Entries Tagged 'Bar/Grills' ↓

This is the first time cocktail mixing will be featured here and it was really quite an interesting experience. The Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute (CTHI) invited NomNom Club late last year to seat in and participate in one of their lifestyle courses entitled Cocktail Mixing 101.

Cocktail Mixing 101

Popular cocktail drinks featured during the seminar were Strawberry Margarita, Frozen Pina Colada, Strawberry Mango Daiquiri Frozen, Mojito, Strawberry Mojito, and Tequila Sunrise. And as expected, we tried all of them! 🙂

Strawberry Margarita

Strawberry Margarita is a mixture of pureed strawberry, Tequila, lime juice and crushed ice served in a sexy margarita glass.

I personally love the Pina Colada Frozen. It’s a mixture of rum, pina colada mix and crushed ice served in hi-ball glass and garnish with pineapple wedge and straw.

For the Strawberry Mojito, you can use 7 mint leaves, strawberry halved and 2 lime wedges, rum, fresh sour rocks mix, pureed strawberries topped with soda.

The Tequila Sunrise is the easiest to prepare with few ingredients just the Tequila, orange juice and grenadine with orange juice and straw to garnish and serve in a hi-ball glass.

Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute

June Bug

Strawberry Mojito

Tequila Sunrise

Cocktail Surprise

Moulinex

Love vodka? Try the Melon Ball, a mixture of vodka, melon liqueur and orange juice. Serve it in a double old fashion/rock glass and garnish with orange wheel.

Melon Ball

This three hour long cocktail mixing 101 seminar was delivered by Sir Joel. It was an information-overload for me, but I learned a lot from choosing the right glass, mixing and garnishing, and knowing how to prepare popular cocktails in a professional way.

Here’s video taken during the seminar.

Special thanks to Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute.

Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute (CTHI)
2nd Floor Paragon Plaza, EDSA Cor. Reliance St. Mandaluyong City
Telephone Numbers :861-1061/ (+632) 584-7343
Website: http://www.canadiantourisminstitute.com/9/home

CTHI

The Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute (CTHI) is the first international franchise of the Canadian Tourism College (CTC) based in Vancouver, Canada. With its thirty (30) years of providing real-world quality tourism education, Food and Beverage Services is just one of the many programs being offered at CTHI.

Programs are divided into three areas- Diploma Courses, Certificate Courses and Professional Development.

Cocktail Mixing 101

Before the Cocktail Mixing 101 seminar ended, Sir Joel did us some flair bar tending exhibition. It was an interesting show as he juggled and flipped bottles and shakers with amazing skills.

The Food Adventure at Venice Piazza is back. It’s where you can taste the flavors of 12 restaurants for P600.

We have tried something similar to this mid of last year and another one about three months ago called Platter for 8 also in Venice Piazza where 14 participating restaurants offered big servings of dishes fit for eight people only for Php800.

This time, the Food Adventure if from 12 restaurants and only for P600! I have yet to try this one but they will start this weekend January 7 and every Saturday and Sunday following that until March 31, 2012. It is also offered only during 4pm to 9pm. Let’s see how this compares soon.

The Participating restaurants are :

• Blackwood Bistro
• The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
• Empire Deli
• Figaro
• KBOP
• KUSE
• Little Asia
• Old Vine Grille
• Pho Hoa
• Pinchos
• Red Crab Alimango House
• Ramen Bar
• Sol Gelato
• Yo Swirls

Food Adventure at Venice Piazza

It’s nice to see Figaro joined the promo this time as they were not in the list of previous promos (or maybe it’s a new branch, I don’t know). 🙂

Check out the details of the promo mechanics at Taste of Manila blog (click on link).

12 Restaurants - Php 600

So if you’re not doing anything this weekend, you might want to drop by McKinley Hill and check out the Food Adventure at Venice Piazza. Personally, I suggest you try it starting January 8 onwards, you wouldn’t want the inconsistencies of first day blues that goes with new activities. On the other hand, I’ll be at Market Market on Saturday, hopefully I can pass by. Bring your family to enjoy!

