Lucky Chinatown Opens in Manila!

Manila seemed to be left out when it come to establishments and true enough there are only a few who heeded to the call of investments in this area. I witnessed one great event last weekend which had me smile a bit because of the promise it inculcates to the minds of people from this area. Lucky Chinatown just had a grand launch and seeing the brands and people who rejoiced that afternoon only made my hunch confirmed that Manila will change for the better.

President Noynoy Aquino opened the establishment, unfortunately our service didn't leave the point early so we can cover this part aside from the rain and traffic of course. Tim Yap and the eccentric Tessa Prieto - Valdez stood as hosts of the launch.

Drama ensued as the famous EL GAMMA PENUMBRA took the stage and did a couple of tricks with artsy and fancy dances.

After that they did their signature shadow plays which had all of us glued to the screen. They depicted the Chinatown history and also some of the great things you can do now that Lucky Chinatown has opened at the heart of Manila - Binondo area. Imagine these are all made by their shadows, isn't that amazing?

Then the stage opened up and got all of us shooting more as a Fashion show ensued! The best brands showcased their latest collections and we had our fix of gorgeous models too! Take a look at this!

Adidas





ARROW




BAYO




BENCH




Cinderella




Clarks




Converse




ESPRIT




Folded and Hung




For me




Giordano




HUMAN




Jellybean




kashieca




Lee




Levis




Maldita




Mental




Mango




Nautica




OXYGEN




PENSHOPPE




We also spotted celebrities in the event and I was in an oh wow moment when Troy Montero and Aubrey Miles sashayed the red carpet!

 

I'm telling you they are the most GORGEOUS couple I have ever met! Troy and Aubrey was nice too and didn't bat an eyelash when I asked to take some shots. Thanks Troy! =)

I almost missed to see this equally gorgeous guy named Rocco Nacino. He was in a Rudy Project kiosk when I saw him, actually he saw me first. It was so nice to get a chance to talk to him again. I didn't get to do that last Philippine Fashion Week because it was pandemonium in Rajo Laurel's show cum party. Thanks buddy for being so nice to me and everyone else! You are going places!

What better way to end the festivities but by doing a Dragon Dance! Actually, they didn't really end here because it was a whole day event! People were flocking to the Binondo area, it was posh, brands were there, parking was surprisingly ample and the amenities were superbly constructed. Manila and the Binondo area surely has started to have that spunk, they are becoming the best destination for business and pleasure. Now that Lucky Chinatown has arrived, it will start something special at the heart of the city... Manila's now a promised land and it's star is Binondo because of Lucky Chinatown!

Location:  
Reina Regente St. Corner Dela Reina St. Brgy. 293 Zone 28, Binondo, 1006 Manila, Philippines

Contact Info
Phone    Concierge 576-8139
Website    http://megaworldlifestylemalls.com

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Lucky Chinatown

Talks with some of the Cast of: The Reunion

Let me start this article first with a fair warning: I am a die hard Eraserheads fan. It is my generation. You probably would have seen me stalking these boys way back in 19## and think that I am crazy. I am that weird then. But I don't regret every second of it because when it comes to these guys I am a in some way or another, a purist. Honestly, I get bothered by reinterpretations of their songs. 

 

Then The Reunion came a long, I watched it two days ago and I must say, we should relatively open our mind to these kind of things. After all, it's a tribute to these guys I idolize. It's more of an interpretation of their music. The movie itself had me reminisce of the times I frequently day dream about. 

 

I connected quite well with Enchong Dee's character plus a little of Xian Lim. It's a good thing it is still showing on theaters nationwide. You can still catch THE REUNION and make sure you bring along friends and families. Together, you can think of the times you shared during high school, and laugh about the mistakes you made a long the way. Because behind it all you kinda  agree with the goal of the movie, that you only become who you are right now because of the past. It made you who you are today and there should be no regrets. Direk Frasco Mortiz and Kean agreed with me when I attended the blog conference. It was enlightening to watch it. You probably think I'd be hell mad about why they are doing this to Eraserheads but for them to give so much time and effort to present something to the masses and let them be in touch with how we used to give a great big deal of respect to their songs was just phenomenal. 

This film had all of the gorgeous men in Philippine TV and Cinema all in one film. Cast includes Enchong Dee, Enrique Gil, Jessy Mendiola, Julia Montes, Kean Cipriano,  Xian Lim, Matt Evans, Tom Rodriguez, Joseph Marco, Ivan Dorschner, Brian Santos, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Kakai Bautista, Louise Abuel, and Ms. Gina Pareño.

