THERE are only a few days left before Valentine’s Day. Do you already know what to get for your special someone? How about a cake, or maybe a few cupcakes, perhaps some cookies to show just how much you love her (or him)? If it’s as special as Valentine’s Day, it has got to be deserts from M Bakery. Known for its delicious American desserts, M Bakery is making a selection of Valentine’s-inspired desserts available for Valentine’s Day. They look and taste so good that your loved one would not be able to resist.
INDIVIDUAL ICEBOX CAKES. These sweet treats are four layers of M Bakery’s handmade chocolate wafers, sandwiched with strawberry puree whipped cream cheese between wafers, and sprinkled on top with red, pink and white heart-shaped candy sprinkles.
Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
VALENTINE’S DAY CUPCAKES. What say you get a box of M Bakery’s cupcakes in vanilla, chocolate and red velvet flavors, with three cupcakes piped into lovely giant roses to simulate a bouquet and the other three cupcakes printed with special edible image messages? They are a cool way to express your feelings.
Valentine’s Day Confetti Cookies
VALENTINE’S DAY CONFETTI COOKIES. Nothing can go wrong with classic sugar cookies baked perfectly—and, for Valentine’s, studded with red, heart-shaped ‘confetti’.
Red Velvet White Out Cupcakes
RED VELVET WHITE OUT CUPCAKES. Red is the color of love, and M Bakery’s Red Velvet White Out Cupcakes are undoubtedly red all over. They are special red velvet cupcakes topped with whipped vanilla icing topped with red velvet cake crumbs. They scream Valentine’s!
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
RED VELVET WHOOPIE PIES. These are another version of Red Velvet Cake, this time molded into two handmade mini round cakes with perfectly piped vanilla buttercream between them.
VALENTINE’S CAKES. M Bakery also offers 6-inch and 9-inch classic vanilla or chocolate Valentine’s Cake with vanilla buttercream icing and cute piped hearts designs. A dedication can be added on top to give it a personalized look and feel. Customized cakes and cupcakes with edible printed images are likewise available for the occasion.
(M Bakery is located at the Lower Ground Floor, Unit 23, One Bonifacio High Street Mall, 5th Ave. corner 28th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City; with telephone numbers (+632) 847-9829 and (+63) 917-6331718.)
CALIFORNIA Pizza Kitchen (CPK) is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the Philippines, and so it takes advantage of this opportune time to recall its most popular pizzas in the past 20 years and make them available again.
“California Pizza Kitchen has distinguished itself as a pizza authority the world over, fashioning out a creative niche of California style artisanal pizzas n much the same way as New York and Chicago established their own distinct pizza identities in their own boroughs,” explains Bob Vallar, marketing manager of CPK Philippines.
Rustica Pepperoni Pizza
Old pizza favorites that will be making a grand re-appearance on the CPK menu include Roast Duck Pizza (marinated duck breast, soy glazed shiitake mushrooms, Mozzarella cheese, crispy fried wonton strips, scallions and Hoisin sauce); Tuna Melt Pizza (tuna salad, mixed cheeses, tomatoes and onion); Mango Tandoori Pizza (Indian spiced chicken chunks with Mozzarella cheese, onion, ripe mango chunks, curry sauce and red peppers); and Rustica Crispy Thin Crust Pizza (pepperoni, fresh Mozzarella cheese, Neapolitan pizza sauce, olives, capers, chili flakes and Parmesan cheese); all of which were first introduced in 1998.
Wild Mushroom Pizza
Also making a strong comeback are two 2000 originals, Wild Mushroom Pizza (sautéed wild mushrooms, mixed cheeses, fresh parsley and mushroom pizza sauce) and Cheeseburger Pizza (ground Angus beef, crispy bacon, mixed cheeses, caramelized onion, tomatoes, lettuce and secret sauce, plus sliced fresh avocados).
Each of these pizzas has distinct characteristics that warrantees its comeback. Roast Duck Pizza is a classic Chinese gourmet dish transformed into a pizza; Tuna Melt Pizza is preferred by the health-conscious; Mango Tandoori Pizza enjoys a bit of a cult following with its Indian flavors; Rustica Crispy Thin Crust Pizza exhibits the simplicity and clean flavors of classic Italian and Sicilian pizzas; Wild Mushroom Pizza is a big hit among vegetarians; and Cheeseburger Pizza has a hand-tossed pizza dough replacing the traditional burger bun and carries on a unique California twist with the avocado slices on it.
