Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge Winning Teams

Every year since 2009, the Ajinomoto® Umami Culinary Challenge (UCC) gathers the Philippines’ most creative and innovative culinarians. The event is now one of the country's biggest intercollegiate culinary competitions. This year, Ajinomoto® UCC attracted thousands of visitors and hundreds of HRM and Nutrition students from 51 Universities and Colleges, not just coming from Metro Manila and nearby provinces, but as far back as Ilocos, CAR and Visayas.

Distinguished judges during the event included culinary experts Chef Bruce Lim, Chef Dino Datu, Chef Sau del Rosario, Chef Rosebud Benitez and nutrition experts Dr. Veritas Luna, Dr. Zenaida Narciso and Ms. Joan Sumpio to name a few. There were four (4) competition categories that included the Best Filipino Umami Dish, Umami Bento Meal,   My Eat Well, Live Well® Plate and My Own Umami Creation.

Best Filipino Umami Dish

For the first time this year, Ajinomoto® UCC introduced a National Cooking Showdown, where the winning team from Visayas competed with the best team from Luzon for the Best Filipino Umami Dish competition category. This category recognizes the significant presence of umami taste in Filipino cuisine. The Visayas contingent came from Hercor College – Capiz, they won in the Ajinomoto® UCC Iloilo and Cebu events. But it was La Consolacion College – Manila who came on top after winning in both the Luzon and national rounds for the Best Filipino Umami Dish. The winning entries of La Consolacion are a Capampangan delicacy called Sale Ebun Utik (Duck Egg's Nest), and  an Ilokano specialty called Dinengdeng Boquet with Crisp.

Umami Bento Meal

To highlight the discovery of umami in Japan, Ajinomoto® UCC created the Umami Bento Meal competition category. The task for the competitors is to come up with a Japanese-Filipino “fusion” bento meal that boasts of authentic umami taste and outstanding nutritional value. The 3^rd place winner is De La Salle University – Dasmariñas with their dish Sinigang Rice Burger w/ Rellenong Bangus Maki, Ginger Calamansi Sauce and Fruit Tartlet. Colegio de San Lorenzo bagged the 2^nd place with their Wayō Bento creation. The top team for said category is Rogationist College from Silang Cavite, their winning dish is called Bento Seafoods Galore.

Foodie Combo Treat at UNCLE CHEFFY's and KUSE

It’s my first time to eat dishes from two food establishments in one seating. Not because it was situated beside each other but they are owned and operated by the same company. The restaurant I went to are Uncle CHEFFY’s and KUSE at Venice Piazza in Taguig.

Uncle Cheffy’s offers a fine dining experience with Italian ambiance. Instead of pizza, Uncle Cheffy’s known for their own style of panizza. Panizzas are hand-rolled pizza.  Instead of the usual round shape we are accustomed with, it is rectangular and sliced diagonally. It is definitely more fun to eat than a regular pizza. Uncle Cheffy’s prides itself for traditional method using brick ovens.

The first course started with the salad for appetizers. Uncle Cheffy’ Salad can be a mouthful and it’s not for individual consumption.  We had the Lovely Jenny Salad, Grilled Prawns and Pomelo Salad, and the Uncle Cheffy’s Salad. My recommendation is the Grilled Prawn and Pomelo Salad because it’s a rare thing prawns are used for salads. The salad’s prices ranges from P230.00 to P495.00

After the salads, we were served three variations of panizzas: East Meets West, Uncle Cheffy Favorites, and All-Meat Barbecue. Each serving of panizza comes with three salad green and salsa ideal to roll with your panizza slice.

All-Meat BBQ is made up of beef teriyaki, pork, chicken barbecue, onions, chli flakes, basil and 3 kinds of cheese. East Meets West is made up of parmaham, salami, kesong puti. Salted eggs, tomatoes mango and 3 kinds of cheeses. Uncle Cheffy’s favorite is made up of oven-dried tomatoes, parmesan, cheddar, gyuyere, blue cheese, herbs and virgin olive oil. There are four more panizza selections and the price ranges from P195 to P250(Medium) and P380 to P495(Family).

Mostly, no Pinoy I know eat without rice. We now feasted on the different viands starting with the Asian Fried Rice.  What I like about their fried rice was that it can stand on its own even without a viand. The Asian Fried Rice cost either P120 for single serving or P220 for sharing.

The feast consists of noodles, grilled dishes, and more specialties and favorites from Uncle Cheffy’s and Kuse. I always like noodle dishes. Their Tuiey Noodles(P295)  is what I fancy during the food tasting. It is topped with meat and has rich flavor.  For Kuse, I fancy their Vigan Bagnet.  Nothing is new with it except that it is served with egg plants and bagoong isda.

