Made in Korea Designed for Filipinos: Bela Padilla x Aera사랑

 

SM Megamall's Upper Ground and Second Floor was filled to the brim as Korean skin brand Aera launched their collaboration with Actress, Director, Writer, Author, Songwriter and Entrepreneur Bela Padilla. She's best known for her work in films like "100 Tula Para Kay Stella", "Meet Me In St. Gallen", "The Day After Valentines", her work "Yung Libro sa Napanood Ko" and so many more.

This new collaboration with Aera is called Lights, Camera, Cosmos; also under the same people who brought you iWhite Korea products which has been trusted in the Philippine market for over 20 years. Their call is for you to be LIMITLESS in terms of taking care of yourself and not hold back because after all, you deserve it!

What's included in the new products is the Aura Water Sunscreen, Stellar No Oil Face Gel, and the Milky Way Glow Drops Serum. I have personally tried the products before I slept and yes, this can be used by men too. The Aura Water Sunscreen feels different because it's not sticky, almost like water, no white casts so you don't look like a ghost when going out with it. It's got SPF 50 to get you protected from harmful rays of the sun and non greasy. 

Here's our interview with Bela Padilla and some scenes at the SM Megamall event we covered yesterday, so please enjoy!

 

In a hot humid weather like ours in the Philippines, it's something that skin brands should pay attention to and Bela told them about this right at the very beginning. The Stellar No Oil Face Gel (named after her character Stella) gets you "no hulas" feel for over 8 hours. Bela felt the need to have this since she also experiences feeling fresh at home then feel miserable in the heat right when you step outside. She's got you covered, as it mattifies and prevent oiliness, also hydrates your skin. The Milky Way Glow Drops Serum on the other hand finishes things by giving you that certain glow so you feel even more confident as it lasts long. Just like Bela, there's LIMITLESS possibilities you can do with AERA, you can get them in Watsons stores and leading online shopping apps (even on TikTok Shops) so go get them today and take that limitless journey with Bela and Aera!

INASAL REPUBLIC Opens West Avenue Branch On July 15th

 

Chicken Inasal by Inasal Republic - The meat is soft, evenly cooked, has a crispy skin outside. The garlic rice can be smothered by the good Chicken Oil set on the table. I had a separate dish with Soy Sauce and Sinamak, a spiced vinegar. They have master grillers prepare this for us!

If you're a frequent local traveler, you probably have landed somewhere in Negros Occidental and visited Bacolod City. Much of its charm lies in its people, on how they talk so "malambing" (so soft even when they're mad) and party hard during festivals. I too am from this region, so I'm no stranger to food coming from this place and when I heard Cong. Arjo Atayde, Direk Richard Somes, Gabby Atayde, Ivan Villamar and Mark San Diego were putting up a Chicken Inasal brand called INASAL REPUBLIC, I packed my bags and camped out to see it in Quezon City.

The owners of Inasal Republic can't wait for you to taste their Chicken Inasal

Congressman Arjo Atayde personally served us that afternoon, he was so nice!

Although for some of them, this isn't their first venture into the food business, the partnership blossomed over the last taping day of action film TOPAKK. Arjo was already full from the food served during dinner, but after a while, Chicken Inasal was served on the table and got everyone started raving about it. Direk Richard said Arjo shouldn't leave the table without tasting it, and so he did! 

The Chicken Inasal and other food served that day came from Direk Richard's family recipes, it was passed on from generations of Bacolodnons who loved to eat and cook. Here's a short video of the event, I also included some clips of the food and celebrities that came that afternoon!

 

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Here's some of the food items that's going to be served at Inasal Republic, let me share a few that you'll surely enjoy!

Kansi Soup, comforting and fruity, not too sour which I like! (We were served half the serving because we will be having a lot of food that afternoon!)

Bangus Inasal - I liked how light and soft it was, the very savory sauce complemented it. It was nicely paired with Garlic Rice

Pusit Inasal, for those who love seafood, this would be a dream!

The desserts, Biko, Alupe (in Banana Leaf) and Maja Blanca. I love the Maja Blanca the most as it's so soft, sweet and a little salty on top because of the cheese. The Alupe was new for me, but reminds me of Pangasinan's Tupig, but was actually steamed. Go get them both!

If you're excited as I am about what's about to happen, it'll all go down on July 15th as they open up shop at 25 West Avenue in Quezon City. They also have other items on the menu like the Chicken Inasal Flakes (also in bottles) and Laing that people were loving that afternoon. You can also choose to mix them up with the Garlic Rice, it's as good as it looks in photos. I will probably have to line up that day just to get a taste of it again. Make sure you get ahead of me on July 8 and line up, see why even celebrities loved the Chicken Inasal from Inasal Republic!

There's going to be more branches of it nationwide, so make sure you follow their social channels by searching Inasal Republic on FB, IG and TikTok to get updates where they plan to put them up soon!

Cooking with Truffle Is NOT Complicated

I'm a Truffle buff and I'm not afraid to cook with it. I'm also the first one in line to have dishes with it, because for the fun part, I'm crazy obsessed with it. 

Cooking for it must be a mystery for most people, but let me tell you a simple rule. If you are cooking with truffle, use the black variety. If you are using it for a salad or finishing something like soups or dishes, use the white kind because it doesn't need heat for the flavor to permeate. With that in mind, the good people over at UMBRIA are suggesting two new dishes which you can serve your family and friends. Let's introduce these two recipes and get straight to business.

 Beef Mushroom Sandwich

Ingredients: 30 grams Sukiyaki Cut Beef, 50 grams Portabella Mushrooms, a table spoon of soy sauce, Mayonnaise, a good crusty bread, Umbria Truffle Oil and Worcestershire Sauce.

Marinate the beef with soy and Worcestershire sauce (overnight if possible) but 30 mins would do. Cook it with butter, mushrooms, season with salt and black pepper. Put mayo on bread, when beef caramelizes, add mushrooms. Salt to taste, then finish the beef with a little Umbria Truffle oil after placing it on top of bread. Remember, a little goes a long way.

 Potato Leek Soup with Truffle

Ingredients: 3 Medium sized potatoes, 35 grams of leeks, 750ml chicken or vegetable stock, 125 ml of Cream, White Pepper, Umbria Truffle Oil

Peel potatoes and cut into slices, chop up leeks and saute on hot pan with butter. When leeks become wilted, add potatoes, stir it in til it crumbles. Add broth, salt and pepper to taste. Put it into a blender or use an immersion blender if you have one. Add in cream, mix thoroughly (not to boil so it gets creamy). Put a few fresh leeks on top, crunchy bacon (if you have it) and about a half teaspoon of Umbria Truffle Oil. Put this on the side of the sandwich we prepared earlier, and it's a meal you'll love for sure!

Make sure you enjoy your time at home and prepare food for them, your family and friends will surely love it because the one who prepared it is YOU. Truffle is NOT complicated, think of it as perfume when you're about to go out on a date, but you're just putting it on a plate. Umbria is distributed in the Philippines by Dygen Food Ventures Inc. which is under Dyna Drug Corporation. It's available at https://goodwill.market/ which you can order online with.

Trust me on the truffle.