Bangs Garica had a pretty remarkable transformation in the film. I don't want to give you too much details because its one of the reasons why you have to watch why. Kean was somehow like my friends in highschool, I was so shocked to see how close it was with some of my closest friends. In one way or another I was a little "Gago" back then and this exactly was the type of people I usually go with. I fear too much that it had me thinking, this is me in a different setting, in a different way. Overall the cast did a pretty good job mixing the scenes, the love teams (which by the way is so shockingly paired) and the music. There are some runs on the film where you just wanna chill. It's meant to be like that because that's exactly what we did back in the days. The song choices were superb and you'll know it was meant for every scene they did in the movie.

I don't want to expound on the story because I don't want to preempt things, but there are cameo roles too that you should definitely watch out for. Even Slater was there, you'll surely appreciate where they will pop up in the story. Make sure you don't miss this one, it is a must watch! I can probably say this will be one iconic film a generation could brag about later on.

Need I say more?

The Reunion

Spicy Southern Finds in Megamall: Cajun Red Rock!

If you are up to Cajun cuisine, why not try the best one SM Megamall has on their midst called CAJUN RED ROCK at the third floor. They've got some of the best ribs and cocktails in town that you can enjoy anytime of the day especially after office hours. I dig their margarita selections and burger choices that would satisfy anyone's craving... Ooohh the mere mention of that just made my mouth water! To make things a little torture for you guys, get a load of these things we ate this afternoon!

The Ambiance 

 

The place is filled with memorabilia of Cajun origin. They wanted you to feel some vibe of what it's like in the South. This restaurant by the way is also the child of Chef Tony, the one who made those great popcorns we see all over Manila!

For the homey and not so crowded afternoon, we were definitely happy we got a stock bench diner table because it probably is one of the more private seats in the house. They've got a bar inside the restaurant that's got booze served all day, everyday!

The Food

 

Cajun is a little spicy. They've got that hint of old bay in their seasonings as a general rule. They had these tabasco, salt and pepper if you prefer to season your plate more. Though I didn't find anything wrong with what they had us eat that afternoon. It was quite cozy.

And what do you know, there's free warm popcorn for starters, so that you can be preoccupied while waiting for your scrumptious meal!

They served house blended Iced Tea, one's Strawberry flavored and the other one's got hints of lime. They just call it Green tea.

Saw the menu and it isn't that much pricey. They've got a buy one take one deal on these burgers so if you pay 280 you'll get 2 of the same flavor. The deal is, it'll only be until today in celebration of SM Megamall's Mega Food Sale! Make sure you get your buddies to come along and share margaritas! =)


Southern Bacon Cheese

The Southern Bacon Cheese is one of their best sellers. Imagine that thick juicy patty smothered in melted cheese and covered with a few strips of bacon, it's just comfort food divine! This is made very special with the soft Oatmeal based bun. It had that sweet savory feel you'll always love in a burger. Write down your name because you might just forget yourself upon first bite! The sides of thick cut french fries would also fill you up in no time and even got the mayo spiced a bit with garlic and probably old bay. It was nice really. This retails for 280 but since it's the MEGA FOOD SALE, the buy one take one takes effect. So it's like buying two burgers in half the price! You can take it home if you want to! =)

Buffalo Burger

Think about thick ground beef patty (or buffalo since it says that) covered in crispy bread crumbs smothered with heavy, smoky, spicy sauce while covered in a hefty amount of grilled cheese on top. You can even opt for them to do add ons and make this a volcano for you! It was really spicy so if you are opting for something like that, then this Buffalo Burger might just be the right thing for you. I actually loved this one because of the fact that it is spicy. If you don't like it too hot then just ask them to tone it down. They would do anything to your burger gladly. A plus for me is that they use this soft Oatmeal based bun which is sweet to the bite. It's something to look forward to the next time you drop by the mall. This is also part of the burgers they have which you can purchase in the MEGA FOOD SALE (last day today!). They also have an on going treat for American Express Card holders which is their Burger All You Can promo. The drinks plus these two burgers just filled us up in no time!

The Service

They pretty much took care of us and our food but I would have loved a little eagerness to refill drinks and offer water when we're done dining. That would have been perfect. Overall they are very good hosts and I will come back for more. I heard their Big Tony's Barbecue Burger had this Espresso based sauce that no other burgers have. I'll try that next time plus the ribs! =)

Cajun dishes need not to be in New Orleans or in Canada because they've got it right here in SM Megamall, plus they've got a promo happening today which is buy one take one on burgers like these! Make sure to stop by the third floor of SM Megamall and find CAJUN RED ROCK with your friends and family! Remember it's the last day today! =)

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