Just when our tummies are about to give up, we must have room for dessert. The Chocolate Parfait is quite unique because it has pandan crepe. Most of the food here are unique. It’s a fusion of Pinoy and Western dishes.

Kuse and Uncle Cheffy's has various branches. The one I went to was at Venice Piazza. For more foodie updates and reviews, visit and like LENS blogs

5th Ajinomoto Umami Challenge event coverage

Last year, I was able to witness for the first time the Ajinomoto Umami Challenge. Not only that I saw many culinary students dedicated to their craft and school pride, I also learn a great deal about umami.

This year, I was able to see the culinary action again as 51 schools across Luzon to compete for this year's umami challenge. Just like last year, I once again saw different presentations of different mouth-watering dishes.

The judges were culinary experts so it is a great opportunity for these participants to showcase their best entry. Whether they win or lose, the important factor here was the experience. Follow more of my foodie adventures. Just visit and like the L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

The Hardest Working Restaurant Manager is Now in the Philippines

Press Release

4000 Restaurants Cannot Be Wrong!

WOULD it not be great, as a restaurateurs, to know how many diners will be coming, what time, and what will they be having? No more surprised and terrified kitchen staff and only satisfied diners.

ResDiary provides a web-based reservation and table-management tool to restaurant operators in over 4,500 restaurants, in 17 countries, allowing them to take online bookings through their websites, facebook pages and through Twitter as well as by telephone and to process walk-in bookings.

With ResDiary.com now available in The Philippines, restaurateurs now have an efficient system that allows them to allocate reservations in a way to make most effective use of the tables available and capture customer contact details and other data of the customer.

The system offers restaurant executives the ability to manage table reservations using laptop, iPad or even a smartphone or to even e-mail or text to confirm customers’ reservations, remind them 24-hours before and request a review afterwards on a responsive micro-website.

Since its launch in September 2006, ResDiary is widely employed in United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and United States.

ResDiary is charged for on a flat monthly fee basis, with no additional charges for bookings taken through the restaurant’s website, Facebook page, Twitter account or through www.booktoeat.com the portal operated for ResDiary customers by ResDiary. 

For more information on our restaurant reservation system please give us a call at 0925.5002659 or visit ww.ResDiary.com

Abe Opens at SM Mega Fashion Hall

The LJC Restaurant Group opens a fifth Abe branch at the third level of the expansion building of SM Mega Mall, SM Mega Fashion Hall on January 28, 2014.

Abé Restaurant offers Kapampangan cookery as well as dishes that reflect the favorites of writer, painter and bon vivant Emilio "Abé" Aguilar Cruz, father of LJC Group founder Larry J Cruz. Abé was known for his love of good food in all its forms: gourmet cuisine, peasant fare, exotic delicacies, and comfort food.

The Restaurant is known for its signature dishes such as Binukadkad na Plapla with balo-balo and mustasa, Sinuteng Baby Pusit, Paco Fern and Tomato Salad, Sinigang na Bangus sa Bayabas, and Knockout Knuckles, the LJC Group’s version of Crispy Pata.

Other Abe branches are found at Serendra, SM MOA, TriNoma Mall and Alabang Town Center. For inquiries and reservation, call 09175522080.

Family Reunion at Soya Bar

For the family get-together of the Lorico Clan especially for my balikbayan uncle, my cousin agreed to host  the reunion at his current business, Soya Bar, located at the Eton Centris Walk. Soya Bar already has outlets in selected malls in kiosk form but the Centris outlet is their only one outside a mall.

Among other restaurants and bars in Centris Walk, this is probably the only health conscious food establishment. They offer soy-based drinks besides the taho we all grew up with and protein-based dishes. If you are working especially in a call center or just working out in a gym nearby, this is the ideal choice for energy boost.

Soya Bar offers taho that you don't usually buy at the streets. They have the cold variations. If you don't wish to get stuff with the heavy selections, there are light choices for you to enjoy. What I really find unique was the dish I ate which is the veggie sisig.

If you need a lot of protein, this is the right place for you. But this is not just for the health conscious. This can be also be a suggestion for those who doesn't eat pork for religious reasons especially during Holy Week. The atmosphere is also cozy and ideal for those who are hanging out. For a coffee drinker like me, it's a must-try to drink their soy-based coffee.

Veggie sisig comes with a drink.

For more foodie adventures, follow this blog and or like my Facebook page, the L.E.N.S. blogs.