Arkin, JM, Nicole, Annicka and Joana Celebrates Birthday with Orphans

We went to the Goldilocks Cake Plant with Kapuso stars Arkin Magalona, JM Reyes, Nicole Dulalia, Annicka Dolonius and Joana Marie Tan as they celebrate their birthday with orphans from Assosacion De Damas de Filipinas. They wanted to spend time with the kids and hopefully get them to be a little happy by engaging them in fun activities in the cake plant. They played games and made their own cupcakes together with the GMA stars. I can sense it wasn't just the kids who became happy but even the celebrants that day. These kids from the orphanage prolly don't have parents anymore but they're lucky to still have a non government organization taking care of them.

Arkin wishes to have a place where everyone is equal. He hopes there would be no poor, no rich, nobody taking advantage of other people. He reminds me so much of his Father even at a very young age. I sincerely hope his wish comes true. 

JM on the other hand wants more projects this year. He's quite tall now than the last time I saw him. I guess he's ready for more serious roles. He's groomed to be fit for drama and that might be a good avenue for him to shine. We hope to see him in more series soon.

Joana is part of Strawberry Lane. She's still eager to have more projects soon as she feels she can do more. She had fun with the kids during the cake decoration exercise and she's very competitive. She won in the games too. 

Nicole was super eager to get to spend time with the kids. We saw her really helping them finish decorating their cakes. She is also part pf Strawberry Lane so make sure you watch them every night. She also hopes for more projects soon and perhaps spend more time with friends and family.

Annika had fun with the kids and even took selfies with them too. She even played with them a bit during the cake decorating segment of the celebration. She is also part of "Ang Nawawala" opposite Dominic Roco which will be released commercially in November. She is also waiting for shows and hopes she gets tons of projects soon.

It was a great day, made even better by spending a worthwhile afternoon with the kids. Thank you Goldilocks, Monreo Biscuits, Active White, Sundance and GMA Artist Center for having us tag along. 

I hope we get to do more of these things for the kids, we had fun!

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The Perfect Pint

We visited "The Perfect Pint" over at 32nd Street in BGC. They are currently offering "The Perfect Match" which speaks of their warm delectable comfort food and the corresponding in house designer brewed beer that they think would perfectly go with it. It's not my first time trying out dishes with beer but I tried San Miguel Lifestyle Brews which is more on the commercial side. These are pretty good ideas and they gave us a sampler so we could get an idea on how both the Chefs and brewers would want their products taken in, literally that is. 

The sampler costs around 600 bucks which for me is a little pricey. If this were around 450++ range it would have been worth it. I think they are paying much of it to their space because this is after all still in BGC. Other than that, maybe because of the fact that it is artisanal in some way as these are designer brews.

For the first pairing, they got us Blackened Chicken Breasts with Charred Cuban Corn Salsa and a Sierra Madre Wheat Ale brewed by Francis Oñate. I super loved the corn salsa as it had a spicy kick on it. Pairing it with a light ale made the flavor pop out more on the palate. I know it was just corn but I enjoyed it much with the soft grilled chicken which was like a good canvas for flavor coming from its marinade. This was my favorite pairing that evening.

The Fish Ryder Pale Ale made also by Francis Oñate was a tad darker but it still felt light to the taste. The Glazed Pork Belly with Apple Onion Potato Mash was intensely flavored, a combination of sweet and savory. The accompanying beer just well complemented it and didn't make the whole thing contradict each other. That was good.

The third pairing had us try Katipunan No. 1 Stout by Kiyo Miura. Served with the yummy Mac and Bleu Cheese that had strong and sharp cheesy flavors, it was really good. The intensity from the food and beer was somewhat equal so you know you are getting the best of both worlds.

They also have us try the same beer with their special dessert called Smores. It's got a chocolate brownie cake base with fluffy marshmallows that are charred, a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and a caramely candy floss on top. The well crafted beer was also good with it, pairing wise... That tasted really well.

The last one was Salmon Gravad Lax and G Point Red Head Ale. I liked the salmon and the hint of saltiness from the olives and capers but the beer pairing wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The G Point Red Head Ale wasn't complementing the fish much, it just masked the fishiness by having itself bitter. I don't like the pairing to tell you honestly but I guess it stems from the Filipino preference for something sweet and smoother when it comes to beers. The bitter notes on this might be a bit harsh with most of us who find it the least appreciated one out of the four. I bet foreigners would get to love this even more as it might prove to be closer to home for them. 

A series of these pairings will happen in the next few weeks. From October 27-30 they will have a band of brew masters, on November 3-6 they'll have Food Writers like Ms. Nana Ozeta from FOOD Magazine, Ms. Nina Daza-Puyat of Appetite Magazine, Ms. Marilen Fontanilla of F&B World Magazine and Ms. Marie Pascual of again, Appetite Magazine. From November 10-13 there will be Chef's Specials by Chef Peachy Cebrero, Chef Bob and Nina Abes. And Chef Waya Araos Wijanco. 

For those who would like to experience it, come visit The Perfect Pint at the Crossroads Building 32nd street in BGC. It's quite near Home Depot, Skinny Mike's and Starbucks so you wouldn't miss it. Beer lovers rejoice! You've got a spot worthy of your time and good pub food, find your perfect pint here!

