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Recap: Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 Winners

Here are the Top 30 winners of Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test:

1. Carmen's BEST Ice Cream Indeed! 4.24

2. Luigi Muhlach's Phillychanga 4.11

El Kapitan's Spiced Chai, Party Fuel's Mojito Mocktail and Arizona Iced Tea

Here are the Rockwell UTT Winners for the Beverage Category:

Rockwell UTT Drinks Winner #1:
EL KAPITAN FOOD ENTERPRISE
^4.25 

165 foodies rated 5- Awesome! I would recommend it!
  77 foodies rated 4- I love it!
  46 foodies rated 3- We had a good time.
  13 foodies rated 2- It is OK.
   4 foodies rated 1- Thanks, but it could be better.

El Kapitan is a consistent winner in the Ultimate Taste Test series. They introduced their coffee drinks in UTT 2.0 with a rating of 3.7 (see: OAP | El Kapitan Food Enterprises) and their Tea Tarik in UTT 3.0 with a rating of 3.6 (see: OAP | Instant Teh Tarik that I Love).

In Rockwell UTT, they served a very addicting Spiced Chai, which was highly rated by the foodies who tasted it. It is a great combination, and we've replaced our coffee consumption at home with spiced chai already -- even my mom loved it. :)

Their Spiced Chai and other concoctions were a hit, garnering a rating of 4.25 in the Rockwell UTT. Congratulations, Raymond!

Carmen's BEST Ice Cream Indeed!

Rockwell UTT Winner #1: 
CARMEN'S BEST ICE CREAM
^4.24 

200 foodies rated 5- Awesome! I would recommend it!
 132 foodies rated 4- I love it!
   74 foodies rated 3- We had a good time.
     8 foodies rated 2- It is OK.
     2 foodies rated 1- Thanks, but it could be better.

From the creator of the Best Fresh Milk in Manila, Holly's Milk, comes the Creamiest Artisan Ice Cream of All -- Carmen's Best! The secret to their ice cream's yumminess is that they produce their own milk and get only the very best ingredients for their ice cream.

Paco Magsaysay's Carmen's Best is the creamiest and most indulgent artisan ice cream I've ever tasted in Manila! We love the Malted Milk and Salted Caramel flavors. You will literally close your eyes as you savor the creamy taste of Carmen's Best ice cream. A pint is never enough.

Foodies rated Carmen's Best as the No. 1 food in Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test! Congratulations, Paco!

Carmen's Best joins the overall winners in the Ultimate Taste Test Series (since 2009):

UTT 1.0 overall winner rating 4.6: Dulcelin,
UTT 2.0 overall winner rating 3.8: Supreme Brazo Bars by Ces Lopez Cafe,
UTT 3.0 overall winner rating 3.8: Dulcelin,
UTT 4.0 overall winner rating 4.2: JAM Foods Tapa,
UTT 5.0 overall winner rating 4.11: Risa Chocolates!,
UTT 6.0 (Rockwell UTT) overall winner rating 4.24: Carmen's BEST Ice Cream Indeed!

(P.S. Check out Ultimate Taste Test 7.0 tomorrow at 7pm at Mercato Centrale! See you there!!!)

Luigi Muhlach's Phillychanga

Rockwell UTT Winner #2:
LUIGI'S Phillychanga and Chicken Cordon Bleu
^4.11 

291 foodies rated 5- Awesome! I would recommend it!
239 foodies rated 4- I love it!
120 foodies rated 3- We had a good time.
  38 foodies rated 2- It is OK.
     4 foodies rated 1- Thanks, but it could be better.

Luigi received the most number of I love it! (4) ratings with 239 foodies, and the most number of Awesome! I would recommend it! (5) ratings with 291 foodies. More than half of the foodies raved about Luigi's Phillychanga and Chicken Cordon Bleu during the Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test.

The food speaks for itself -- he does not even need to use his celebrity parents' name to market himself as a rising, respected chef in Manila. His celebrity chef mom and famous dad would be proud of him.

He has been a popular favorite in Midnight Mercato ever since he opened a stall. When he applied with a taste test sample of Shepherd's Pie in Mercato, it was refreshingly memorable that I took note of his name and started to watch how foodies would get excited about his food.

Luigi's Phillychanga is a deep-fried classic Philly Cheese Steak with a crispy tortilla wrap containing tender meat with onions and melted cheese. (It does resemble a lumpia, as some foodies commented.) Sarap!

Congratulations to Luigi, a celebrity chef on the rise, for getting a 4.11 rating and getting the No. 2 spot in Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test!

