Dining Divine: Dusit Thani Manila's Sunday Family Crossover Brunch

A Sunday afternoon should always be spent with family and friends; and a short staycation or lunch out wouldn't hurt even in the confines of Metro Manila. Life was a little too easy for me this weekend so I chose to spend it with friends at Dusit Thani Manila, one of the most luxurious hotels in Makati's business district. It was good because they had specials offered that afternoon. I just had to take a peek at what they have on the menu.

Sunday Family Crossover Brunch

I'm no stranger in featuring buffets in my site and you're part of the reason why I'm trying this out today. I should charge you for this but I won't ;) I love you guys THIS much. Dusit Thani Manila's got a Sunday Family Crossover Brunch promo out and do you know what that entails? Imagine this, cuisines from Thailand, Italy, Japan and elsewhere in the world fit into 4 restaurants plus their signature drinks all for the price of 1,800.00. Yeap! You heard that right, even I was a little surprised about their affordable price compared to buffets from other hotels... plus the fact that you can do this in these 4 restaurants: UMU, Tosca, Basix and Benjarong.

Let's start and take a look their restaurants!

BaSixBaSix boasts International cuisine on its roster and we were greeted right away with two stations for their Japanese and Chinese offerings. Imagine getting the chance to eat something from these regions in one place. Everyone was so accommodating when I entered this restaurant!

The seafood choices were great and this is just the first restaurant we went to; just imagine what it would be like in the other three!Dusit Thani Manila has this Tandoor oven. There are only about 2 in existence in Metro Manila and this is quite authentic because they use wood burning fire for this one. You'll get the fresh pita/Indian/Middle Eastern bread and have those scrumptious KEBAB in no time!

Make your experience complete with a variety of dips and sauces which this part of the world is known for! I love their curries and chili! There are also some Yogurt based ones that's so good!

They've also got huge steamers on standby if you want your choice of Chinese Dimsum/Dumplings hot off the bamboo baskets. If you mix and match with something Asian, you can never go wrong! Find that and a lot of more in Basix!Freshly baked bread and choices of condiments are available. This is Brunch after all!

Indulge yourself with a platter or two of these local fruit selections or jazz up those bread pieces with any jam you prefer.

They won't forget your sweet tooth since they've got A LOT of choices for dessert in this restaurant alone. But make sure when you get the Sunday Family Crossover Brunch you have to MAKE ROOM for more!

Tosca

Tosca plays quite a big role in the throng of restaurants that Dusit Thani Manila has. It bears Italian cuisine which is widely craved for by patrons/guests of the hotel. We've got to have some comfort food; so this is just perfect!

Looking at the spread they have for Pasta's just makes my mouth water! You can choose your own kind of pasta and the sauce that comes with it! YES you heard that right! Fresh handmade pasta or imported ones with your own preferred sauce cooked right on the spot! Even the salads were quite good, they'll prepare it whatever you want. That's how special you are!

Not only that, you've got the Chef to also prepare you your own RISOTTO. I love Mushroom Risotto and that's exactly what they cooked for me that afternoon. They use real deal Arborio Rice plus freshly grated Parmesan cheese and loads of mushroom for that meaty taste! I love how this just melts in your mouth but still feel that filling rice goodness. Sprinkle more of that Parmesan cheese plus add a dollop of butter and ohhhh...End of discussion. This is just TO DIE FOR!

Get your favorite fish seared or made to soup, they can handle that too. Do you even think other hotels can do 4 restaurants for the same price? I mean seriously?!

TIP!: Make sure you order the famous Chocolate Cake from Tosca. They run out of this too fast because people are hoarding it! It's that good! You also have the option to top it off with your favorite Ice Cream flavor! Don't you ever forget this!
If you are in the mood for Pizza, Tosca's got you covered! They have a "Make Your Own Pizza" station so you can whip up your own pizza fresh off the oven!I like the rustic bread choices too. It makes you want to scoop pasta sauces with it.