Old Vine Restaurant

Venice Piazza once again becomes a perfect place for friends and family to get-together with mouth-watering line-up of great food, good booze with the “Platter for 8“.

Ramen Bar

Venice Piazza recently launched the Party Platter Promo. All your food favourites in just one plate! Platter for 8 is available on  all weekends from October 15 – November 2011

The Food

For only P800 satisfy your taste buds with scrumptious pasta dish from Empire Deli or Blackwood Bistro.

How about a food trip from Japan, Korea and China – all these restaurants are participating the Platter for 8 too!

Yoshi’s Platter from Ramen Bar

The Restaurants:  choose from 14 participating establishments.

• Pasta Trio Platter from Blackwood Bistro
• Fantastic Four Platter from Carlo’s Pizza

Stackers Burger cafe

• Empire Italian’s Platter from Empire Deli
• Korean Group Meals Platter from KBOP
• Salo-salo set from Kuse
• Little Asia Symphony of Flavors from the Little Asia
• Fish and Steak Platter from the Old Vine Grille
• Nachos and Wings Platter from Pinchos Bar & Restaurant
• Yoshi’s Platter from Ramen Bar
• Arianne’s Platter from The Red Crab Alimango’s House
• Cheaper by the Dozen by Sol Gelato
• Auss’m Party Platter from Stackers Burger Café
• James Dean Platter from The Sweet Pea
• Nakayoshi Platter from  Tokyo Café

Nachos Platter from Pinchos Bar & Restaurant

Wings Platter from Pinchos Bar & Restaurant

Blackwood Bistro

Aside from the Platter 8, here are other things you can do at the Fort:

• Enjoy Everyday Happy Hour with colleagues and a bottle of beer for only P30 on weekdays. But if that’s not enough, enjoy buy 1 take 1 cocktails for only P40.
• Rockeoke  from Wednesdays at 8pm with 88.8 band. Listen to the music of The Beatles, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Gin Blossoms.
• Draybers every Saturdays at 7pm. With classic rock bands inspired by the likes of Lep Zeppelin, The Easgles, and Samantha.
• Spirit of ’67 every Sundays at 7pm. Enjoy good music from the 70s and good repertoire for the classics.

Yoshi's Platter from Ramen Bar has of course, Ramen! 🙂

12 Scoops of Ice Cream Dessert called 'Cheaper by the Dozen' from Sol Gelato - Yum!

So bring a healthy appetite when you come to the Venice Piazza Platter for 8!

Red Crab Alimango House

The Verdict

With the myriad of choices, NomNom’s Top 3 Picks of Recommend platters from among those we were able to try are the following:

• Korean Group Meals Platter from KBOP

• Salo-salo set from Kuse

• Yoshi’s Platter from Ramen Bar

Kuse

Ironically, only one of those three have photos in this article. I think we were too overwhelmed and busy eating hence the absence of their photos. lols 🙂

*Written by Marjorie Pineda and Jonel Uy for NomNomClub.com
There’s always room for more fun at Venice Piazza so bring your family and friends of 8 and celebrate good times. For more inquiries, call the concierge at 709-0888, 709-9888, and +63917817655.

So when are you visiting Venice Piazza for the Platter for 8? 🙂

We Filipinos are very familiar of festivals. With more than 7000 islands here in the Philippines, just imagine the number of festivals we celebrate in a year. Do we think that’s enough? Apparently, one cannot have too many festivals. On the 13th of October 2011, Appetite, together with Shangri-la Mall presented the Appetite Restaurant Festival to food writers, food photographers, food bloggers, and every kind of food enthusiasts.