5Loaves & 2Fish's Healthy, Crunchy Vegetable Lavosh Chips

Rockwell UTT Winner #3:
5LOAVES & 2FISH
^3.99 

118 foodies rated 5- Awesome! I would recommend it!
103 foodies rated 4- I love it!
  72 foodies rated 3- We had a good time.
  16 foodies rated 2- It is OK.
    5 foodies rated 1- Thanks, but it could be better.

 

We first discovered Lavosh Chips when Dinah introduced them to the public when Midnight Mercato opened. Her products are presented well alongside her nicely designed booth. She would always be there, ready to serve with a smile and passionately educating customers on what lavosh chips are.

In Rockwell UTT, I personally loved her Creamy Walnut-Basil Pesto Brulee w/ Coco sugar spread and the Crunchy Sweet Tablea Lavosh Chips with rich Dark Chocolate Dip.

5Loaves & 2Fish deserves the No. 3 spot with a 3.99 rating in the recent Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test! Congratulations, Dinah! We are looking forward to your new creations. :)

Merry Moo's Artisan Ice Cream - Sea Salt Caramel, Milo & Brown Bread Flavor

Rockwell UTT Winner #4:
MERRY MOO ARTISAN ICE CREAM
^3.94 

144 foodies rated 5- Awesome! I would recommend it!
154 foodies rated 4- I love it!
  98 foodies rated 3- We had a good time.
  27 foodies rated 2- It is OK.
    5 foodies rated 1- Thanks, but it could be better.

We love Merry Moo because of their insightful flavor combinations. Ever since they debuted in UTT 5.0 with a 3.72 rating, they have continued to win over people with their best selling flavor - Sea Salt Caramel. Their Milo flavor is also a favorite among the kids and kids at heart. They are popular both in Mercato Centrale and Midnight Mercato.

In Rockwell UTT, they introduced playful flavors, and we specifically like the Brown Bread flavor. With a 3.94 rating, they are a consistent favorite among foodies and regarded as one of the best artisan ice creams in Manila.

Congratulations to Kelvin of Merry Moo for a job well done with the innovative flavors in Rockwell's Ultimate Taste Test!  (From top 13 in UTT 5.0 to top 4 in Rockwell UTT!)

The Sweet Life by Ange - The Sweetest of Them All :)

Rockwell UTT Winner #5: 
THE SWEET LIFE BY ANGE
^3.93 

137 foodies rated 5- Awesome! I would recommend it!
184 foodies rated 4- I love it!
 96 foodies rated 3- We had a good time.
 29 foodies rated 2- It is OK.
   3 foodies rated 1- Thanks, but it could be better.

 

Sweet Life by Ange was initially known for their Sweet Surrender Frozen Brazo which we featured in OAP last 2006 (see: OAP | Frozen Brazo by Ange). 

Ever since then, Ange was able to expand her offerings from cupcakes to different dessert offerings. She created one of the most respected dessert brands in Manila at such a young age. 

In UTT, we still love their classic Sweet Surrender and Angelina Cheesecake. 

Ange finished her Fashion Degree course at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles, CA.  She is on a short break here taking up a French Pastry Course at Enderun.  She will be going back to L.A. after she's done with Enderun by February 2012.

Ange was also awarded by GoNegosyo as one of 2009's Most Inspiring Young Enterpreneurs.  She was the youngest of that batch at 19 years old.

Her ANGELINA Red Velvet Cheesecake (which we had at the UTT Rockwell) was picked by Philippine Daily Inquirer as one of it's 20 Best Desserts for 2011.

Congratulations for winning the Rockwell Ultimate Taste Test :)

Spring by Ha Yuan's Ka-Pao!

Rockwell UTT Winner #6: 
SPRING BY HA YUAN
^3.92 

155 foodies rated 5- Awesome! I would recommend it!
148 foodies rated 4- I love it!
101 foodies rated 3- We had a good time.
  28 foodies rated 2- It is OK.
  10 foodies rated 1- Thanks, but it could be better.

Spring by Ha Yuan is a healthy and youthful take on Chinese Cuisine by Suzy Lee. She is reinvigorating the Chinese comfort food classics and introducing them to the new generation. This is my Chinese food favorite in Mercato Centrale specially their yummy classic taho :) 

In Rockwell UTT, she introduced exciting flavors of the classic cua pao branded as Ka-Pao (cua pao with a punch)! I personally like the Braised Short Rib and Lychee combination and if you are looking for the healthy kind, try the Sesame-crusted Teriyaki Tofu. 

Recently, I tried the most famous food truck in the Bay Area in San Francisco called The Chairman (formerly called Chairman Mao). It specializes on cua paos and Spring's steamed Ka-Paos are definitely better. Although, the Chairman food truck is more popular for their baked cua paos more than their steamed version.

Congratulations to Spring by Ha Yuan for winning the Rockwell UTT! Good luck Suzy with your first ever store :) (.... and maybe a food truck in the future perhaps?)