Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Thai Kingdom Come at Marriott Manila





An event was set to highlight the magnificence of Thai cuisine  and a sure indulgence worth partaking.   Happened  last night at Marriott Hotel Manila, at the Lounge, where the country's brilliant media men and women gathered and mingled with some of Marriott's clients and supporters.   

And thus, Marriott's invitation....
Return to the land of smiles as Marriott Manila brings back Flavors of Thailand for the whole month of July.
Go on a foodie adventure to Thai’s historic Kingdom through its gastronomic treasures. Welcoming everyone at Marriott Cafe’s second round of exhilarating food festival in cooperation with Thai Airways and The Royal Thai Embassy-- Thai Kingdom Come!
Hailing to the country’s modern Bangkok and traditional Thailand, check out this year’s unique twist on Thai flavors for dinner. Explore its five distinct blends of basic tastes that make each dish a sensual explosion—sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and sometimes bitter.


Perk up the dining experience with no less than JW Marriott Thanatorn Krobsuay, the certified Thai cuisine expert to head the kitchen team once more. Considered as one of the most luxurious Marriott hotel brands, let chef Thanatorn take everyone to a uniquely crafted JW Marriott experience through his award-winning Thai cuisines.





With his second much-awaited comeback, expect that his dish is a palate tickling sensation filled with exquisite flavors. This year is an extra special recourse of Thai treat as another JW Marriott chef is coming in to double up the feast:  27 year old Sutthipong Sirikanchittawon, one of the certified Thai food ambassadors of JW Marriott Bangkok’s Marriott Café.





 For only P1750 net, start it light and healthy with Thai’s most refreshing salad sensations, specially the most popular Thai papaya salad. Take your pick from grilled shrimps, beef, or chicken as toppings commingled with the tangy sweet lime--certified tasty but not heavy for the tummy.


Evoke the sentimental feel of Thailand and delve into its time-honored curry dishes at the pot station for massaman curry with braised chicken.  This special curry paste made of coconut milk, bay leaves, cinnamon, palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind is deemed to be one of the earliest Thai recipes. Another popular version is the green curry with chicken and sweet basil, rightfully known for its 
flavorful chilly sauce made of green pepper simmered with eggplant and thinly-sliced chicken pieces. Sit back and savor the lovely Thai flavors only these dishes can give.
The spread is also filled with Thai’s classic favorites, such as pad thai, deep fried spring rolls, stir fried prawns in sweet and sour vegetables, and tom yam goong. 

For dessert, try the exotic foytong which are fascinating sweet strands of sugar and egg yolk flavored with rose water.
Stretching a five-star experience at the cozy Marriott Café is an equally inviting.

Western and Asian selections from appetizer to dessert.  Swing by to these sections for more elaborate food choices that are surely worth trying.


Be an ace in the kitchen and cook up some exquisite Thai cuisine right at your very own home table. Learn basic 3-course Thai food on July 12 and 19 with JW Marriott sous chef Thanatorn Krobsuay for only P1, 000 net. Not only it’s an affordable kitchen shindig but a great way to hook up with other excited gourmands too! Relax some more and visit the Quan Spa for a holistic Thai foot massage for only P1650 net.

What’s more? Revisit the historic Thailand for free as Marriott Manila gives all diners a chance to win three days and two nights stay in one of the Marriott properties in Bangkok.  





Thai will be done! Whether it’s a celebration for the family or simply about to embark another wonderful 6 more months of 2011, mark a special day this July for a truly worth relishing dinner experience only at Marriott Manila.










For inquiries or reservations, call Marriott Café at 988-9999.
ABOUT MARRIOTT HOTEL MANILA:
An inviting beacon set in the world-class casino entertainment complex of Resorts World Manila, Marriott Hotel Manila is the place to work and play. Ideally located in Newport City across Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, it is a convenient 15 minute drive from Makati Business District and Bonifacio Global City. Affording a splendid view of the adjoining 18-hole Villamor Golf Course, it boasts 342 exquisite guest accommodations that offers luxurious bedding, in-room safe, mini-bar, high-speed Internet, air conditioning, 40" full high definition LCDs with IPTV, videos on demand and jack pack plug-and-play system. The hotel features excellent dining options such as Marriott Cafe, Cru Steakhouse, Java+ and Lobby Lounge. Leisure facilities include Quan Spa, Health Club, Salon and Newport Mall. With a Grand Ballroom and several meeting rooms, Marriott Hotel Manila is also the ultimate destination for meetings and events, from weddings to gala dinner celebrations.