Pages' Deli Meat Platter

Before going to the Appetite Restaurant Festival, I have prepared myself for a night of feasting so I did some chores which required walking from one mall to another. Finally, hungry from all that walking I headed to Shangri-la Mall for the upcoming festivities at the Appetite Restaurant Festival. Oh boy, did I have plenty to feast my eyes and mouth!

Cravings' Chicken A La Pobre

By now you might be thinking “what kind of festival is cooking at Shangri-la Mall”?

That was also my question when I arrived at Shangri-la Mall so I first stopped by at C2 Cuisine which I later learned is also one of the participating restaurants in the Appetite Restaurant Festival. The friendly C2 Cuisine staff instructed me to go to the ground floor where the Appetite Restaurant Festival will be held. I was thirty minutes early which is a good thing because I had all the pleasure of taking pictures of the different food selections at my pace.

I also had time to think about what to eat and try. There are lots (and I mean lots to choose from) and one can easily feel prey to gluttonous indulgences. After reaching the end of the station for pictures, the beginning of the festivities started.

Appetite Restaurant Festival Passport

Airplane Flight Theme

Apparently the theme is an airplane flight and that the guests are the passengers. Each passenger is given a passport which they have to show to each restaurant station for them to partake what the restaurant is offering. After the passenger receives his or her food, the passport is stamped which means that you have visited that station already. Apparently return visits were discouraged that time to accommodate other passengers.

Appetite Restaurant Festival filled the Shangri-La Mall Activity Area

By the way, the head flight crew is Sam O who donned a sexy flight attendant outfit. She introduced the representatives from Appetite Magazine and Shangri-la Mall who welcomed all the guests to try this one stop shop at the Appetite Restaurant Festival. The idea for the Appetite Restaurant Festival is to enjoy different cuisines coming from different locations: Asian, Mediterranean, American and European in just one stop which is Shangri-la Mall.

The Best from Classic Cuisine - C2

Lemongrass

What do I think of the concept? I love the idea! This is simply because it gives me choices on what to eat. I have a few favorite restaurants from the participating restaurants like Cravings and C2 Cuisine but I can’t go there every time. At the Appetite Restaurant Festivals I can still get something from the restaurants I frequent to and at the same time try also something new from other restaurants in just one stop. You have the elements of convenience and variety going on in just one location. I can imagine Sunday lunches with family or birthday celebrations being spent in the Appetite Restaurant Festivals.

Dessert Time!

It gives you that Sunday feeling of a laid-back eat-all-you can one-stop shop like the one in San Lorenzo’s place or the Sunday Market at the Lung Center (now moved somewhere!) but inside the mall. So for people who want to enjoy the comfort of an air-conditioned room with the feel of Sunday market menu, I highly recommend trying the Appetite Festival Restaurant.

Other participating restaurants include Lemongrass Asian Bistro, Cafe Provencal, Crustasia, Cyma, Pages, Pepper Lunch, Clawdaddy, Green Tomato, Secret Recipe, Pho Hoa, and Sing Hainanese Chicken House.

Appetite Magazine Dinner Event

Good food from Clawdaddy

I haven’t been back to the Appetite Restaurant Festival but I told the boys we ought to try it out after we get back from our diving trips. So far I want to know who has tried it too. Have you?

What was your experience during the Appetite Restaurant Festival? Drop me a link, a comment, or anything! I am really interested to know what you think of the Appetite Restaurant Festival.

If you’re looking for a new chill-out place without the pretensions of being cool-and-all-that, Big Bad Wolf is the place to be at.

Big Bad Wolf in Fort Bonifacio

Effortlessly, the relaxed and homey setup of Big Bad Wolf just makes you feel at home and in the company of your favorite friends with good food. This is what I felt the first time I went there and got to meet 2 of the three owners, Neil Paras and Ponch del Rosario. 

I wasn’t really expecting to meet them since my meeting there was supposed to be with the people of Brieo Deals. Anyhow, it was a good chat. I came to know  that all three were high school buds who had a common goal of establishing a restaurant just like how they envisioned Big Bad Wolf now – cozy, good ambiance, and great food.

