I’m the guy who, as much as possible, likes to eat anything. I eat all kinds of vegetables and I’m willing to try any dish once. If I like it, then it’s sure to be on my list of comfort foods: pizza, a quarterpounder, a zinger. The only thing that’s stopping me from being a true foodie is that I can’t eat shrimp because I’m allergic to it. And people keep telling me I’m missing out on a lot by not being able to eat shrimp. To add to my woes, I’m also lactose intolerant.

So when I got an email from publicist Gwen Cariño about Carnation Milk and Appetite Magazine’s Family Food Trip, which would have a stop-over in Dagupan before heading to Baguio, I was having second thoughts. The “milk” part was a deal-breaker but I thought, maybe I could just eat the dishes that CAN’T possibly have milk or any dairy products in it.

But when I saw the feast Dagupan’s Lenox Hotel had prepared for us, all my apprehensions went out of the window. Set before fellow foodies like me was the best meals Dagupan had to offer. Standouts were the Malunggay Soup, Belly Burst with Rujak, and the Peppercorn Crablets. The soup was just a wonderful color of green and tasted the way I expected it to be—sweet, not too thick, and just had a very, very small hint of spice for contrast. The Peppercorn Crablets were very crunchy and not as spicy as I had thought it would while the Belly Burst with Rujak (Dagupan is known for its milkfish and they even have a bangus festival) was so fresh I could have sworn the fish used was captured minutes before we arrived.

With our tummies full, we then set off for Baguio (according to my food writing mentor Christine Nunag, I fell asleep daw on her shoulder—swerte ang dala nun! You’ll be blessed forever haha!) where we stayed at the Manor Hotel. Upon arriving, it started to rain so whatever plans they had for us for the afternoon were pushed for the next day. That gave us time to rest and prepare for Chef Billy King’s dinner.

All the hype the organizers made regarding the meals that night was right on target. I’ve had seconds of the Gratinated Broccoli and Cauliflower and the Steamed Sole in Berlinoise Sauce, which both went well with the Mushroom Brown Rice Risotto. The Sole, again, tasted very fresh and I couldn't begin to tell you how delightful the sauce was. So I won’t. Just try it for yourself. I believe there were a total of eight different dishes that night, not counting the salads, the soups, the sushi, etc. and I even had a few shrimp—not minding that rashes could break out any minute. There wasn’t one meal that I didn't like.

Of course, what would a meal in Baguio be without wine? I sure had my palette cleansed by a glass or two but what the heck, it’s my first food trip and Carnation, and Appetite Magazine, have done themselves right. I couldn't believe that the meals had Carnation milk used in them, which only made the eating all the more memorable. With food so good, not just in taste but I believe, in its healthy goodness, it would make anybody forget their diet, lactose intolerance, or even allergy to certain foods. Or in my case, a combination of all three.

Photo © FAO/A.Benedett

This year will forever be remembered for a lot of things: the Beijing Olympics, Rafael Nadal dethroning 5-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer (and lest we forget, winning his fourth straight French Open title), and the Year of the Potato.

I kid you not. The United Nations recognizes the importance of the potato as “a staple food in the diet of the world’s population and affirmed the role that the potato could play in achieving internationally agreed development objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals.”

What are the Millennium Development Goals?

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest.

So I thought it would be nice to start my food blog with the four-course all-potato lunch I had recently with two lady friends, one of the best food critics I know and a Hand Doctor, at 9501 in ABS-CBN.

I arrived a few minutes late because I drove all the way from Taal Vista in Tagaytay and I was feeling really tired. But dining with friends always makes me forget about fatigue or other worries for that matter. And of course, it helped that we would be eating potatoes, a good source of carbohydrates, for the entire meal.

You know what they say about how too much of the good stuff can be bad? Well, not in this case. The appetizer was one of the nicest-looking I’ve seen in a while: U.S. Potato Munchkins with Salmon Tartare, Sour Cream, Chives and Salmon Roe and Arugula Salad. First thing I noticed was how the “Arugula Salad” looked like lettuce. So anyway, I knew what I was in for when I took my first bite. The potato tasted like, well potato. Actually, to be more precise, it tasted like the baked potato I used to order at Wendy’s. What gave the flavor was the combination of the salmon tartare, the sour cream, and the salmon roe. The individual tastes, I thought, of the salmon tartare, the salmon roe, and the chives were very mild, barely discernible because of the overpowering taste of the sour cream. (Rating: C+)

Next was the Creamless U.S. Potato Soup with Chili and Basil Oil. I wasn’t able to take a picture of this one because as soon as I had a whiff of it, I couldn’t put my soup spoon down. My two lady friends and I agree that this soup was one of the smoothest to go down. I enjoyed it too much that I forgot that it had chili and one spoonful later, I was coughing and got all teary-eyed because of the spice. But it was all good because I could have had more of it. That’s how good it was. (Rating: A-)

The main course was the U.S. Potato Wedges Wrapped on Bacon with Beef and Chicken Medallions, Black Peppercorn, and Creamy Mustard, and Creamed Spinach. The first thing running through my head at the time was that this was one “killer” meal. I’ll forego talking about the U.S. Potato Wedges because it tasted the same as potato appetizer. And the bacon tasted just like the normal supermarket bacon. (If you want to taste the best bacon, head over to Taal Vista and go for their breakfast buffet but I’ll save that for later.) Between the beef and the chicken, my nod goes to the latter. The creamy mustard (which I was having trouble accepting because it looked and somewhat tasted like gravy—but what do I know, right?) actually went better with the beef but my “beef” with it is that it was a little bit of hard to chew on. But not the type of hardness that would make me push the plate aside. My friends know that I hate a good tasting meat that can pass off as rubber, consistency-wise. For me, meat is cooked best if it swirls in your mouth a little bit, then just melts, and slides down the throat. (Rating: B-)

Now comes the best part, the dessert, the Warm U.S. Potato and Bread Pudding with Whipped Cream and Tropical Fruit Stew. This looked every bit as delicious as it did the first time I laid eyes on it. My two companions were raving just like me. The combined sweetness and tinge of burnt bitter taste awakened my senses (or was it the coffee I was also having) and at the same time made me forget about the taste of not just the appetizer, the soup, and the main course, but also of the breakfast I had in Tagaytay! Believe me, I do not like to hype about food, and I don’t like desserts that much, but this is a must-try. (A+)

9501 is at the 14th floor of the ELJ Communications Center, Eugenio Lopez Drive, Quezon City