Am not much into eat-all-you can buffet these days for the reason that it will make me have Claudine Barretto hips more horizontally-challenged. I broke my fast with the invitation from Diamond Hotel to try their just-launched Filipino food festival at Corniche with the spotlight on Culinaria Capampangan by Chef Sau Del Rosario.
Indeed, these words made me vanish dieting from my vocabulary: Kapampangan (certainly my fave cuisine) and Chef Sau. One would be a fool to resist an appointment with this celebrity cook.
So there I was lucky to be seated with the chef of the hour and to find that he’s one down to earth guy. In my short conversation with him, I learned all about the history of sisig, their heirloom family recipes and how he does NOT eat camaru (among other exotic insects) like a true Kapampangan.
“Inspired” is the way to describe the menu Chef Sau has concocted for the Corniche food fest, as he tried to add a twist to traditional flavors.Adobo & quezong puti pizza anyone? How about Pork sisig with foie gras and organic egg or US sirlin bistek with shiitake? I certainly couldn’t resist this boneless crispy pata kare-kare with steamed local vegetables. It was awesome!
We’re so happy to hear the news that Fil-Am singing sensation Jessica Sanchez has made it to Top 3 of American Idol. No doubt, everyone’s votes counted inasmuch as Jessica took the breath of the judges away with her last performance singing “And I am Telling You am not going” from Dreamgirls. The song title is so apt from the manner she stayed, indeed!
Will Jessica Sanchez be the youngest winner of American Idol? Her fans would like to know as she steps closer to bagging the ultimate limelight as the Top 4 finalists in AI Season 11 square off later.
It’s Pinoy People Power once again as Filipinos and friends across the United States band together to put Jessica in the Top 3.
The whole thing suddenly looks like a circus. The whole nation is watching the developments in the airport brouhaha in the same way we’ll be glued to Chief Justice Renato Corona’s testimony on his alleged $10 million account.
Cebu Pacific’s ground personnel have come out in the open to say Claudine Barretto really “verbally abused” them. Judging from this old Claudine video on ASAP, we’re bound to believe she cussed indeed. Video’s kinda blurred, but you know what we mean. Oh dear!
The big news of the day is the scuffle between Ramon Tulfo vs. Raymart Santiago & Claudine Barretto at the Cebu Pacific terminal in NAIA 3.
Somebody took a video of a man (looking like Tulfo) being beaten up by a group (presumably Santiago’s). Nobody has come up with the video yet of Claudine berating the Cebu Pacific ground personnel over her missing luggage. She is shown with her back to the camera wearing white shorts and a pink sleeveless shirt. She’s also shown helping punch Tulfo to the ground. The whole scene is kinda shocking.
Cebu Pacific still has to issue a statement in this unfolding drama.
This event I attended weeks ago was so comfy. It was held in a nice hotel (Makati Shang-ri La) and even had a Starbucks booth brought inside just so we can have frappe and iced coffee on a hot summer day. ’twas time for the annual Coffee Talk sponsored by banking giant HSBC and the topic was something on top of every normal woman’s mind: diets and weight control.
Time to get acquainted with the hottest words of the day: Cohen, HCG diet, CrossFit, Juju Cleanse, and more!
I couldn’t help but admire most of the panelists who sported their newfound physiques for the world to see. There was JL Martinez who lost 120 lbs on the 500-calorie a day HCG diet, Art Mendoza who used to weigh 360 lbs before he placed first runner-up in Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition, Juju Cleanse founder Kat Azanza, CrossFit advocate Lala Agregado and Cohen devotee Rescina Bhagwani. Also shown in photo are writer/columnist Jessica Zafra and the lovely Johanna Garcia, SVP for communications HSBC.
Cohen is the one am most familiar with since celebrities & others who’ve immersed themselves with it happily show rapid weight loss. It entails strict discipline as you really have to measure your food. Panelist Rescina Bhagwani says she has to make her own salad vinaigrette and bring little steamers on her trips just so she can meet the stern requirements of the Cohen diet. “The result is good since I’ve become more desirable to my husband,” she reports.
While there’s much anticipation for the so-called iPhone 5, tech giant Samsung has shown that it’s ahead of the game with the recent launch in London of its high-end smartphone, the Galaxy S III (or S3).
Word has it that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will be available to consumers starting late May or June. Being a Galaxy S2 user, I am of course excited about this development since I would like to know if there’s enough reason to upgrade. Judging from the specs of the new Samsung android phone, looks like there are lots of reasons to switch phones now indeed!
Here are some features to love about the upcoming Galaxy S3: (taken from the official Galaxy website)
I’ve been researching on the state of the Philippine National Railway trains because I want to use this mode of transport in going to Bicol. In popular parlance, the trains are known as the Bicol Express. I don’t know if this differs from the train line called Mayon Limited.
The trains are further classified into de luxe and ordinary. Understandably, the de luxe trains are more expensive and should I say, has better toilets or CR. Not bad really. I was expecting worse
On May 5, Saturday, 9am-1pm, Chef Roberto Cimmino, Italian Chef de Cuisine at EDSA Shangri-la Hotel’s acclaimed Paparazzi Restaurant, visits The Maya Kitchen.
The young chef who is a native of Italy, will prepare a complete course of Zuppa Minestrone, Italian Vegetable Stew with Prosciutto and Parmesan; Insalata Rughetta, Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan, Toasted Pine Nuts and Balsamico Reduction; Fettucine, fresh homemade Pasta with Classical Tomato and Basil Sauce; Risotto alla Parmigiana, a basic recipe; Pan Seared Black Lapu-lapu with Broccoli Mash, Capers, Nuts and a touch of Anchovies and Tiramisu “As Roby Likes It.”
The invitation read: rockeoke night at Greenwich Katipunan. Katips (which is how some people refer to this campus area) is generally no man’s land for me because it’s at the end of the equator (the north to my south). But I just couldn’t say no to this girl: the new PR manager for Greenwich Pizza, Ms. Cookie Cabrera.
Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the long drive to Katipunan because it made me see an area I don’t always venture into (yes I know right, this is ONLY Manila!) A change of scenery can be good sometimes (even if you see mostly smog in this city). Plus, there seemed to be interesting restaurants worth trying.
Anyway, the Greenwich Rockeoke Night was one event I enjoyed since it was a small crowd, had a simple objective (singing + eating + a little chatting). Not to mention, it was organized by the same publicity firm that made Magnum ice cream a public sensation.