Spicy Chorizo Pizza
White Clam Pizza
Chicken Fajita Pizza
Complementing these pizza avengers are new creations guaranteed to become instant but nevertheless long-lasting favorites: Spicy Chorizo Pizza (Spanish chorizo, chili pepper sauce, cheese, roasted bell peppers, onion and fresh avocado slices); White Clam Pizza (clams, Mozzarella cheese, onion, extra virgin olive oil and select spices); Chicken Fajita Pizza (Latin heat comes with Mexican spiced chicken, cilantro pesto, scallions, mixed cheeses and spices).
Tropical Quorn Pizza
Two vegetarian pizza options—Tricolore Crispy Thin Crust Pizza (with mixed greens and diced tomatoes, topped with shaved Parmesan cheese), and Tropicale Quorn Pizza (regular hand-tossed pizza dough topped with Quorn chunks, grilled pineapple, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, yellow onion and cilantro on coconut cream sauce, drizzled with Caribbean sauce)—also made it to the new menu. The latter is a partnership with Quorn, which is a brand of meat-free, low-calorie, low-fat, high-protein and high-fiber mycoprotein derived from a type of mushroom.
Chicken Tequila Fettuccine
The new menu also includes two new pasta offerings, Chicken Tequila Fettuccine (with chicken chunks, bell pepper, cilantro and lime juice in Cuervo Gold Tequila cream sauce) and Cajun-spiced Jambalaya Pasta (with chicken, smoked sausage, blackened shrimps, and scallions in Jambalaya sauce).
The comprehensive new menu of CPK comes complete with two salads, three all-new rice entrées, and two desserts.
California Harvest Salad
Golden Pear Salad
Both salads are of fresh garden style. The California Harvest Salad is loaded with baby kale, Napa cabbage, carrots and steamed farrow seeds mixed with red seedless grapes, strawberries, watermelon cubes and almonds, with a choice of Citrus or Blueberry vinaigrette for dressing. The Golden Pear Salad is more straightforward, with fresh arugula, celery, parsley, candied walnuts and Cheddar cheese in lime olive oil dressing.
Thai Calamari Rice
Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp Rice
Following the positive response to CPK’s introduction of all-new California inspired rice entrées for the first time in the country last year, three all-new rice entrées have been added to the menu—Thai Calamari Rice (with roasted peanuts, pineapple, chili peppers, scallions and Japanese furikake in sweet Thai chili sauce); Salisbury Steak Rice (juicy Wagyu beef patty, caramelized onion and sunny side up egg in demi-glace sauce); and Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp Rice (with garlic, mushrooms, carrots, ginger, bell pepper, roasted peanuts and cilantro in coconut curry sauce).
Banoffee Pie
Nutella Cheesecake
For meal-enders, Banoffee Pie (with bananas, coffee powder, cream, caramel syrup and candied walnuts on Graham cracker crust) and Nutella Cheesecake (with hazelnut chocolate, cream cheese, chocolate syrup and whipped cream on Graham cracker crust).
For a restaurant chain that has just marked its 20th year, CPK is on the right track in bringing back old favorites and complementing them with new but equally exciting creations. The old and the new, the familiar and the promise of a good gastronomic adventure… They are a good formula for a successful new menu.
(California Pizza Kitchen has branches at Alabang Town Center, W Global Center in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Century City Mall, and Shangri-La Plaza.)
CELEBRATE auspicious beginnings on Chinese New Year with Marco Polo Ortigas Manila tomorrow, February 5, 2019, as the hotel ushers in the Year of the Earth Pig in every possible way according to tradition.
One is making auspicious and staple glutinous rice cakes called nian gao (better known as tikoy in the Philippines) available to everyone. Partaking of it is a symbolic way of making the family “stick” together the whole year through. At Marco Polo Ortigas, the nian gao comes in two forms—the gold bar, which is available in boxes of one and two pieces and in brown sugar flavor; and the traditional round tikoy, which is available in orange and brown sugar flavors. Prices start at Php798 per piece.
