Merzedes

Goldilocks, sorry, but I have found a new love one. Got 2 servings.

There were a lot more, these were just some of them.

The Grand Handaan Experience

Last stop on our food trip was the Carnation Grand Handaan which was held at Burnham park. It was an event where different kinds of dishes from different provinces were served to the citizens of Baguio for free.

I would’ve fell in line if I weren’t already stuffed because of lunch. We did get a chance to take home some of the food like Polvoron, Tuipg, Ube and other sweet treats.

Oh, there was also a band playing during the event who calls themselves “The Powerpuff Four”. They were really good, especially when they sang pinoy retro hits like “Bilog na naman ang buwan”, but one of the things that amazed me was how the lead singer of this band looks exactly like Jay, the lead singer of Kamikaze.

Food Trip, Over.

I would like to thank the Carnation, Appetite, and Mega Publishing People for this very wonderful event. The food trip was well-organized, the food was great (So great that my tastebuds had a hard time adjusting back to our usual de-lata lifestyle here at home), and I really appreciate the warm treatment that you guys have given us.

Looking forward to more food trips in the future!

Happy blogging!

[pictures courtesy of Jehzlau]