Food Taste Date Reloaded Part 2: Manila Catering and CVJ Catering

Manila Catering

This is the same group behind FISH, Our Kitchen, and Azaya Resort so I expected a bit more from them given their background in the industry.

I was searching for to-go food for the baptismal party of Baby Yo when I chanced upon Manila Catering and decided to attend their Food Tasting event at the Gazebo Royale last Sunday. We live very near the venue so I also invited my two sisters K and G to come along, to which they excitedly agreed of course. I was excited for them too as it was their first food tasting event.

We got to the venue a little after lunch time and K and G were eager to start off with the food tasting as they haven’t eaten yet… only to be disappointed after. This was my plate. Forgive the plating, a little messy I know. But I wouldn’t have minded had the food tasted good. Sad to say, nothing excited my palate. 

                From pasta, clockwise: Penne in Pomodoro, Carbonara, Korean Beef Stew, Beef Curry, Pork belly,                    Chicken Teriyaki, Baked Chicken

If I really had to choose, the chicken teriyaki would have to be the best dish on this lot. I got only a very small portion, it doesn't even seem visible on my plate. I know my messy plating is to blame for that. Anyway, nothing tasted really special and I thought the dishes were just glorified carinderia meals. Definitely not the type I will serve on my wedding. Most were too salty for my liking. Forgive me if I sound mean, but I'm just trying to describe the taste as honestly as I can.

There was also a salad bar but I was running low on tummy space so I decided to skip that part. Desserts were fruit tarts, mini silvana balls, and choco mousse. All tasted fine, with the mousse being extra sweet for my liking.  

Drinks came in two flavors: dalandan and four seasons. They also have mocktails and we got to try all three: Mango, Watermelon, and Citrus. Of the three, I enjoyed only the citrus variant. The other two tasted strongly of powdered juice with slices of lime or watermelon mixed in.

Package:

Their highest package was priced at P930/head plus VAT. This already includes a 3-layer cake, doves, bridal car or emcee, wine, tables, chairs, linens, centrepieces, and basic styling. 

Rye's Thoughts:
He enjoyed the citrus mocktail but he wasn't paying P930 for that alone. 

My Thoughts:
Price-wise, they are cheaper than Shekinah. The problem is, I wasn’t that excited with their dishes. My sisters weren’t also. We couldn’t remember a single dish we seriously enjoyed.

We also didn't connect with our AE. He was able to address most of our concerns but there was just something that felt off. It didn't take long for us to decide Manila Catering wasn't for us. After the meeting with our AE, we hurried off to our next destination.

Verdict:

Not for us

CVJ Catering

We were actually scheduled for an ocular of Light of Love events place but CVJ happened to have a food tasting event at the time so we were invited to sample their dishes as well. We came in a little before 3pm and the event was about to close so some dishes were no longer available, much to the dismay of my sister G. She said we should have just visited Light of Love first instead of Manila Catering. 

Having been to two food tasting events already, I was no longer keen on trying more dishes. CVJ was also not among our options. But since we were already there and our AE was still not available for discussion, I got myself small portions of the remaining dishes.

Service was already slow. Maybe because the event was drawing to a close already and they were exhausted by the time we came. I was a bit turned off though. Imagine some waiters sleeping on the buffet spread during your event. This was just a food tasting event. I’m sure an actual wedding will even be more demanding. If this was how their servers worked, CVJ is definitely off the list.

As to taste, I couldn’t comment much except that none of those I tried caught my attention. My sister G who loves to eat didn’t enjoy the dishes either. We liked the iced tea though. It tasted like pineapple juice was mixed in. desserts came in a number of pastel-colored sponge cakes, cake pops, and silvannas. The colors were cute but that’s just it. Nothing really tickled my fancy.

I didn’t get their rates anymore.