200 labels of reds, whites, champagnes and sparkling wines and recognitions of keeping this stash for the longest time. Some hotels just dream about this but in Dusit Thani Manila they've got this going!Plus their signature drink and bubbly that's got either Orange, Apple or Mango tones should always be on your list to try!

Fruits in season plus chocolate with hazelnut - nutella like concoctions/mascarpone cheese based ones adorn the dessert spread in Tosca... more reason to adore the second restaurant on our list. Are you ready for more?! Salut!




Benjarong


Thai Food has been consistently on my list since I've ventured into Asian cuisine these past few years. Why not?! When its made its mark on the world stage already; plus the fact that it is quite close to our palate. It definitely has been a catalyst of describing what Southeast Asian cuisine seem to be and I LOVE how intense the SPICES are. Royal Thai Cuisine need not to be only for the royals anymore, this time it's readily available at Benjarong. You won't miss this on the mezzanine of Dusit Thani Manila. They currently have a huge boat right in front and boy I was so honored to see the Chef personally preparing food for me. I want my Pad Thai... and I got more than that!
It would never be as AUTHENTIC as THIS! How can I not have so much fun eating in Benjarong when the actual person preparing my food was a Thai Chef! I also kinda talked to her because she was so nice! When asked for Pad Thai she immediately walked to her small kitchen and heated up the pan. Thrown in these fresh ingredients and VOILA!

She was so nice I tell you and even recommended dessert. I love how the Thai in one way or another is quite close with Filipino cuisine. They've got custards, rice based sweets and coconut with brown sugar! Mmmmm!

This one is my favorite. It's like the local BIKO but a tad simpler, not too sweet. Then they have it topped off with sweet Mango. It was fresh and sweet, I really liked it! The other one that was green and had coconut filling on it was good too!Don't get me started about the SALADS because just mention Papaya, Green Mango, Ripe Mangoes, Pomelo, shrimp paste all whipped up together with fish sauce and other dressings just spells YUM-O!

Then just check out the Pad Thai that the Chef personally made me. The sugar and chili just adds the right amount of kick in this dish. I REALLY LOVE IT!

I'm allergic to seafood but I didn't mind about it on this occasion. Just imagine what I could have missed if I didn't eat this one on the plate! Took my meds afterwards. This is included in the Sunday Family Crossover Brunch, its the third restaurant on our list.. isn't that just nice?! ☺

UMU

It was packed when we got there and the place was quite reminiscent of the EDO period. It has that charm of neo Japanese style in food yet it kept the original ambiance homes from that part of the globe is known for. I love Japanese food and with the personal tour I made during this Sunday Family Crossover Brunch off to an end it was nice to sit down and relax in this restaurant. Above all the service there was impeccable. I have to say, even the Manager herself was on her feet making sure everyone had all the things they need. The place was like a scene in a movie; the whole porch plus the KOI pond in front of a couple of pavilions was like a Samurai dojo. I love how they kept it authentic with the mats and paper screened doors. The place itself was a treat to be in and the food was AMAZING. From sushi rolls to maki, or for the adventurous ones "the sashimi" it was a whole different experience altogether. There are also Robata areas so if you want to enjoy something roasted/barbecued it's the place to be!

Fresh soups, udon, ramen in your favorite broth/miso are also available. I love the fact that they do this on a regular basis and got master chefs on stand by. The seafood spread was a delight to see, you should check that out after the Teppan show!

There are also 4 huge Teppanyaki tables available in UMU, so if you want a totally different dining experience you should hurry and do this for a change. It's both gastronomically satisfying and entertaining; there's one table for VIP's or special functions... ask for that. I have friends who frequent this restaurant because of this, I also heard there are some celebrities who do this on a regular basis. Wouldn't you want to experience this in the same Sunday Family Crossover Brunch Experience?!

End your meal with a clean palate by getting yourself servings of Green Tea, I got the cold one for a refreshing feel. I even had this refilled for free. This is one of the restaurant's signature drinks and you can enjoy this for the price mentioned above. 4 Restaurants are just waiting inside the 4 walls of Dusit Thani Manila. It's the perfect place to hold your meetings and special occasions. If it's a buffet that's WORTH IT, you should definitely check out this place. You'll thank me for saying that!

