On one recent weekend evening, I food-crawled my way along Little Baguio in San Juan, Quezon City, pausing for rounds of bacon dishes by The Quirky Bacon. There we met Chef Sharwin Tee, Chef/Host of Lifestyle Network’s Curiosity Got the Chef, and the creative chef behind the restaurant that presented to us dishes with bacon incorporated as one of the key ingredients. The menu placed on the table read really quirky names of food which are enough to make us feel excited for Purefoods’ Bacon Fest Manila. π
PUREFOODS Bacon Tasting at The Quirky Bacon (Little Baguio, San Juan City)
We started dinner with the Glazed Tempura Baconβhoney-cured bacon fried in tempura batter with a spicy soy miso glaze. The batter was crisp and not over-salted. I thought I could eat handfuls of the tempura bacon on its own as a snack and not feel disgusted. Dripping with sweet honey flavor, the shrimp tempura was plump. It was as delicious as it looked!
I guess the best way to cleanse our palate and get ready with the rest of the meal was to bite into the Chef’s Salad. Served in appropriate timing, the salad was made with arugula and romaine, kesong puti, and warm bacon strawberry vinaigrette. Oh, the taste of theΒ bacon mixed with strawberry was very evident in the vinaigrette. That spelled all the differenceβa good difference. π
Next, the result of combining sweet potato fries, mozzarella cheese, bacon gravy, and a medley of Purefoods bacon together was the Bacon Medley Poutine. The fries took notes from KFC’s crispy fries however this time, sweet potato fries were used. Dipped into the bacon gravy, this dish could be counted as one supremely elevated form of your regular fries with condiments.
Practically rounding up the best of our meal was the Lacquered Slab Bacon, a must-order at The Quirky Chef. It consisted of the Applewood Smoked Bacon slab with brown sugar chili crust paired with bacon java rice. OMG. With glistening surface, the slab of bacon was succulent and pleasantly unassuming. The fragrance brought in an extra dimension that makes the entire dish more satisfying.
Living up to its name, the Pork Panalo Roll was a true winner. It was made with pork tenderloin stuffed with calumpit longganisa wrapped in bacon, guava labuyo glaze, drop dead fried rice. Individually, the contents were not anything fancy but the dish was hearty indeed. Ah, this must be a godsend.
For dessert, we enjoyed the Problem Child. What’s in a name? Apparently, whoever eats this will become a problem child because it’s so good! Lending a subtle sweetness to the flavor, the Problem Child is the best way to end a quality meal at The Quirky Bacon. It’s hard to believe that such simple ingredients as bacon chocnut champorado and chocolate milk powder will make a great dish that can remind you of childhood. π
#BaconFestMNL
For its sincere love for bacon lovers, PUREFOODS has launched the first-ever Bacon Fest Manila as a way for everyone to enjoy and understand all the yummy goodness in bacon. It has partnered with various restaurants all over the metro to give the PUREFOODS Thick Cut Bacon and Maple Bacon a new twist. This campaign aims to send awareness that many fantastic-tasting dishes can be created with the many variants of bacon.
The challenge? Restaurants/food establishments invited will create and serve their own bacon dishes in celebration of BaconFestMNL for customers. The Quirky Bacon is one of them. π
Others included are: Charlieβs Grill and Grill, Sebastianβs. Torch, Tiny Duchess, Carpe Diem, Wicked Dogs, Stoners SoulFood To Go, 2ndβs, Gramβs Diner and The Bistro Group (like TGI Fridays and Italliani’s).
With Purefoods’ thick cut bacon, you can enjoy twice the thickness of regular bacon in every bite. The honey-cured bacon has the perfect combination of sweet and salty flavors, while theΒ barbecue-marinaded spicy barbecue bacon has the right hint of spiciness for the thrill-seeker in you.
There’s also the honey roast bacon that’s sweet and savory with smoky goodness. All the PUREFOODS thick cut bacon variants are available in 500g packs, while the PUREFOODS maple bacon which is known for its sweet, crispy, and rich maple aroma comes in 200g, 400g, 1kg packs.
Join the Bacon Fest Manila Contest (May 1, 2015 to June 30, 2015)
You can join the Bacon Fest Manila Contest by visiting any or all of the partner restaurants/food establishments stated above, order the #BaconFestMNL special dish, and post the photo on your social media.
