All set for The Tuna Festival Culinary Expo 2009

The General Santos City Tourism Association is once again making preparations for the biggest food show in Socsksargen, The Tuna Festival Culinary Expo 2009.

The General Santos City Tourism Association is a private association of hotels and restaurants in General Santos City that has been spearheading various activities to promote tourism and assist member companies in their overall operations through trainings and business opportunities.

One of their major projects is the Tuna Festival Culinary Expo which will be held on August 29-31, 2009 at the Gaisano Mall of Gensan Atrium.

This year, Tuna Festival being a FOOD festival, the Tuna Festival Culinary Expo will be packed with activities that will promote dining in Gensan in general and benefit hotel and restaurant and foodservice operators like culinary competitions (Live Market Basket and Table Setting Contest), daily cooking demonstrations and Food and Hotel Trade Exhibition. Big prizes await winners of the culinary competitions. Distinguished chefs and food writers from Manila have already confirmed attendance to be judges to the culinary competitions.

The TFCE 2009 is organized by the GSC Tourism Association under the leadership of Kring Macion and Chimes Concepts Event Management. Our supporters: The GSC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Tuna Festival Council and the City Government of General Santos.

Our thanks to our sponsors: Magnolia Cheezee, Dari Crème, Star Margarine, Magnolia Nutri-oil, Jelly Ace, SAFI UFC, Kikkoman, Unilever Food Solutions, La Germania, Shellane, Marasa Grill,  Generals Brew, Kristan Educational Supply and  Family Country Hotel.

Please also visit our media partner, Bariles’ Online News Magazine, www.gensantos.com.

To know more about how to be a contestant, exhibitor or sponsor to the TFCE 2009, you can call 083 5524628, 09159806462 or email tcegensan@gmail.com.

I’m on Smile Magazine!

This may sound a bit pathetic but hey, I’m on Smile Magazine, the inflight magazine of Cebu Pacific Air!

Yup,  it’s a small pic of me on the General Santos City section of the magazine in theirAugust issue. Ms. Maya Calica, editor for Smile, asked me if I could be the Gensan local for Smile and answer the questionnaire. I was more than glad to say yes!

Just glad to share my short media exposure.

To see it online, just click here.

Checking out the new kid in town: Red Tent Steakhouse

Finally, after a long time of planning and yayaan, hubby and I went to try Red Tent. It’s actually one of the nearer restaurants from our house but got to visit it later than those in the downtown area.

Red Tent is a relatively new restaurant in Gensan which serves australian steak as their specialty. I would have to say it sure is their specialty.

Steak was tender (rare as usual) and flavorful not because of additional seasonings but just that of the beef. Their calamares was not so much a winner as it was a little bit salty. The service could really be better though although the waiters were courteous and the effort was there. I would have also loved if the menu was not basically the same as “the usual” in gensan.

Red Tent is literally a red tent. The place is cooled by fans so I wonder how it is on warm nights.

The ambience is simple, with colored lamps as accents and red almost everywhere. Will we go back? Yes to try out their other dishes.

Red Tent is located along Mabuhay Road corner Yumang in the same compound as the Shell gas station.

Sunset Cafe at East Asia Royale Arcade

So far we have gone to a handful of restaurants looking for the best steak in Gensan. On one of our dinner dates, my husband and I went to Sunset Cafe in the East Asia Royale Hotel Arcade. We didn’t know that they had steak so we ordered them when we saw it on the menu. Aside from the porterhouse, I also ordered for churros.

We did not have good expectations of the steak but wow!, it was actually good! It was cooked the way we want it -rare- and the taste was comforting – juicy, tender and perfectly seasoned. The churros was a tad too sweet but I ate it all up so I couldn’t complain. The servings were good for two so basically those two were all we ordered since I came from a meeting so I was still a little bit full.

I actually like eating at Sunset because of the cozy interiors and because I love cafe settings. It is one of the few restaurants where I don’t eat the same food everytime because they have a lot of tasty treats. In previous visits I have tried their fried balut, chicken ala king on bread, scampi and others.