Posh interiors, good food, you can all get them in one place. You can eat them all in one restaurant or the other. Make sure you drop by Dusit Thani Manila from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM every Sundays. As for me, I'm on to my next plate!

That's what you call Dining Divine: Dusit Thani Manila's Sunday Family Crossover Brunch!

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For more information about the
Sunday Family Crossover Brunch

Check out their website!

dusit.com/dusit-thani/dusit-thani-manila.html

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Dusit Thani Manila

Or call them now!

Dusit Thani Manila, Philippines

Ayala Center, 1223 Makati City, Metro Manila
PHILIPPINES
Tel: (632) 867 3333
Fax: (632) 867 3888
E-mail: dtmn@dusit.com

Heaven On Your Doorstep: ANGEL'S Pizza Pasta Combo's

You pretty much know by now that I love Pizza! I guess there are more ways than one to get what I want on a weekend. It was my first time to ever try out Angel's Pizza which I have been hearing so much of from my friends. It was so nice to finally try it out... get a load of this!

For those who are abstaining from meat this Lenten season it's no reason to stay away from pizza anymore because Angel's Pizza, Pasta, Combo just got you hooked up with this mouthwatering creation with tons of cheese, real anchovies, fresh tomatoes and black olives dubbed ALICI PIZZA! I'm an anchovy lover so this is quite perfect for me! If you prefer to have it on thick or thin crust they can do that on their stores and I'm suggesting you get this one on thin crust because every bite will be well worth it! Make sure you get it while it's hot this season, it'll satisfy your pizza craving I'm sure!

And if they say it's real anchovies, it is REAL anchovies on the pizza... I personally even saw them opening up those tin cans that I love mixing with pasta.

A visit to their quaint little place in Citygolf Ortigas (beside Home Depot) showed the wide array of choices that they have on their menu. They've got a lot of branches too in Metro Manila! I personally love the chicken toppings; plus the pasta which you can individually order (I'm a PESTO addict) hence the sauce I love YUM!. Ooh the list goes fancy too with Fried Chicken that patrons usually get when they're in the store! I saw a lot of people taking it home that evening, so I'd really like to go back and have another taste of that!

For the cheese connoisseur I suggest you get the Angel's Double Cheesy Melt, for the meat lover I suggest you do the same because aside from this awesome layer... there's another one underneath that's got Pepperoni goodness all around!

It was filling I got so BUSOG right after one slice since this is like 2 Pizzas in one!

For those who would want almost EVERYTHING on it they've got EXTRA FEAST for everyone's enjoyment. That's Pepperroni, Ham, Beef, Chorizo, Green Bell Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms and garlic all in one scrumptious pizza. You'll be the envy of the whole block!

Now how can you resist that perfect bite?!

My personal favorite and the one that got everyone's nod. It's unanimous everyone loves the ANGEL'S STYLE Pizza! Imagine chunks of Chicken Barbecue, Mushroom, Onion, Sweet Barbecue Sauce and smothered with Mozzarella Cheese. Enough said.

It was meaty and tasted so good with the dough they used for the crust. You can choose what crust and what cut you prefer so if you plan to have this in the office it'll be no problem!

Why is it SO GOOD?!

We probably should ask why the Pizza is so good, how do they come out with these new flavors? Why do they have a new one every season? That's easy!... because they make it fresh everyday. They also make sure you get the best flavors to enjoy every time there's a new occasion or reason to celebrate! They have creative freedom because it is not a franchise of an international brand that doesn't understand the local palate.

They make your pizza fresh everyday. Hand stretched and tossed WHEN you order it.



They put them into pans right after they get the right size of pizza you ordered. Flatten and wrinkle them if you prefer the thin crust!



The freshest ingredients, veggies, slices of meat and sweet-tangy tomato sauce.

Toss them into the oven for a couple of minutes and have them go through with a bath so the crust wouldn't be dry. It'll be freshly toasted, just right out of the oven which only takes several minutes to cook.

