SELDOM do we get to taste an exotic cuisine like Moroccan cuisine. ‘Tis why it was one of the main attractions during the recently concluded Le Couer du Maroc (The Heart of Morocco) festival held at Rustan’s Makati last August.
Held in partnership with The Embassy of The Kingdom of Morocco, the Moroccan National Tourism Office in China, HSBC, and Fairmont Makati, the month-long festival featured delectable Moroccan cuisine at Rustan’s Café Casablanca, located on the Fifth Floor of the premier retailer’s flagship store in Makati City. One of Morocco’s most famous chefs, Chef Moha Fedal, prepared the authentic Moroccan food, which delighted diners so much so that the festival was extended for two weeks.
The festival ends on September 15, 2018, so there is still time to head over to Rustan’s Makati to savor the finest Moroccan dishes and enjoy the one-of-a-kind gastronomic journey that Café Casablanca offers.
The lunch buffet is priced at Php1,300, while the three available set dinner menus are priced at Php895 each.
AT the end of every rainbow is a pot of gold, and it is indeed a pot of gold—precious health—you will gain when you follow the ‘Rainbow Diet.’
What exactly is the Rainbow Diet?
Well, it is a diet based on the colors of fruits, vegetables and other plant-based food items. According to doctors and nutritionists, the colorful your plate is (actually the contents of your plate), the better it is for your health, as the health content of fruits and vegetables is reflected on their color. This is due to the phytochemicals in plants, which are naturally occurring compounds that provide their color, odor and flavor.
THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW
According to Ma. Paz L. Sales, a Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian…
… Fruits that are blue and purple carry anthocyanin, which help keep the heart healthy and maintain blood pressure at a normal level.
… Red-colored fruits and vegetables are rich in cancer-fighting lycopene.
… Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are abundant in Vitamin C and beta-cryptoxanthin, which is converted to Vitamin A when ingested by the body.
… Greens carry Vitamin K, folic acid, potassium, carotenoids and modest amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids.
The key is to combine rainbow colors into your diet.
THE POWER OF PURPLE
The problem with some colors, though, is that they are not always found in local fruits and vegetables. Blue and purple hues, for example, do not occur much in local fruits and vegetables. It is therefore important to source them from imported fruits and vegetables because the anthocyanin and polyphenols in blues and purples effectively lessen the risk of lifestyle diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.
A good source of blues and purples happens to be grapes—or grape juice. You can eat grapes or drink grape juice like Welch’s 100% grape juice. Doing the latter actually provides more polyphenols than eating grapes because: 1) Welch’s 100% grape juice is made from Concord grapes, whose thick, dark purple skin and crunchy seeds carry a good dose of healthy polyphenols; and 2) making pure grape juice involves crushing the whole fruit, including the seeds and skin, thus releasing more of these nutrients into the juice.
Welch’s 100% grape juice is available in retail outlets nationwide.
CAKES and coffee. They go together like two peas in a pod, yin and yang, ube and macapuno. So do this month’s featured cakes and pastries and special brewed coffee at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s Café Pronto.
Cordillera Sunrise
Available for breakfast, snack or dessert, this perfect combination of sweet treats and coffee include the Cordillera Sunrise. It’s a special brew using special beans sourced from the highlands of Northern Philippines. The Arabica type beans are grown in the first-class municipality of Tuba in the southwestern region of Benguet. Locals have been farming these beans using traditional methods and sustainable means. Grown 1,600 meters above sea level, the Arabica trees are nurtured by the cool mountain air and are allowed to flourish under the shade of pine trees. With its full-bodied flavor and milk floral aroma, the coffee that these Arabica beans produce is exquisite indeed.
A perfect match for the Cordillera Sunrise is this month’s featured cake, the Oreo Cheesecake, available in small cakes for simple enjoyment and in big cakes for special celebrations.
Cafe Pronto’s French macarons come in different colors and flavors
Another perfect partner for the special coffee brew is French macarons. They come in different colors and flavors, such as Coffeenosa, Mango Passion Fruit, Pistachio, Strawberry, Tiramisu and White Chocolate Raspberry.