Don’t forget to tag @baconfestmnl and their official hashtags #BaconFestMNL and #BiteTheLove to get a chance to win some awesome prizes, like a MacBook Air, iPhone6, and a GoPro. π Check the Baconfest MNL Facebook Page for more details.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
okk now i feel hungry π THAT pictures of so much yammi food are absolutly fantastic.i actually dnt want to wait even or one second to go there and eat them
This restaurant might have relatively small/limited space for its diners, but the reason you will want to dine in here is that the food quality is so “next level.” Everything was absolutely good to the point that each might be your favorite. π
OH my freaking God!!!!! bacon!!! Drool!!!! i think the only downside is the salad … LOL but seriouslbaco for the win
Haha. The salad is great so you won’t feel too guilty about the calories. What’s great about that salad was the balance of flavor which made each bite perfect. π
I love anything with bacon in it. I actually have to watch myself because I like it so much, This experience you had sounds like so much fun π
Yup, I’m so glad to have attended and be invited in this food event. π I was blown away with the different recipes one can make with bacon. Now bacon can be a staple not only for breakfast but also for lunch, snacks, or dinner.
Being vegetarian, I don’t eat bacon, BUT I have a close friend who does. Everywhere we go that is what she gets to eat. I’ve helped her come up with ideas for new recipes with bacon. It has been fun for me to come up with ideas for veggie bacon so I can make those recipes too. These pictures looked great!
Growing up, I also did not have a taste of bacon since we were raised as vegetarians. However, now with more opportunities to taste food far from home, I am open to new concepts and innovative ideas on preparing non-veggie food. These bacon dishes were delightful. π
My husband John is a huge fan of bacon and would love this!! All of these dishes look like he would love them and have to order seconds! Looks like a great place to have a date or meet up with friends.
Yes, the place is pretty casual and the type where you can just stay and feel that you’re not in a busy city. The name of the restaurant is also very straightforward. What you see is what you get: BACON. π
I love anything bacon and always think it enhances the flavor of any dish! Thanks for sharing this today and YUM!
You’re welcome, Joanne! If ever you find yourself in the Philippines next time, make sure to taste our version of bacon. π
I was eagerly checking the food, what would struck me but the problem child? It’s kinda weird but looks so delish!
The problem child was gone in a couple of mouthfuls but it was delicious as hell! I’m easy to please when it comes to simple individual flavors that when mixed together become an awesome whole.
It’s always fun seeing how different cultures cook and prepare food, but I love the fact that the love of bacon is global! The fried / tempura bacon looks so tasty. Love it all though …
The bacon tempura was a fun starter. I would love to eat more of it. π
Purefoods got a lots of food varieties to suit the taste of Filipinos. Needless to say that it’s the versatility of these foods that matters most to moms nationwide. Different ways of cooking; with different tastes on the table.
It’s not only moms will benefit from the ready-made or pre-flavored bacon stuff but also those who are living on their own and too busy to make food at home. Instead of always ordering food from the restaurants, cooking bacon-inspired dishes will pose as something new and exciting to try. π
I miss reading your blog as I haven’t bump into your site lately. I love bacon and would check out partner restaurants for these treats.
Hehe I have just gone out of the country for an entire week and it was followed by another weekend vacation so I did not have the luxury of time to blog recently. Now everything is back to normal. π Check out the restaurants listed.
Those foods are mouth watering. The Bacon Medley Poutine is sooo delish…makes me hungry. Baconation makes everything better. Hmmmm I love bacon. lol
Everything was mind-bendingly good. Even the names of the dishes sound all exciting, right? Youβve never had anything like it, and youβll want it again. π
Every town needs one of these! I have always wanted to try fried bacon.
The good news is that you can get them from leading supermarkets and stores now. π
Can’t really go wrong with bacon!
Yeah, if you’re a fan of bacon, this restaurant is a must-visit. Also, try cooking your own bacon dishes with Purefoods bacon variants as there’s a lot of choose from. π
Hmmm bacoonnn, my husband would go mad in this place hahaha. I quite like bacon myself (but i find the usual bacon way too salty so i can usually just eat one and be done with it) so everything look so tempting! Problem Child’s so interesting! I always find the idea of bacon and chocolate to be weird, but i’d give it a try!
It’s great to hear that you are open to trying out food that’s new to you. π I’m thrilled to taste more unique offerings from the partner restaurants and see what dishes they can cook up using Purefoods bacon.
This looks freaking AMAZING. I love bacon so much and would love to go to a bacon tasting! Haha! So many different ways to make bacon that I’ve never tried before! I need to put this on my bucketlist.
Oh yes, go girl! This event also opened my eyes as I learned how bacon can be part of so many other dishes I have never thought of. π
This is what I imagine heaven is. Your pictures are gorgeous, and now i”m craving bacon!
Thanks, Jacqui! I’m also craving for bacon whenever I see pictures like these. π
What a fun festival! We love bacon on everything! The bacon strawberry vinaigrette sounds wonderful!
Yeah, it was my first time to have something like that! π I think even those who dislike eating salads will be tempted to taste it.