Speaking of great food, they serve different preparations of steak, grilled meat, pasta, light meals, and appetizers they call little plates.

Best of all, they also serve the not-so-usual preparations of dishes we know. I’m can be a little adventurous when it comes to food so I do appreciate restaurants who creatively comes up with new fares to gear away from the usual stuff which can become boring in time.

Let the photos and names sell themselves (Top photo is Santol-smoked Pork Belly with Dirty Rice). 🙂

Potato Skins with Boursin Dip (P120)- highly recommended

Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup (P230)

Fresh Tuna Wrap with Wasabi Mayo (P220)

Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken Wings (P170) - I call this the Big Bad BonChon Chicken Wolf. 🙂

Poached Egg Carbonara Pasta - very good while it's hot

Goat Cheese & Chorizo Rolls (P240)

Bacon Wrapped Middle Eastern Dates (P280) - I loved this specially if you prefer it sweet

Peppered Chuck Steak (P490)

Dorado Fillet Wrapped in Bacon (P350) - for bacon lovers

They just had a promotions deal with Brieo Deals last month, but you can get updates form their Facebook page as well.

Big Bad Wolf
G/F Fairways Tower, 5th Ave. Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
+632.822.5833

Big Bad Wolf Restaurant Interiors

Tell your closest friends of this new hideaway called Big Bad Wolf, tucked quietly at the back of Fairways Tower at the corner of 5th Avenue and McKinley in Fort Bonifacio, share some wine or beer, and enjoy the night.

Simply Thai Restaurant

Indulge your Thai cravings at the new restaurant at Greenbelt 5 called Simply Thai. Owned by the same group of the successful Thai at Silk in Serendra, Executive Chef Cecile Chang-Ysmael yet again left no stone unturned for this newest endeavor, giving the classic Thai cuisine a modern-contemporary approach.

Her passion for Thai dishes is infallible, constantly in search for the best ingredients and supplies in her second home, Bangkok, to bring authenticity to Filipino diners and weary travelers who craves for a hearty Thai meal that only she can serve best.

Your Thai cravings will surely be satisfied with wide ranges of soup, salad, stir-fried dishes and many more. To name some of their bestsellers are the appetizing Yam Som O or the Pomelo Salad, North Thai Steak in jim-jaew sauce, Lamb Shank Mussaman Curry, Pork Stew in Coconut Juice, Choo chee Roti, Sriracha buffalo wings, and the famous air-flown Dungeness Crab in three sauces. The spiciness level can be adjusted to your liking.

Bar, Simply Thai

Complete the flavors of Thai with a brewed Thai Green Milk Tea, Thai Milk Tea, Lemongrass and Pandan Juices. Relax and take a sip of some cocktails which are the first in Manila such as Lemongrass Martinis, Thai Choco Dream and Melodious Mangorita! The quaint restaurant comes with a circular bar for diners who prefer to lounge outdoors.

Let Simply Thai give you the whole Bangkok experience in one amazing night with your family and friends.

Simply Thai accepts booking for events, private parties and the like, with a choice of main or garden al fresco dining in Greenbelt 5. Call 7290860 or 7296860 for reservations.

*Written by resident NomNomClub writer Renz Alcantara.

It’s Dad’s turn! After Mother’s Day last month, wives, children, and families are thinking of places this weekend where to spend time with their Dads on Father’s Day!

Aside from home, you may choose to catch the special offers by these restaurants specially for Father’s Day:

Corniche (in Diamond Hotel)

Corniche in Diamond Hotel will serve a Father’s Day special buffet called “Celebration of Filipino Flavors” by Chefs Roland and Jackie Laudico of Bistro Filipino at P1,588 net per person or P1,888 with unlimited beer, house wine or any standard drink of your choice.

