Juan Carlo The Caterer: The Choice For Weddings and Debuts 2012

The rate at which time flies makes my head spin uncontrollably. I can't believe that in a few days, February will knock on our doors and before you know it, everyone's falling in love and getting married just in time for Valentines Day. But just in case you're not tying the knot nor celebrating your debut next month, then maybe it's only fitting to get ideas and inspiration from the upcoming Weddings and Debuts 2012 Bridal Fair at the SM Megatrade Halls in SM Megamall on February 17 to 19.

We were invited by Nuffnang Philippines to join the press conference for the Weddings and Debuts 2012 Bridal Fair, and know the superbly delectable reasons why Juan Carlo The Caterer is the choice of celebrity weddings. One of their happy and regular clients is Sharon Cuneta, and they have catered to the wedding receptions of Kyla and Rich Alvarez, Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez, as well as that of Bong Revilla and Lani Mercado. It's no wonder they are chosen for such occasions, because Alex and I found nothing short of quality in their work. Like the company's motto on the banner beside the buffet table above, they did show that "Catering is an art, and every project, a precious masterpiece."

In fact, I believe the photos I took do not do them justice, but I comfort myself in the fact that I am no professional photographer. For appetizers, there were these cute Beef Taquitos and Chicken Croquettes.

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The taquitos have a balanced taste, while the chicken croquettes won me over with its mild herby flavor. I am no fan of mayonnaise though, and I enjoyed them better without the dip.

For the main entreés, we both loved their Goat Calderetang Batangas. Unlike the usual caldereta that you find here in the metro, this one has no other ingredients in it. You'll just savor the taste of goat meat that is slow-cooked and stewed in what Mr. del Rosario, owner of Juan Carlo the Caterer, described as tons of garlic and onions. It's mildly sweet with just the right spicy kick to it.

The Norwegian Salmon in Tequila Cream Sauce above one of the top three dishes always requested by the company's clients. It's no surprise, their salmon is perfectly cooked unlike the overcooked fish that some restaurants serve you these days. The cream sauce is mild and goes well with the salmon.

The third entreé is the Ox Tongue with Buttered Mushrooms. My sister would have loved this! I know a few people who cannot bear eating ox tongue, but the cut isn't intimidating at all. The meat is creamy and the mushroom sauce has sweet hints of caramel and butter.

Their Chicken Masala reminds me of curry, in a toned-down and zesty sort of way. The meat is surprisingly tender, that I began to think it's not chicken breast.

And to balance all the meat entreés, I was glad to munch on their mixed vegetables. Light, crisp, and has a thin layer of butter that made me feel less guilty about eating all those meat. :) No overcooked veggies in there!

For dessert, they have these colorful fruits in jelly, which I didn't taste. It looks very tempting though.

I sure loved the Pandan Panacotta. It's milky and creamy jelly contrasts well with the crisp diced apples in the sauce. It's refreshing flavor is very welcome after eating meaty dishes.

The Florentine Bites are a mix of chewy and crisp goodies on a bed of thin chocolate. I love the mix of almonds, cherries and corn flakes (should I say cereals instead?) on top of the chocolate base. They made me miss the imported ones my mom used to buy for us before.

Their Tropical Fruit Pavlova is just divine. Okay, so I am a big fan of cherries and kiwi fruits, so it may be a bit biased, but what really made me love this is that the meringue base is not crisp or hard. I tried a pavlova once before, but I somehow didn't like the hard meringue base, so I never bought one again. This made me think twice.

The Sansrival is a somewhat better version of the usual cashew-laden sansrival. Sweet, chewy, and nutty, only with pistachio nuts as toppings. I would have wanted it better if it's chilled though. Alex and I sure had our fill of desserts, they were all good! :)

Aside from the food, you can trust Juan Carlo the Caterer with other amenities such as table setting and floral arrangements. I like the simplicity of our table, with no unnecessary adornments whatsoever.

I certainly enjoyed going there, where I finally met Peach in person. Which led me to wondering why on earth she needs to go on a diet, since she doesn't look like she needs to lose weight. And I forgot. No, you're thinner in person. :) And I realized that I am that shy in person, haha.

I also met Jenn, which made me sad that I had a party to go after and didn't get to hang out with her. She's really sweet in person. :) I didn't catch the names of the other bloggers there, but they were all wonderful people and I enjoyed their company. :)