More nian gao, better known as tikoy
Feast over “lucky” dishes to attract good luck and good fortune. Marco Polo Ortigas’ Chinese executive chef Terry Lai has come up with two special authentic Cantonese set menus at Lung Hin. Check out this lineup of auspicious dishes: Suckling Pig Cold Cuts Combination, Steamed Live Garoupa with Minced Garlic in Supreme Soy Sauce, and Braised Abalone with Fish Maw in Oyster Sauce (for 10 heads). Also available in the special a la carte menu is the classic Salmon Yu Sheng Prosperity Toss Salad, which is a platter bearing mounds of different ingredients, such as smoked salmon strips, carrots, cucumber, radish and pomelo. On cue, the salad is tossed way up high using chopsticks by everyone standing around the table. Condiments such as sesame oil and plum sauce are then mixed in, and everyone partakes of the ‘messy’ salad for good luck.
Feng Shui Master Joseph Chau
Lion and Dragon Dance
To make the Chinese New Year celebration even more exciting Feng Shui Master Chau Kam Shing (also known as Joseph Chau) lends his presence and leads in a ceremonial blessing ritual, followed by Dragon and Lion Dances.
All these are happening at the hotel’s Ground Level on February 5, 2019, at 11:00 a.m.
For more information, call (02) 720-7720.
(Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is located at Meralco Ave. corner Sapphire Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.)
CELEBRATE the Chinese New Year tomorrow, February 5, 2019, with an auspicious lunch with family and close friends at F1 Hotel Manila’s F All Day Dining. The hotel’s executive chef, Angelo Timban, has created a lunch buffet menu that includes auspicious dishes such as Black Pepper Crab, Prawns with Chili Garlic, Lechon Macao, and Steamed Lapu-lapu in Sweet Soya Sauce. Guests can enjoy all these dishes—and more—for only Php1,699 per person.
The Lion Dance is performed to drive away evil spirits and bad fortune
Dine in a festive atmosphere as Lion Dance performances take place all around the hotel, which is decked in red and gold lanterns and ang pao (red envelopes)—activities and motifs that attract good luck and good fortune.
For inquiries and reservations, call(02) 908-7888. For online booking, visit www.f1hotelmanila.com.
(F1 Hotel Manila is located at 32nd St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.)
Triple Cooked Crab with Beehon is a lucky dish to indulge in during Chinese New Year
DIAMOND Hotel Philippines welcomes the Chinese New Year, which happens to be the Year of the Earth Pig, with a Dragon and Lion Dance, gastronomic celebrations featuring traditional lucky dishes, Feng Shui consultation, and staycation packages.
Over at Corniche, diners get to explore the aromatic flavors of Chinese cuisine from February 2 to 5, 2019, as the hotel’s Chinese Chef Yang Yong presents a good spread in the buffet for Php2,880 nett per person. What’s more: With a minimum spend of Php5,000, diners are entitled to “Pick-A-Prize” for a chance to win gift certificates from the hotel.
Go for the lunch buffet on February 5, the auspicious day of the Chinese New Year, and catch the Dragon and Lion Dance performed by the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation as well as Chinese instrumental music by Kim Hwa Ensemble. Together, they clear the path for prosperity and good luck in the Year of the Earth Pig. For a minimum spend of Php5,000 at the Corniche lunch buffet on February 5, diners also get a free 10-minute Feng Shui consultation with Angel Macalino.
To complete the Chinese New Year experience, lucky charms that are designed to attract wealth and positive energy in the Year of the Earth Pig are for sale at the hotel lobby for the occasion.
For an even more exciting celebration, Diamond Hotel offers its Chinese New Year Staycation promo at Php8,000 nett per night in a Premier Room from February 1 to 6, 2019. A shou sui “we time” overnight stay includes buffet breakfast for two, unlimited Wi-Fi access, 30% discount at Food and Beverage outlets except Corniche, Room Service, and alcoholic drinks, plus complimentary shuttle service to Intramuros and Mall of Asia during the weekend. On February 5 itself, in-house guests get 20% off on laundry and massage services. Simply use the promo code LUCKY when booking via diamondhotel.com.
For inquiries and reservations, call (632) 528-3000.
(Diamond Hotel Philippines is located at Roxas Blvd. corner Dr. J. Quintos St., Manila.)