Fresh hot off the grill you'll love every pizza that comes out of the oven and you can smell it... you really can savor the aroma of something baked fresh!

Get that perfect slice easy and fast! That's how good every single bite should be. That's something that ANGEL'S Pizza Pasta Combo's could bring anywhere in the metro! Make sure you place orders in their hotline 922 22 22. Quit the usual burgers, the usual pizza parlors that even get you to eat frozen ones. There's someone who can get you the fresh pizza you've always wanted right in the branch near you!

As an added treat here's a VIP card that can get you 20% off the menu's regular price. Just ask me for it or just get the number off this photo! I think they can entertain you! Otherwise, get the best deal from Metro Deal HERE! If you order through them you'll get 50% Off and just pay P599.00 instead of P1198.00 for 2 Delicious and Mouthwatering Big Family Pizzas at Angel's Pizza, Pasta, Combo! The place for the freshest delicious pizza in the metro!

Capisce?!

P.S.

Make sure you order their Alici Pizza during lent and the Brownies, the fudge is to die for!

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ANGEL'S Pizza Pasta Combo

The First Philippine Popular Music Festival!

It looks like a good year for Music and its aficionados as the competition of all competitions just got BIGGER and BETTER! With names like Ryan Cayabyab spearheading this new project; there can only be a brighter day for amateur and professional Songwriters in the country as the First Philippine Popular Music Festival opens its doors on March 1, 2012!

Make sure you submit your entries to their secretariat starting March 1 this year because the Filipino should always be ahead! Let's all start discovering new songs, genres and start expressing ourselves like no other music loving country could ever do it! This is the time to get more talented Filipinos or Individuals of Filipino descent "residing in the Philippines" to do their stuff and make music the best thing since sliced hot pandesal!

Business leaders, Manny Pangilinan, Mr. C (Ryan Cayabyab himself!), Ogie Alcasid, Noel Cabangon and my ROCK GOD Ely Buendia among others that endorse the First Philippine Popular Music Festival!

Prize at stake is ONE MILLION PESOS and a huge trophy! Endorsed fully be music maestros, the business industry and OPM! This will surely be a momentous event! Watch out as we discover the best of the best Filipino songwriter, musician and singers the land can produce!

It's high time Filipino Music makes a mark in the WORLD STAGE! Join the competition NOW!

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For more information please visit their social media channels

http://philpop.com.ph/
http://facebook.com/philpopmusic
http://twitter.com/philpopmusic

The Firm: Premiers on AXN ASIA!

Classy, intriguing, dirty, fast paced and frivolous. That's how I describe this great new show on AXN called THE FIRM. Imagine an idealistic person joining a law firm in the hopes of getting startling cases and good directions but only ending up seeing how dirty politics is both inside and out the office plus the involvement of the real deal Chicago mobsters. That's THE FIRM's selling point and with it's 2hour episode premier last Sunday it has taken quite a buzz from courtroom drama/suspense aficionados here and outside the Philippines.

This is a continuation of the movie with the same name but it'll be set ten years after. I read this particular novel by John Grisham and you should too because there are other things in the book that probably won't be shown in the TV series. They just came out after a stint in the Wintness Protection Program and thought that they would be able to live normally again only to see that the same old enemies are there plus a lot of complications too in the story.

THE FIRM Photo from L-R Molly Parker as Abby McDeere, Natasha Calis as Claire McDeere, Josh Lucas as Mitch McDeere, Juliette Lewis as Tammy Hemphill, Callum Keith Rennie as Ray McDeere -- All Photo credits to: Frank Ockenfels 3/NBC/Sony Pictures Television

Make sure you catch the repeat telecast of The Firm's Pilot Episode to be shown on Feb 23 at 10:55 PM and on Feb 26 at 10:20 AM exclusively on AXN Asia - Asia's number one channel! For new episodes, check it out on Sundays at 9:55 PM.

Capisce?!

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The Firm

AXN Asia

Celebrate National Artists Month at Freeway & Solo!

Ladies and gents, have you heard the news?!

