Behind the Cart: Sunday Bingo Brunch

Last Sunday's brunch was one of a kind. Michael Davidson aka the GrilledCheezGuy, is the man Behind the Cart. In this event, he takes center stage as he hosts his 3rd pop-up brunch event. In this brunch, people didn't only taste his creation but also other mobile food entrepreneurs as well.




Setting up



Table set up

The first licensed bike food vendor

Dog protecting the Kombucha bar

Sebastian + Simone = S+S gastro grub

I'm digging the concept of this. No long lines, Not a lot of waiting. Unlike some food truck events where you waste your time falling in line and you don't get much information about what you are eating or the story behind it. Here, you get to sit, relax and enjoy your food in a restaurant style setting. It is designed so people can mingle, eat, learn and share stories from the people who make your food.

You smoky hot pig!!

So it's a Bingo themed brunch. Each square with a different food vendor. This way the crowd gets regulated and that guests will have time to talk to the people behind the cart. And for those who gets BINGO, they get rewarded with Bacon Hot sauce! Perfect way to wake you up with a smile! There was also an unlimited supply of vitamin C for your champagne.

Here's the recap:

Michael introducing the vendors

The Amazing food

Eggs being sous vide to perfection

Made by the amazing couple from S+S Gastro Grub. They are doing their own pop up at Cosecha in Oakland >> http://ssgastrogrub1cosecha.eventbrite.com/
These guys uses a more gastronomical approach to cooking. First time I've seen a Sous vide machine from a mobile food vendor. Maybe Liquid nitrogen is next???

S+S Gastro Grub: slow cooked egg in a cauliflower puree with bacon.

El Taco Bike: Torta de Huevo - Scrambled eggs with chile and onions. Perfect hangover remedy.

Talked to Alfonso for a bit and I found out that he's the same guy behind Tamarindo and La Calle. Now, it gives me more reason to grab its breakfast burrito. He told me a "secret" that if he gets 500 "likes" on facebook then he'll throw a party to give thanks! Here you go, like away >> http://www.facebook.com/Eltacobike?ref=ts&sk=wall

Unique tea blends by Blank Tea. Sensual tea please! 

Bacon + Mochi = Unreal

Bacon wrapped Mochi by Simply Mochi

Tea party? sandwiches made by Tea and Company

Pomegranate and lime by 23 monkeytree

In a Jam. Get it? The Jalapeno was my favorite but they were all good!

Bread pudding duo by Schulzies. Chocolate chunk and cranberry

Stone fruit Galette

After brunch, there was a Q&A portion for the food vendors. It was cool since the vendors shared their stories of why they were doing what they do. Even though they weren't a lot of questions thrown, people still got a glimpse of their stories behind the cart.

Honestly this event was very inspiring for me. Talking to all those people, learning and sharing their passion. Most of them have a regular day job and they still find time to do what they love to do. I believe BTC achieved its purpose. This brunch became a medium for food vendors and locals to interact, support each other, be inspired, be connected and most of all have a great time.

Tablea Brownies

I was intrigued when I found this recipe online. Back home, we always have hot chocolate made with tablea for New Year's Eve. It's also used to make chocolate rice porridge, also known as Champorado. It's a popular Filipino breakfast enjoyed especially when it's raining. Check my other recipe on this blog for Quinoa Champorado! :)

Tablea brownies is another great way to enjoy this chocolate. It is very light compared to the fudgy brownies you usually have. It's great paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream just like a "pizookie" from BJ's. Also, you can make a chocolate sauce with tablea so you can dip the brownies in it if you want more chocolate goodness!

Here's how to make it:

What you need:

2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
1 cup of chopped chocolate tablea (about 8 tablets). Can be found at your nearest Asian supermarket..
2 cups of sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
7 large eggs
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I used cashew)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Melt butter and chocolate in a small sauce pan. It's better to melt the butter first. Cut the stick of butter into 4 before putting it in the saucepan so that it would be easier to melt. Once butter and chocolate are incorporated and there are no lumps, turn off heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar and salt.
4. Transfer cooled chocolate  into a large bowl and whisk the eggs.
5. Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. Don't over mix.