O-M-G! Oh My Gulay!


Oh My! Gulay!  (Oh my vegetable, in other words...)   That is so typical, way back when my two kids (who were now teens) would get to the dining table for dinner.   One would say, that would be good, expression sounds good, but nah, if I could only picture how these expressions have shown on their faces.   Those two kids of mine never liked veggies before.    But "MOM RULES IN THE KITCHEN" resounds the whole house, so as long as I'm cooking, they had no choice but to eat what I would prepare for them.   To be honest, 60% out of 100% of the dishes I often prepare for my family mainly is meat and the rest consists of vegetable dish or fish.
But, gone are those days.   As days passed, I would invent and research on some vegetable dishes that would look and taste appetizing enough for all of us.   Till time really proved me worthy of all those kitchen experimentation, now all my four kids love different kinds of vegetables, and yes even their Dad who didn't eat them have strive on it.   As a mom, of a well-nourished family I truly am happy that we as a family not only saves money in incorporating veggies and not only having it as meat extenders, but having a healthy lifestyle as well.
It just saddens me, knowing facts about our country being rich in natural resources and as a prolific salad bowl of the world, have malnourished or sick children due to lack of vegetable intake in their diet.   Another problem known as " hidden hunger,' where vitamins and minerals are insufficient amongst most of our children.
Such  cases as protein energy malnutrition, iron deficiency anemia, vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency disorders- all these can be compensated by a rich consumption of vegetables, like the leafy greens and yellow to orange crops.
Then came Senator Ed Angara, an advocate and leader of the said government project, Oh my Gulay!
Now, The private sector has rallied its support behind the nationwide OMG! campaign by sponsoring school vegetable gardens in public elementary schools around the country.   The donors' signing was held this morning (June 28, 2011), at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza, attended by OMG lead convenor, Senator Edgardo J.  Angara and Department of Education Secretary Bro.   Armin Luistro.
For this school year, BDO Found., Asian Terminals Inc., Sunwest Care Found., Infant Pediatrics and Nutrition Association of the Philis. (IPNAP) and Aboitiz Foundation will adopt a total of public elementary, schools across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
This means providing funds for the establishment of vegetable plots in their chosen schools, to be planted with common vegetables like calabasa, sitaw, patola, talong kamatis, amplaya and others.   These vegetables are popularized on TV and radio by celebrities like Anne Curtis,Sarah Geronimo, Cristine Reyes, Mark Bautista and Sam Pinto, who advocated, OMG!   in a tri-media campaign launched earlier this year.
The school gardening program also includes the training of teachers in the nutritional benefits of vegetables through an instructional module to be included in their home economics lesson.   East West Seed Co. is OMG!'s implementing partner, at the frontlines of making this vision a reality by providing thechnical expertise in modern vegetable farming.
According to Dr. Mary Ann Sayoc, (GM of East West Seed Co.)  children would be motivated to eating vegetables if they will be the one involved in it.   Iterating,  'What this aims is sowing the seeds for a better future."
"Our educational system is already beset with so many problems,  We lack funds, facilities and skilled teachers.   But we can not allow ourselves neglect one fundamental cause of the dwindling quality of education, malnutrition in school children, " said Angara, who chairs the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.   "We can not ignore the obvious link between nutrition and education."


Ending the morning off, Bro. Armin Luistro  said, "instead of merely looking at what the schools lacks, we should focus on what is there, there are now 45, 000 schools which should be involved in these project, which coincides with other plans of DepEd, where not only the school children are involved but the whole community as well, all working in a sustainable manner without bleeding the government's budget." 
*****
And oh, just so you know, Sofitel Hotel serves one of the best quiche and blueberry muffins.
*****

For more information you may want to log on to www.ohmygulay.org.
So wouldn't you want to be involved in such an exciting DepEd project!
OMG is still accepting donors to further march its objectives, we can all be a part of this revolutionary change not only in our school but more so in our society.
For donations and /or inquiries on how to support OMG!, please contact the Office of Sen. Ed J. Angara, Room 504 Senate of the Philippines, GSIS Building, Financial Center, Pasay City
or give them a call at: 5526779 or 5526601 loc. 5593

****

Monday, June 27, 2011

Fernbrook Gardens: The Modern Day "Garden of the Hesperides"


Talking of kings and queens, prince and princesses  and courtyards and romance...
Or  how about an enchanted land amongst the Gods and Goddesses, vivified in  Greek myths! 

