#IssaEATS: Party Toques by Chef Rob Lau

Yesterday (October 22), I had the chance to meet the chefs behind Gourmade! Chef Rob Lau and Mike Toledo invited to their kitchen in Pasig to try out their very unique food platters for groups.

Party Toques is another new division from Chef Rob Lau's Gourmade. It started out as a healthy meal plan delivery service (With over 300 customers!), but the more their customers requested for group platters and dishes, they decided to launch Party Toques.

Basically, they offer to provide food platters good for as much as 12 people, with unique dishes that go far from the usual pancit or sushi. What I love is that they focus more on the quality of the food, as well as its uniqueness. They look for what makes people 'tick', using different flavors and making twists out of international dishes to pique the taste buds.

We had a smorgasbord of food, and here's what we had:

Their sushi platter. Pretty amusing that instead of the usual, they used longanisa and spam. It was good, and I loved their wasabi (actually made me cry from the spice!)

Their chicken biryani was VERY good. I'm not the hugest fan of rice, but it did have that kick. Their chicken had the right amount of spice, so it wasn't too strong, nor was it bland.

My favorite would be their Persian beef kebab! Their beef was perfectly cooked, not too tough, but not crumbly or soft either. Their yogurt dressing tasted great, and the combination of meat, veg, pita and dressing made me come back for more.

The Miso baked salmon was delicious. I'm not a huge fan of fish, but this tasted really good! I used to think it tasted bland, but the right amount of spice and seasoning makes it a healthy dish that can go on its own.

The Valencia roasted chicken with paella rice had flavor but didn't create a big impact. It was good, just not something you would remember. I loved the presentation, though. This one is priced for 8 to 10 people, but I believe it would fit around 12 to 15!

Their Thai pork glass noodle was a bit too salty, in my opinion. Like the paella, it didn't impress me as much as the other dishes.

They had an egg salad sandwich. I forgot what it was called, though! I love the presentation, but I'm not a fan of egg salad. It would taste delicious for those who like egg salad sandwiches, but it was just okay for me. I was very amused with the gray bread, though.

As for dessert, we had mini cupcakes! There was a banana cupcake with hazelnut frosting, a dark chocolate cupcake with matcha frosting, and a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Honestly, I didn't really taste the difference between the three cupcakes, and it wasn't exactly bland, but it didn't have as much flavor or sweetness to it as I expect. But when eaten with the frosting (Probably what I SHOULD be doing LOL!), it tasted good. My favorite would be the cream cheese frosting (Because cream cheese = forever).

We also got to try serradura, or what the chefs call it: Portuguese sodas pudding. It's a refrigerator cake basically. There were three flavors: Cookies and creme, matcha with broas, and black sesame with mango. And just like all my favorite sweets, this deserves another paragraph dedicated to it.

The cookies and creme suradera was delicious. Tasted like Oreos, creamy and sweet with the right amount of chocolate. The black sesame had a bit of a salty kick to it, which was probably from the black sesame flavor. But when eaten with mango, it's delicious! Sour, sweet, salty (more on sweet), I loved it as well. But the best one would be the matcha with broas. They added cream cheese to the mixture, making it like a refrigerated matcha cheesecake. And I LOVE me some matcha and cheesecake. Needless to say, I came back like three times for the serradura.

Finished with a bit (YES, a bit) of red wine. It was a good day, too much food. As always. LOL.

Overall, I love their concept of creating group platters that go beyond the usual. I love the flavors and the diversity of flavors and dishes presented. For sure I'll be back for the serradura and chicken biryani. Or the beef kebab! For the quality and quantity of food you're getting, it's definitely worth the price. I enjoyed my dinner, and I'm sure you'll enjoy your next event with Party Toques as your official food service.

You can either have it delivered around Metro Manila (with a charge, depending on where you are), or pick your orders up! Here are their contact details:

Party Toques by Chef Rob Lau
Address: 5-D Mercedes Avenue, Barangay San Miguel, Pasig City
Phone numbers: (02) 616-2323 / (+63) 917-871-9191
E-mail: partytoques@gmail.com
Facebook page: Gourmade by Chef Rob Lau

See you on my next post! ;)