6. Transfer to a 2 8x8 inch pans. Sprinkle nuts over it.

7. Bake for 30 minutes. To check if it's done, use the toothpick method. Place toothpick in the middle of the brownie and pull it. It's done when there's no chocolate coming out with the toothpick

8. Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing it into squares

Choco sauce:

2 tablea
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Mix the ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat, about 10 minutes. Dip the brownies and Enjoy!

Storage: Put in airtight container. It will last for 5 days at room temperature. No need to refrigerate.

Java Rice

As a Filipino, rice is always part of my meal. Whether it's for breakfast, lunch, snack or even dessert. Rice is a must have in every Filipino household. It's probably because almost all Filipino dishes are stew and soup based and it only makes sense to have rice to absorb all that great flavor.

Now let's talk about BBQ. Usually, it is paired with mashed potatoes, corn, and some bread. Where I grew up, it's always paired with Java rice. Java rice is a perfect compliment to Filipino style BBQ. The BBQ marinade is usually ketchup and soy sauce based. Those two ingredients are also what we use to make Java rice.

To make it, Mix 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1/4 cup of ketchup in a small bowl. Saute 1 tbsp of garlic with 1 tbsp of butter in a large pan until fragrant. Add 2 cups of cooked rice, preferably refrigerated rice.Mix for about 2-3 minutes until garlic is mixed. Add the sauce and mix for about 5 minutes until rice is mixed well with the sauce. Top it with some chopped green onions and serve with your favorite BBQ. Don't forget your vinegar to dip your BBQ! :)

Filipino style Pork BBQ with Java rice. Perfect match

Heirloom Tomato Dinner Pop-up

As you've noticed when you go to your farmer's market, tomatoes are everywhere. You'll see some cherry tomatoes, roma, green, early girls, brandywine and so much more. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors and flavors. With all these amazing tomatoes there's only one thing left to do, an amazing tomato dinner.

movie started at sundown

live music

Dinner was held at the Coffee bar. There were 2 seatings per night for Friday and Saturday. It was my first time at the location and I thought it was really a nice place to hold this pop-up. I got the chance to work in the kitchen with Alex Marsh aka The JetSetChef, who's also the man responsible for this event. It was cool to be working in the kitchen with this guy. He's just pretty laid back and even if it got pretty intense which it did a couple of times you'll still see him smiling and just focused.

It was all about tomatoes. Just looking at the menu, you know you are in for a treat. There's a little bit of molecular gastronomy happening, tomatoes being pureed, stuffed and made into a gelee. It felt like I was a judge on Iron chef and the secret ingredient was Tomato. You can sense that the chef was having fun with it and really utilizing the tomato in different ways. It was a bit playful especially with last course. It was a green tomato was stuffed with vanilla ice cream, dipped in walnuts and then placed on top of this amazing caramel powder. You'll just have to use your hands and catch as many powder as you can fit on that ice cream.

The menu

Here's the food and how it all came together

Making of the 1st course

Chef Alex with his finishing touches

1st course - "Caprese molecular" (tomato, mozzarella and basil). This is the gastronomical approach to the caprese salad. The mozzarella just bursts in your mouth and the basil oil adds a great sweetness to this amuse.

plating the 2nd course

2nd - Crab salad with ahi tuna, avocado mousse and a tomato gelee. This is my favorite dish of the night. I especially like how the tomato compliments the whole dish.

3rd - Brandywine tomato gazpacho, cucumber cream, basil and shaved almonds. Good dish but a bit too spicy for me to finish the whole thing.

4th - the vegetarian option. Sauteed spinach, with cauliflower, fennel and potato puree. The best presentation for me.

Making the 4th course - Lamb dish

4th course - Lamb 2 ways, loin and shoulder, potato puree and tomato jus. Love the shoulder part. It melts in your mouth.

Final course - "caramel apple" - green tomato, walnut crumble and caramel powder. Great ending except for the sticky caramel that's stucked on my teeth.

Overall it was a successful event and the tomatoes were really the star of the night. Now I just have to watch out what the jetsetchef will be playing with in the near future.