Café Pronto is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
(Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is located at Meralco Ave. corner Sapphire St., Ortigas Center, Pasig City; with telephone number (632) 720-7777.)
Enjoy White Hot Chocolate (left) an Chocolicious Donut (right) this rainy season
GOOD news for chocolate lovers: This rainy season of August, Tim Hortons offers two new chocolate treats—one doughnut and one hot drink—that is just perfect for keeping warm and comfortable even on rainy afternoons. The exciting new bite is Chocolicious Donut, and the de-stressing beverage is White Hot Chocolate.
Chocolicious Donut
Chocolicious Donut is a yeast-raised doughnut bursting with chocolate brownie filling. The doughnut is dipped in white fondant and then outlined with dark chocolate flakes. Bite into its soft bread, with the white fondant giving just the right degree of resistance as you sink your teeth into the doughnut, and allow the chocolate filling to fill your mouth with gooey goodness.
White Hot Chocolate
White Hot Chocolate is a rich chocolate drink with a perfect milky note, rich and smooth texture, and just the right amount of sweetness. The drink is topped with a generous piping of whipped cream.
Enjoy these two new chocolate treats at Tim Hortons.
TAKE a break from the torrential rains, flash floods and overall gloomy weather in the metro this August by enjoying a nice, relaxing gourmet meal at Eastwood Richmonde Hotel’s Eastwood Café+Bar, be it lunch, dinner, snacks or bar chows.
Steak Diane with Caesar Salad, Potato & Corn Chowder Soup, and Vanilla Butter Cake with Toffee Apple Filling with Torched Meringue
Pan-seared Norwegian Salmon in Lemon Orange Glaze
Marinated Chicken Fillet in Madeira Sauce
For lunch and dinner, there’s mouth-watering Sizzlin’ Chef’s Specials set meals available at super great value and accompanied with flambé cooking by the tableside this whole month of August (201. Simply order any of the four main entrées—Steak Diane in Café de Paris Sauce (Php745), Pan-seared Norwegian Salmon in Lemon Orange Glaze (Php655), Prawns in Bisque Sauce (Php695), and Marinated Chicken Fillet in Madeira Sauce (Php575)—and get complimentary Caesar Salad, Potato & Corn Chowder Soup, and El Fuego Dulce or Vanilla Butter Cake with Toffee Apple Filling topped with torched meringue and vanilla ice cream. These Sizzlin’ Chef’s Specials are available at any time of the day until August 31.
Afternoon Tea Time at Eastwood Café+Bar
For dog day afternoons, there’s Afternoon Tea Time at Eastwood Café+Bar. For Php395nett, diners can enjoy assorted pastries, native delicacies and open-faced sandwiches, served with a steaming pot of Pure Green, English Breakfast or Earl Grey Twinings tea, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. daily.
Classic Italian Pizza
At any time of the day when guests crave for comfort food, such as pizza, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel offers the Classic Italian Pizza (Php325), a 12-inch Margherita Pizza with traditional toppings of mozzarella, tomato, garlic and basil. For an additional Php30 per topping, the pizza can be custom-made based on guests’ personal preferences, with topping selections such as pepperoni, bacon, ham, Hungarian sausage, black olives, button mushrooms, bell pepper, cheese, anchovy, onion and fresh tomatoes.
‘Fizz & Crackles’ available on the Fridays and Saturdays of August and September
On the Fridays and Saturdays of August and September, Eastwood Café+Bar serves Fizz & Crackles from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. For Php750nett, it is non-stop foamy fizzles from the bottomless drink choices of San Miguel Pale Pilsen, San Miguel Beer Light, Smirnoff Mule, Andy Cola and Raffa Sparkling Wine, plus crunchy munchies at the mini buffet, including unlimited cracklings, chips and assorted bar grub.
(Eastwood Richmonde Hotel is located at 17 Orchard Road, Eastwood City, Bagumbayan, Quezon City; and is accessible from the Second Floor of Eastwood Mall. For inquiries and reservations, call Eastwood Café+Bar at (632) 570-7777.)