Some there are who say that the fairest thing seen
on  earth is an array of horsemen;
some, men marching; some would say ships; but I say
she whom one loves best
is the loveliest. 
Light were the work to make this plain to all, 
since she, who surpassed in beauty amidst the lulu of the nature and the aura of serendipity
-nonetheless but the bride handed over to her forever lover.


Let the pictures enthrall you as it left me breathless as I look in awe in all its wonders!
 This must be the Elysian Fields, once lost, now found here in the south.   In Greek mythology, the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous.

No, this might be the  Garden of the Hesperides, said to be the sacred garden of Hera from where the gods got their immortality as said from the Greek's myths.  
O let me be for a day be the muse Erato, 
Or the contemporary Cinderella,
Alas, now, a poet have I been...

Sweet in summer, cornucopia  of  sweet-endings,
Cooling thirsty lips aglow;
Sweet to lover's the wedding abounds, 
So spring arrives with garlands crowned;
Words of love and promised future
Sweeter yet the hour that covers
With one cloak a pair of lovers,
Living lost in golden weather,

While they talk of love together.
 ****
Perhaps this may be a poetry blog, or a site for lovers in the making.   Perhaps not!
But seeing and experiencing that awesome place, which is the Fernbrook Gardens at Portofino South, made me re-evaluate my senses, and thus what I have become, or what life had made me.   My love for peachy places and food have evidently reinvented me.  Good company, good sense of being, good berth, all God's workmanship!

                           The place: Fernbrook Garden Portofino South
                           The event: Food Tasting and Renewal of Vows planning
                           The caterer: Illustrado
 So far, the number one on our list, and what might be the only one!
    As an  Appetizer, a choice of Baked Eggplant with Pesto and Asian Spring Rolls
    For Entree, the restaurant's pride, Paella Illustrado, trully superb Spanish dish and  Linguini with  spicy creamed sauce and shrimps.
    The succulent Fillet of Cream Dory and the lip-smacking, tender Baked Beef Spareribs Mexicana  with  black and calamata olives.
   Be lingering, Pork Picata Milanese, and the delish Chicken Relleno with Tamarind Sauce, my fave and to rave for from this day forth...
And last but can never say the least, the Dessert, a cocktail serving of Buko Pandan,  choices of pastries straight from Illustrado's own bakery, Sans Rival, pudding, Carrot Cake, Super Moist Chocolate cake, New York cheesecake, etc.
What then could I ever ask for, on a day as captivating as this!
Many thanks for the invites, Fernbrook Gardens and Illustrado...
Praying to see you in a year or two, with all our loved ones enjoying both your companies!
*****
FERNBROOK GARDENS
Portofino South, Daang Reyna, Las Pinas, Metro Manila, Philippines
Contact Numbers:
(632) 710-8608, (632) 710-8545, (632) 217-7715
USA Phone Number: (215) 792-6583
Mobile Number: (63917) 860-6478
24 HRS. CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE: +63(2)8434343 local 2776

ILLUSTRADO  RESTAURANT
 744 Calle Real del Palacio (Gen. Luna), Intramuros, Manila 2001, Philippines Telephone: + 63 (2) 527 3674 Fax: + 63 (2) 527 2345

*****













Saturday, June 25, 2011

Food Adventure 2011 at Venice Piazza

McKinley Heights is inviting everyone to experience food-hopping to the max!    Every Saturday, which started from June and will happen till July 30, twelve restaurants and cafes, will open its doors to food-lovers and have them sample their night's specialty.
Here is how it works:
First, you need to buy a Food Adventure Passport for P550 at the Piazza Concierge.    The "Food Passport" is good for one person only.
Second, when your tummy is ready, head on to each of the 12 finest restos at the Venice Piazza.   Show your "Food Passport", they in turn will give out a sample of the best dish they have.    The link below will provide the list of the participating restos.
Check out the teaser at this link and feast your eyes out:  Food Adventure

For more information, call the Megaworld Concierge at 709-9888, 709-0888,
 0917-8380111.

