Tea drinking seminar
SERVED Manila and the Ayala Museum will hold Spill the Tea: A tasting and Historical Exploration on Nov. 7, 3 p.m. Sheryl Ebon-Martinez, a tea sommelier at TeavolutionPh, and Tenten Mina, Associate curator at the Ayala Museum, will brew and taste six high quality teas from around the world as they discuss the rich, cultural history of tea drinking. They will dispel myths about tea, show how to steep it properly, explain the various tea leaves (what is good tea or not), offer a peek into the inside history of tea and journey to different locales where tea leaves come from and more. Showcased in the session will be diverse ceramics from the Ayala Museum collection. The online event comes with a tasting kit (six 15-gm bags of tea leaves, a brewing kit, six ceramic mini saucers, nuts, crackers, pH9 alkaline water, tea towels, and other freebies), all for P2,125. To book the tasting experience, go to www.servedmanila.com. Served Manila is a startup whose purpose is to help people explore curiosities in food, beverage, hobbies and of the moment interests together with subject matter experts. Launched last April, it has served up modules on wine, rum, gin, coffee, chocolates, and soon whiskey, selvedge denim, cookies, diet food and more.
2nd leg of DoT’s KAIN NA!
THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DoT) is holding the second leg of its virtual KAIN NA! Food and Travel Festival 2020 from Nov. 3 to 6. The virtual culinary festival will include the Food Tourism Exchange which serves virtual tours and food demos from the country’s major island groups; TED Talks-inspired sessions for the Food Tourism 101 including the Tricycle Food Tours of chef Melissa Sison-Oreta, Discovering Philippine Culture and Cuisine through the Regions with chef Angelo Comsti, Food Tourism Online by chef Tatung Sarthou, Traveling Off the Eaten Path with Aashi Vel of Traveling Spoon, and Cultural Food Mapping & Experiences with Clang Garcia; Unilever Food Solutions’ Traveling Through Food will include cooking demonstrations and talks about reviving tourism through food, exploring authentic food experiences, and more from chefs Gerry Austria, Pam Aragoza, and Miko Dy from Luzon, chefs Ramon Antonio and Menoy Gimenez from Visayas, and chef Pauline Benedicto-Malilin and Jan Uy from Mindanao. KAIN NA!’s e-commerce training courses of CTRL+BIZ Reboot Food Tourism Now will focus on how the online marketplace can be maximized by tourism stakeholders, the health and safety guidelines on the operations of travel and tour agencies and tour guides, and an introduction to the new DoT Online Accreditation System. Viber will elaborate on the role of messaging platforms to enable micro, small and medium enterprises to expand operations and Facebook will conduct a crash course on how to build effective Facebook ad creatives, while success stories of businesses that have crossed over from offline to online will also be discussed.
The Pen’s charitable initiative
AFTER a near eight-month hiatus, The Peninsula Manila’s newly reopened Lobby lets guests show their support for Metro Manila communities with a one-for-one meal donation program. This unique initiative will assist vulnerable and under-served communities, who are the most severely impacted by the current crisis. Until the end of the year, for every Arroz Caldo or Pancit Luglug meal purchased at The Lobby, The Peninsula Manila will “Spread Love” with its one-for-one meal donation to communities in need. The program is being managed in partnership with Rise Against Hunger, a food bank that directly supports vulnerable communities in the National Capital Region cities of Caloocan, Muntinlupa, and Taguig. The Peninsula Manila will also invite guests and patrons to show some “Peninsula Love” by participating in an interactive campaign on the @ThePeninsulaManila Instagram and Facebook feeds. Over a four-week period from Nov. 2 to 30, the iconic Lobby will run the #PeninsulaLove contest on its @ThePeninsulaManila Instagram and Facebook feeds. The contest honors medical frontliners, stay-at-home parents, and children’s charities. Visit the hotel’s Instagram and Facebook pages for the mechanics. Winners will be declared on Dec. 4. For inquiries or reservations, call +63 (2) 887-2888, extensions 6691 or 6694 (Restaurant Reservations).
Tiendesitas Food Village reopens
TIENDESITAS reopened the 2nd floor Food Village on Oct. 30, with new food concepts and a fully air conditioned space. Among the restaurants and stalls are Elverde Food Trading, Fruitas, Boy Kanin, Luzviminda Delicacies, VMJ Greens Trading, Bonanno’s Restaurant, Fariñas Ilocos Empanada, Jherand Mon Rice Trading, Streat Bites atbp by Leoman Mama, Valenciana by Bulacan Lugaw, Rub’s N Spices, Happy Chef, Beer Belly Steakhouse, Chef Sinauna, Gatchaa Blendz Milk Tea, La Aysee/ Kakanin ATBP by Aysee, Zorro Kitchen by Joyce, Sam Ram Restaurant, Happy Chef, Franny Bites, Mommy Khay’s Kitchen, Zullo Coffee, Pancit Cabagan by Kuyang, and Ferinos.
Grand Hyatt Manila offers Christmas Hampers
THE GRAND Hyatt Manila is now offering thoughtfully curated Christmas hampers that can be filled with everything from homemade pastries, to gourmet meals, to wine pairings. The customer’s blend of festive treats are packed in an elegant wicker basket. Meanwhile, the hotel’s Christmas Fondant Cake can be customized to include a logo of your choice. Visit bit.ly/GHMFestiveHampers to view the order form. For inquiries and pre-orders, call 8838-1234 or e-mail manila.grand@hyatt.com.
Comfort food from the Century Park Hotel
TO BEAT the monsoon blues and get that much-needed boost, try these five dishes that can be ordered from Century Park Hotel Manila: bulalo, a bowl of hot beef or pork shank soup served with nutritious greens such as cabbage and Baguio beans; sinigang, whether it comes with pork, prawns, or salmon, sinigang’s sour tamarind-based broth rouses the senses and boosts the appetite; ramen, a flavorful broth made from a variety of ingredients such as chicken or pork bones, and filling noodles that makes it extra special; mushroom soup, its creaminess, aroma and the tender bites of the mushrooms makes for a delectable mood-booster (also available are crab & sweet corn soup and pumpkin soup, all best paired with bread from Deli Snack); and arroz caldo, a rice broth with slices of chicken, pork and boiled egg, garnished with zest of kalamansi and fried garlic bits. Contact Century Park Hotel Manila at 8528-5855 or 0917-633-2497, via SMS or Viber to order.