It looks like Freeway and Solo is celebrating NATIONAL ARTS MONTH with a big blast! They are going to put the coveted Freeway's Sionil Jose & Manansala Collections and Solo's Kenkoy Collection on sale this coming February 23 to 26, 2012 (that's Thursday to Sunday Manila time) and oh boy you can get your hands on those collectibles and hard to find pieces for a fraction of the cost!

You've heard that right! It's Freeway and Solo's way of saying THANK YOU to you and the people who have patronized the series til now. Don't forget to check out the things she really loves! This can be a late Valentines gift too!

Tip: Pick up those bundle tees also from SOLO, its a must have for your closet!

Capisce?!

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Check out their website!

freeway.net.ph
twitter.com/FreewayOnline

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F. Sionil Jose

Freeway Online

Solo Online

Happy Happy 5th Birthday Nuffnang!

I watched a lot of movies with them...
I ate a couple of pizza's too...
I smelled a couple of perfume bottles...
I earned quite a bit too...

I met a lot of friends in their events...
The Churpchurp made me happy big time!
I met their heads and talked with them divine!

I cried a river when I was alone...
When I met Nuffnang it turned my blog life around...
I thought I was crazy but they made me realize this was good;
It was something INNIT that I found..

Nuffnang is crazy...
Nuffnang made me giddy...
Nuffnang is fun...
Nuffnang is so many things
Nuffnang is more than one!


Happy happy 5th BIRTHDAY Nufffnang Philippines!


I hope you continue to love publishers, advertisers and make them meet, spark their interest and love what they do online. Be better, bolder and crazier the years to come!

You deserve what you are right now, from my site to yours... Happy Happy 5th Birthday!

Fears and Survival on SKYcable Select!

I'm currently subscribed through SKYCABLE SILVER so I get to watch these shows on a regular basis, but for those of you who are in SKYCABLE SELECT you better get your hands on these two channels I'm gonna mention so you get the best experience with your kids this month!

Conquering fears is definitely something that you would want to inculcate in your kids minds early on, why not subscribe to Animal Planet and get those educational shows a try so you can spark your kids interests THIS EARLY! It'll be a different kind of bonding experience while the show and your explanations make this a better BIOLOGICAL/ZOOLOGICAL class all together for your kids! That's what makes me stare at the TV screen so much these days, they even got My Extreme Animal Phobia Tuesday 11PM premiering on the channel all this month!

If that ain't enough reason to stick to SKYCABLE, have you ever experienced going to the tropics without anything to survive on?! I haven't either. But for those who love to experiment, this would probably be the best thing to watch in your own living room through DISCOVERY. Something you want to experience but you can't do it yourself? This is indeed the next BEST thing! Mykel Hawk and Ruth England will put their survival skills and marriage to the ultimate test. Man, Woman, Wild episodes will premiere every Tuesday at 9:00pm (that is today!) with encores every Wednesday at 2:00pm, only on Discovery. The Amazon Forest is actually a press of the remote away!

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Sky Cable

One Hyundai Club: Life in Style 2012 Bachelors Cookoff!

Being a single guy has it's perks! But most bachelors come to a point that they have to fend for themselves; without enough knowledge in the kitchen it'll be doubly harder to live a life tantamount to the success a person drives for. A holistic approach may suffice but without thinking about your lifestyle in particular it'll be just plain HARD. Owning a car/SUV these days call for a lot of things, but as surprised as most owners that I went with this afternoon they didn't know what they signed up for!

This is ONE HYUNDAI CLUB!

It was so nice to experience what it would be like to own one of their cars; let alone enjoy the perks that come with it!

You see, being a One Hyundai Club member would entail that you get to have this particular Life In Style 2012 Journal, something that they at HYUNDAI think every owner truly deserve. They want to celebrate the good life. Now they've got the country's greatest premium brands too covering areas such as living, shopping, dining, beauty and wellness, travel and leisure. It's about time we live in style!

This journal contains perks and privileges every month. Huge discounts on major products and services are available too.