SO WHO'S COMING WITH ME!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Food Trip Fridays

FTFBadge

Puffed-up with Chewy Junior

Cream Puffs, also known in the pastry world as  profiterole.   Choux à la créme (  to pronounce, shoo ah lah krem) or choux pastry, in France often served at weddings and during the Christmas Holiday. 
Now, in the Philippines, making it's way in our dessert or snack line.   
 Here are the different variants they offer.   Cheese, Blueberry Angel, Apple Cheese Lover,  Chocolate Madness,  Chocolate Almond Crunch, Cookies and Cream, Strawberry Cream and more...
Chewy Junior really captured the taste of each flavor.   I say not profiteroles, for Chewy Junior's are bigger as compared to what the size of a cream puff is.   It's so amazing how it can be a bit crunchy and chewy on the outside and soft and airy on the inside.   While the cream is so light.   I try to avoid too much sweets, but can't really have myself away from them, however, these are not that sweet at all, I remembered having to eat babies comfort food, Cerelac, the consistency can be likened to it, and somehow the distinct flavor of the cream showed resemblance.   A comfort food indeed!
Strawberry Cream.   This has been my favorite, well, my favorite fruit is strawberry,  The gelatine-like jam on top is frutti,  and has real preserved strawberry, goes well so nicely with the cream inside.


We bought ours in a box of 12 at Greenbelt 4, 2nd floor.
You may add them at their Facebook site:  http://www.facebook.com/ChewyJrPhilippines

FTFBadge

Marta's Cupcakes



Our last visit to Serendra ended with one of  the biggest fare my kids had.   After an afternoon of Balloon Parade care of Bonifacio Global Center, mingling with pet lovers and a very filling dinner at North Park (Market, Market) we planned out having our dessert at Marta's Cake Bakeshop.
The place is very kid-friendly, I wished I was a child, and asked myself, why hasn't this concept came out when we were kids?   But who cares, you can be whatever you want to be here, a cake designer, an artist, a photographer, even a kid enticed by the sweet treats all around.   Gee, you don't know what to expect anymore in  a bakeshop, in a baker even.    A baker now, should be a cake designer, a pastry maker and an artist.
My two lovely daughters made this an extended kitchen, we were all seated near the display cases of the shoppe were all the treats continue tempting us with the assortment of  goodies a kid can ever wish for.   My kids chose each a cupcake, a vanilla and a chocolate.   Both are DIY package, which came with a un-decorated cuppies and candy sprinkles, the different colored frosting came afterwards in tubes with llittle nozzles, perfect for no-mess, no-fuss decorating.   Decoration possibilities for cupcakes and cookies are endless here.

From what I've heard they are accepting parties or packages are available for parties.   Unique cakes are all displayed and can be ordered.   Bring your family, kids and friends here, decorate, have coffee or tea and eat their treats.


Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

My Great Food Club of San Miguel PF will be whipping another workshop full of fun and new discoveries.
I was able to partake mine when I joined their summer workshop , you may see the out-turn of that experience here: Sharing  a Baking Seminar with a Foodie Friend.
If you know a little on baking or have some skills on it, you can hone it and learn this new recipes and work on it during the workshop for hand-on and taste tests.
Then get that drive and confidence in starting up a home bakeshop maybe or a coffee shop! 
You might want to join San Miguel's My Great Food Club, so can get discounts on their workshops and receive freebies and updates on San Miguel products.
See it here: 

Antipolo's Exotica at Eduardo's

Riddle me this: 
This is Adobo, though not pork, not chicken but somehow tastes like chicken. 
What Adobo is this?

Monday, June 20, 2011

Our Daddy's Day at Union Jack Tavern


 WE try as much as we could to get our family together, specially on Sunday, where we go to worship the Lord and thank Him for all the blessings we have now.   Father's Day, not only do we want to enjoy family time and thank our Daddy for all his hard work, toiling for the family's needs and giving all the support the kids need as they grow up and face life's little and big challenges.   It was also a time to thank our Father, in heaven, whom without Him, all this goodness would not be possible.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Ya Kun Kaya Toast with Kuya


 Finally, Singaporean kopi is now available in Pasay City.   It has been a while since I haven't been to Mall of Asia.   Months ago a deal at Buyanihan came out, it was about Ya Kun Kaya Toast although it is