What if a food trip could take you from Europe to East Asia, all before dessert?

That was the idea behind The Great Clara Olé Food Trip, which brought a world of flavors to Quezon City through a weekend of food, discovery, and a little culinary adventure. From chef-crafted dishes to destination-inspired bites, the public food trip showed how familiar flavors can travel far beyond their usual place on the plate.

The journey began at Brutal by Wadoughs, where guests of The Great Clara Olé Food Trip were treated to a four-course tasting menu created by Chef Wado Siman, a Filipino chef and entrepreneur known for bringing a playful approach to familiar flavors. Rather than simply serving the new Clara Olé Multipurpose Sauces, the menu placed them in dishes inspired by different food traditions around the world.

First came Paella Pani Puri, a playful meeting of two iconic street and comfort foods, Paella traces its roots to Valencia, Spain, where the rice dish became a defining part of the region’s cuisine. Pani Puri, meanwhile, is a beloved Indian street snack made from crisp, hollow puris filled with flavorful ingredients and spiced water. 

Bringing the two together, the dish paired paella’s familiar character with the bite-sized, street-food format of pani puri, with Clara Olé Paella Blend tying the flavors together.

Next was the Crab Chawanmushi, inspired by Japan’s delicate steamed egg custard. Chawanmushi is traditionally a savory egg dish, often served in a small cup and made with ingredients such as seafood, chicken, mushrooms, and dashi.

Here, the silky custard was paired with crab and Clara Olé’s Aligue Flavored Blend, bringing a richer, more indulgent character to a dish known for its delicate texture.

The menu traveled to Italy with Beef Tortellini en Brodo. Tortellini is a stuffed pasta associated with Italian cuisine, while in brodo refers to the comforting tradition of serving pasta in broth. Clara Olé’s Tomato Guisado Blend became the foundation for the dish’s deeper, savory flavor.

The final course, Steamed Sea Bass with Ginger & Garlic, took inspiration from the flavors of Asia. The delicate fish was paired with Clara Olé’s Ginger & Garlic Blend, creating a dish that showed how a familiar pantry combination could work just as naturally in a more refined preparation. 

Four dishes, four different culinary influences, and one idea running through them all: good food doesn’t have to stay in one place.

The Great Clara Olé Food Trip

The public experience held at Trinoma Activity Center brought together eight stops inspired by different parts of the world, from East Asia to the Mediterranean. At each stop, visitors could discover a different bite, with dishes ranging from Ginger & Garlic Dumplings and Aligue Rice Cups to Tomato Guisado Mini Tacos, Paella, and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Waffles to Black Forest cream puffs, strawberries and cream scones, and the familiar Peach Mango Suman.

The event also included a few extra surprises, courtesy of partners The Travel Club and Res Toe Run, both under the Primer Group of Companies, which provided luggage for the event’s photo wall and discount vouchers.

Rather than simply sampling food from different places, visitors got to experience the stories and flavors behind each destination through food, activities, and atmosphere of the stations.

And perhaps that’s what makes a food trip worth taking in the first place. You don’t always have to travel far to discover something new. Sometimes, you just need to be curious enough to take the next bite. 

Clara Olé invites Filipinos to bring that same curiosity home with new Multipurpose Sauces and Cake Spreads that let you explore flavors well beyond the usual everyday meal.

The Great Clara Olé Food Trip may have ended, but the journey doesn’t have to. The new Clara Olé products are available through participating supermarkets and online platforms, giving home cooks a chance to take inspiration from the food trip and create their own little culinary adventures in the kitchen.

Because sometimes, the best way to see the world is through food.

For more sarap-filled inspiration, visit claraole.com or follow Clara Olé on Facebook and Instagram.