It's definitely going to change how you live life; it's designed to change your activities. The life you deserve doesn't necessarily need to be expensive and HYUNDAI takes care of it.

Bachelor Cooking at First Gourmet Academy

It was my first time to attend an event where I had to cook. I'm no stranger in the kitchen but I never cooked gourmet food. Mine was more of a "survival thing" otherwise I wouldn't eat while living alone. I can whip up something from things that I find in the fridge. Though this time it's way different.

Diploma Courses/Full Courses available for those who aspire to become great Chefs!

Chef Mats Loo from Sweden came out and instructed us to put our toques and aprons on; some of us were first timers in the kitchen and I've seen quite a number of accidents happen in these events but good thing nobody got cut or burned their food. Otherwise they would have ended up hungry for dinner LOL.

First things first, he told us the value of cleaning our hands. It's a must for anybody serving food to clean up otherwise someone would get sick and literally poison a few hundred people (in commercial setting). After that he told us to prepare the ingredients (mise en place - MEEZ ahn plahs). That's the fancy French term for having all ingredients prepped and ready to go before we started to cook.

Just look at the POSH + COMPLETE kitchen and you just know how complicated this is gonna be. Heheh well hopefully not so much for me.

I saw some of them were a little bit nervous, particularly the ones who just started to work in the kitchen today. Probably like me they prefer playing basketball outside than cooking at home with Mom LOL! Tough luck because we're doing Chocolate Mousse, Coq au Vin, Polenta and Minestrone Soup. The name alone made them more nervous eh?! =)

So after washing our hands to the tune of One Happy Birthday song...

Chef Mats Loo instructed us to go to our stations and start cutting vegetables. Some were cubed, diced, julienned, and minced. We cleaned up the ingredients as we did this mise en place requirement before we started cooking. I think I fared well though I'm no slicing expert. :)

For those who were EXTRA nervous, there were experienced students from the Academy to help them if needed. Happy crowd!

Chef Mats Loo whipped up boiled cream + Sugar, added Chocolate, Johnny Walker and voila! That's going to be dessert! This needs to be prepared ahead of time since it would need to chill in the fridge.

Mise en Place complete! I think I did good on this one eh?! =)

The equally good looking guy you see in this bit is Jerth. He's a proud Hyundai Accent owner and this is consequently his third car. He didn't know though that on this particular brand and purchase that it'll have perks like these. It felt really special. One email invite he got from HYUNDAI and that started the ball rolling. Now that he's a One Hyundai Club member he's excited to try out the other perks that are available in the journal. He had a glimpse of the journal for 2012 and he finds it quite nice. He's impressed at what they and HYUNDAI's partner establishments had to offer as most of them are either free or with a HUGE discount. Just like him and the rest of they guys in this cooking class, we had a pretty nice and productive time. We really are learning a lot!

Plus the view on top of Capitol hills was spectacular! I think this is the highest point in the metro. The golf course and the huge houses too was a treat to see! If you are cooking in this ambiance, wouldn't you be inspired?! :)

This is the end product! After a few hours of cooking this is Minestrone Soup! It was sweet and fresh just like the veggies on it! This one cooked the fastest! =)

Coq Au Vin with Creamy Polenta - this is a little labor intensive since you need to have a reduction of the red wine first, then after adding beef stock you need to reduce it again. But I'm telling you guys it's totally worth it! I specifically added a lot of pepper on my Chicken and seared it on the pan. It tasted like steak that even I was impressed with my own cooking! Now that barely happens! =) I'm so happy how it turned out! The polenta was so creamy and nice too! It was my first time cooking polenta and I loved it!

The Chocolate Mousse was simply divine! I didn't know it was so easy to make. I already bought the ingredients from the grocer and plan to make it this weekend. Oh my, there's already a change in lifestyle there... I'm beginning to cook gourmet now! Haha =) Isn't that neat?!

Now who says getting a HYUNDAI wouldn't change your life?!

Capisce?!


PS Thank you to the wonderful people at One Hyundai Club and First Gourmet Academy! I really enjoyed the time spent with you guys! =)

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