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Janine Gutierrez and Elmo Magalona for More Than Words

Janine Gutierrez's Birthday Celebration at Centerstage Timog Avenue (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

I wasn't able to attend this one because I was a tad late. I still remember the time I shot Janine on the runways of Bench a couple of years ago, she wasn't as visible then but she holds a lot of promise. She just celebrated her 25th birthday and I've seen how happy their fans were in social media knowing one thing that was announced on this day. Yes, Elmo Magalona and Janine Gutierrez are now officially ON. They are boyfriend and girlfriend, something that their fans have long been waiting for.

Elmo Magalona and their fans surprised Janine with a birthday celebration! (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

Elmo Magalona and the Janine-Elmo fans celebrated her birthday at Centerstage in Timog Avenue in Quezon City. Mind you, the fans did this event on their own, I guess that's how much they love these two. I've seen some of them during their other events and if you see them talking about Janine and Elmo, you wouldn't be surprised that they do these things for the pair.

Cakes and presents all prepared by Janine Gutierrez's fans! (Photo by Rain De Ocampo)

Elmo told me during an interview that they had the best fans. Sometimes they are almost too shy about the big things they do, but ultimately they are very thankful about the support and loyalty that they give them. They can't thank them enough. Now that they are also going to play Ikay and Hiro on their new soap "More than Words", they hope their fans sternly support them on that too. Janine plays a blogger who begins to write about her wishes for the perfect guy. This turns out to be mighty close to Elmo's character in the show. This is a light romantic comedy project so it is a bit different from the projects they had in the past. If you remember Villa Quintana, that was heavy drama, and they always get beaten up since the characters are undergoing family conflicts, the usual rich against the poor. This however is going to be somewhat hopeful, more of the fell good kind of love from Ikay and Hiro which you should definitely watch this coming November. Also in the show are Enzo Pineda, Mikoy Morales, Stephanie Sol, Coleen Perez, Mayton Eugenio, Jaclyn Jose, and the 80's love team Rey "PJ" Abellana and Leni Santos. For more information about the show, please do check out the social media channels below!

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Come to Sofitel Wine Days: Life is Magnifique!

I've been able to sit down and enjoy wine a few days ago at Sofitel Manila. It's a 5 star hotel and going here has always been a magnifique time for me, my friends and family. Sofitel's buffet destination Spiral has been the unprecedented number 1 dining destination and has been proven in various review sites internationally. Today, I'm sharing with you some scenes of the "Private Wine and Cheese Pairing" class I participated in last week. It involved a lot of introduction to wine, champagne, and what food or cheese products were needed to be paired with it. It started with the ceremonial champagne bottle opening using a saber, much like Napoleon would be doing it in his time. Check this video out!

Sofitel around the world is celebrating "Sofitel Wine Days" to pay homage to the harvest season. People from the wine regions in France are now taking time to celebrate their good year and with that happening, people in the Philippines should never be far behind. It's also Sofitel's 50th Anniversary so if that isn't enough reason to celebrate, I don't know what will.

Spiral was dreamy as usual and I sat down on one of their private rooms to wait for the others to come. I tried some of their D Light drinks through test tube sample servings, I loved the Berry mix and the peach flavored one.

This was the part where we started off getting a saber and the champagne bottles opened. Pretty neat right? Nikita Conwi of RX93.1 had fun doing this. Did you know Champagne only comes from the town in France? If it's not from France, it's just what they call Sparkling Wine :) This fact is part of the things I learned that evening.

To pair off with the really great wines like Jaboulet Aine, Castillero del Diablo (part of the many new world and old world wines) you should have this freshly seared Foie Gras in every dinner experience in Spiral.

The favorite that evening was the Woodbridge. The rosy wines are quite sweet and fresh, a favorite in the summer. Since we have summer all year long in the Philippines, we can have this all the time! Now that's good news. This is also their best seller, apart from the regular ones they have on the menu. Another discovery is the local Dragon Fruit wine which is very nice, it's on the menu so I suggest you try that out too.

Spiral's Cheese Room has never been equaled because of the variety that they have inside. They have Wine and Cheese pairing sessions so if you dig that instead of just wine, you can have that class instead. They have regional wine evenings that would give you in depth understanding of your favorite wine varieties and see how it came to be in the places they are from. They have a "From Grapes to Wine Expo" happening from October 26-31, 2014 with degustation from 5:30PM to 6PM. You can get 25% off on Hugel & Fils wines if you dine in Sofitel's Spiral and La Veranda. The "Private Wine and Cheese Class" happens at the Spiral L'epicerie (Cheese Room) from October 27-31, 2014 at 4:30PM to 5:30PM. They'll whisk you off to a journey in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhone Valley, Languedoc-Rousillon on those days and only costs Php 1500.00 per person. 

You can also opt for the Spiral Wine Cellar experience all October as Sofitel's sommeliers pick monthly and yearly packages tailored to your taste and budget. There's also "Jazz and Wine: An Austrian and French Affair on the 29th of October at 7PM. They'll be flying in Austria's Michaela Rabitsch and Robert Pawlik. I think the Austrian ambassador will be there as well so if you're up to a day of culture, this would be perfect. You'll see a concert, drink wine, Cheese and canapes prepared especially for the occasion. On the 30th, Le Bar will be hosting the Wine and Cheese Buffet with experts coming from different regions. They will also have a Burgundy Wine Dinner on the 31st, at 7PM featuring a 5 course French terroir dinner made by artisans in Sofitel Manila. They will be featuring wines from Champagne Henriot, Chablis Willam Fevre and Burgundy Bouchard Pere et Fils. It's time you treat yourself, your friends and family to something special. Make that Sofitel Manila moment by calling 8326988 or email h6308-fb12@sofitel.com because Life is Magnifique!

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