22 Prime

Father’s Day brunch at 22 Prime will be a feast on cold appetizers, salads and soups, entrees, and Prime Rib Carving at P1,295+ per person, available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Dads get special souvenir items like men’s fragrances from Hayden Paris Fragrances, gifts, products from Belo For Men, and selected men’s wear from Gold Toe.

Café d’Asie (The Bellevue Hotel)

Marriott Café (Marriott Hotel Manila)

Brunch or dinner seafood buffet with Asian and Western favorites, fresh seafood, carving station, and desserts at P2,000 net per person.

Dine at Marriott Café, Cru Steakhouse or The Lounge on Father’s Day and get a chance to take home a mini cooper and drive it to anywhere for three days.

 

Bizu Chocolate Cigars

Astralis (by Diamond Hotel)

Astralis in Power Plant Mall offers brunch buffet for P758 net per person featuring one signature dish plus salad and dessert buffets.

Dine in a group of 5 and Dad dines for free plus a surprise giveaway!

Bizu Chess Cake

Bizu Patisserie

Get free items upon purchase of Sugar-free Chocolate Cigars and Checkmate Cake in Bizu. The former is a premium handmade gourmet chocolate cigars made with sugar-free milk chocolate and croquantine wafers in a piano finished cigar box. The latter are made of layers of Almond Dacquoise, Italian Gianduja Ganache, Feulletine Wafer and Lime White Chocolate Mousseline.

Serye’s Cafe

Free gift for Dad when you dine in. You can also get a special Serye mug & Barako Coffee with P2,500 purchase

CAV

Free set menu for dads with a reservation for 6 or more persons in CAV.

Father's Day at CAV

Agave Mexican Cantina

Get a chance to win a free dinner for two or a bottle of wine in Agave Mexican Cantina. Father’s Day coloring pages for kids will also be given away.

Café d’Asie (The Bellevue Hotel)

Fathers get special gifts (Men’s Health and Top Gear magazines) from The Bellevue Hotel and Summit Media

What a huge set of choices, and there are more as restaurants take the opportunity in this family affair. Happy Father’s Day to your Dad wherever he may be!

In a recent trip to Singapore, we checked out the Lantern atop Fullerton Bay Hotel. The stylish rooftop bar definitely provided an awesome panoramic view of Singapore’s Marina Bay including the majestic structure of the new Marina Bay Sands.

Lantern Bar

Located alongside Marine Bay and having opened only last year, “Lantern derives its name from Clifford Pier’s historical Chinese name – ‘Red Lantern Pier‘…a landing point for Singapore’s first immigrants and red lanterns used to hang from the pier as a guide to seafarers,” its website indicate.

Merlion Cocktail

Lantern houses signature vintage and modern cocktails including concoctions of mojito, vodka, tequila, , and of course – wines. Most are inspired from the Caribbean Islands and Latin America.

Being a light drinker, I just had a glass of the ‘Merlion.’ At S$24, it is one of their signature cocktails and not a surprising choice from a tourist like me. 🙂 The Merlion is a Don Julio tequila with young ginger, honey water, lime and soda. It came out good with the other ingredients making the tequila seem light, which I think fits my drinking level, in that sense. 🙂

Fullerton Bay Hotel's Lantern

Lantern with the panoramic view of Marina Bay Sands

Other options include the Imperial Berry Mojito (S$28), Caipirinha (Cachaca, Lime, Refined Sugar – S$19), and Air Mail (S$22) which is basically a mixture of Pampero dark rum, lime, honey, and champagne.

Lantern's Live Band / DJ

They also offer a short list of tapas and grills for a light dinner or something to nibble on. The live band and acoustic beats further adds to the bar’s chic ambiance.

Lantern Rooftop Bar
Fullerton Bay Hotel
Singapore
12 pm – 2 am
Phone: (65) 6597 5299
Website: www.fullertonbayhotel.com

Lantern's Swimming Pool glass cross-section visible from the bar

As if that’s not enough, a picturesque infinity pool at the center, with a visible cross section, further accentuates Lantern‘s sophistication.