Of course, we wouldn't want to miss 7-11 Philippines' Bring Your Own (BYO) Cup Day!  Check out my entry. =)  

With full promo ads posted, I asked if I can avail.

The 7-11 crew at Victoria De Manila (Taft Ave.) branch were all nice and friendly with wide smiles of welcome!  Never thought 7-11 could offer so much convenience and fun. =D


 The store manager measured my "cup".  And gave an A-OK!

 He personally helped me fill it up!
Check out my video of the experience =D

That's him the awesome cool guy!

We took pictures and I paid it on the counter.


Oh what fun at such a bargain!  Thank you so much 7-11 for #BYOCupDay and the awesome crew of 7-11 Victoria De Manila.

I even brought it home.  Check out the size. XD

This is actually my fifth attempt haha.  My little sister (a.k.a camera woman) also rode the jeepney to the nearer 7-11 Stores:

• PCU Branch (Pedro Gil cor. Taft Branch) - 7 am: The Slurpee Barrel arrived around 6 am so it's not frozen yet.  
• UP Manila Branch (Pedro Gil near cor. Taft Branch) - 7:05 am: Literally no Slurpee machine
• Leon Guinto (Pedro Gil cor. Leon Guinto) 7:20 am: Slurpee here was ready but my "cup" was not allowed because they used the "MaCUPangyarihang Bilog" as a height (NOT diameter) measurement.  I asked what about all the examples which would not fit in the height measurement and they said it was only for advertising purposes. @_@
• Pedro Gil Main St. (Pedro Gil Cor. Main St.) - 7:30 am:  We decided to go to this branch because we used to buy Slurpee here before we go to school because its Slurpee is consistently frozen every morning.  I was still really sleepy but this is woke me up because it was so funny! =)) We asked if we can avail the BYO Cup Day promo since their Slurpee is seemingly frozen and we were told that their FREE barrel hasn't been delivered yet.  So the cashier said so we should remove the stickers indicating the promo so the staffs scampered around the counter to remove the promo sticker hahahaha =D

My family frequently visit food expos and exhibitions but it was only this year that we found out about the International Food Exhibition or IFEX which was mentioned by a friend.  IFEX 2013 is scheduled on May 16-19, 2013 so we went on the last day.


We were quite surprised that it is such a big exhibition because the ticket price is only 50 php.

The whole exhibition took up two floors of the SMX convention center.

Aside from the map as an aid, it was very organized because the exhibitors are arrange alphabetically.

I also liked that it had spacious aisle and not cramped even with many visitors.

The exhibitors are also classified by the countries of origin of their products.


Our favorite is the Japan section.  Well, we also buy Taiwan products but none of them showed up.

The Department of Agriculture is also an active participant.

Aside from booths, there are cute stuff to see like this. =)

Pardon my ignorance but this is also my first time to view a whole Yellow Fin Tuna.
There were also cooking lessons, demos and raffle giveaways.

Aside from ingredients, there's cooked meals caters by Via Mare.

For the religious, there is a prayer room too!  I'm impressed that the organizers thought of everything for the convenience of participants and visitors alike.

This is what we got from IFEX 2013.  I can't wait till next year. =)

Last week, I was with fellow food bloggers who were invited to taste Celebrity Chef Robby Goco's Italian Porchetta which  he will present for the Celebrity Chef Food Truck Cook-Off  at the Manila Food and Wine Festival (MFWF) 2013.

Chef Robby Goco is behind a chain of restaurants which includes Achiote, Cyma and Charlie's Grind and Grill.  I must say that meeting him was a pleasure.  I could sense his passion and enthusiasm as he proudly presented to us his Italian Porchetta which he will be selling in his ORANGE Food Truck.
Tip: Wear orange and get to win prizes and freebies. 

Italian Porchetta Sandwich (Half Serving)

The Italian Porchetta Sandwich is Italian porchetta with wild arugula and onion marmalade in between perfectly crunchy ciabatta.  This is as gourmet as street food can get.  As you can see the ingredients were fresh, top-notch and organic.  Although a whole sandwich is already a hefty meal for many, the potatoes slices on the side makes the it even more satisfying.  I'm not much of a sandwich fan, especially one with ciabatta but I fell in love with this upon first bite.  I practically devoured every bit of this.  Ooh... the crunchy bread followed by the moist and soft porchetta that almost melt in my mouth exploding with complementing mild bitterness from the arugula and sweet citrus sensation from the onion marmalade.   While my fellow food bloggers shared their critics and recommendations, I was simply struck in awe with its perfection.

Italian Porchetta Sandwich with Egg (Half Serving)

Although totally unnecessary, you could also an egg to enhance the experience. 

Liver Sauce, Aoili Dressing, Verde Sauce and Red Bell Pepper Sauce

You can also either eat the Italian Porchetta Sandwich on its own or mismatch it with four delicious sauces.  If you want a mild sauce that won't overpower the porchetta, go for the Aoili Dressing.  I personally loved the Verde Sauce composed of parsley and coliander so it was fragrant and minty.  The Red Bell Pepper Sauce has some spiciness to it to perk up your sandwich.  Although I love everything with liver and often eat liver pate at home, I liked the liver sauce the least simply because it didn't have the bold clean taste I was yearning for.


The Celebrity Chef Food Truck Cook-Off will take place on February 22, 2013 starting at 5:00 pm until 12 midnight at the SM Mall of Asia Grounds Block 12.

The Celebrity Chef Food Truck Cook-Off is an event you shouldn't miss because six of the country's top chefs will be parked there with respective color-coded food trucks selling their own masterpieces.  The first one to sell all their food items wins. 

Celebrity Chefs:

• ORANGE FOOD TRUCK by Chef Robby Goco
•  Italian Porchetta Sandwich (Italian Roast Pork Sandwich)

•  PURPLE FOOD TRUCK by Chef Sau del Rosario
•  Jumbo Dumplings with Fried Rice (steamed or fried dumplings in hybrid version)

 

• GREEN FOOD TRUCK by Chef Bruce Lim
•  Chicken Wings Combo

•  BLUE FOOD TRUCK by Chef Marvin Agustin
•  Black Dragon Maki (shrimp tempura maki with unagi strips) / Spicy Caravan Maki (spicy tuna maki) (good for 2-3 persons)

• BLACK FOOD TRUCK by Chef Tristan Encarnacion
• Pinoy Faves with a Twist

•  RED FOOD TRUCK by Chef Florabel Co-Yatco
•  Sausages of the World

All the food items are sold at a Standard price of 350 php (during the event).  If you want to save a 100 php, you can buy online for 250 php at Ticketsource.  You can also view the online sales status of each chef there which is cool. =D

I'm still clueless at what the other chefs has in store.  I definitely want to try the rest though and picking is such a dilemma.  Which one will you go for? 

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Disclosure: The food is sponsored but the opinions expressed is purely my own.