The Champagne Room - Manila Hotel

The Busy Person's Lunch @ The Champagne Room

The Champagne Room, Manila Hotel's premiere dining salon and venue of numerous posh events, has opened up to the lunch crowd with their offering of set lunch meals for busy people and ladies who lunch. 

                                                             The Manila Hotel Lobby

Partake of a semi-buffet of sumptuous appetizers, a choice of a main entree', and top it off with a selection of desserts and coffee or tea. Prices start at Php 1,800.00 net per person.

                                                         The Champagne Room - Main Dining Area

Start your lunch off with The Champagne Room's freshly-made Caesar's Salad,

followed with a soup du jour,

a selection of terrines,

a selection of Italian and Spanish cold meat,

fresh, roasted vegetables in olive oil,

scallops in a bed of ham and potato salad,

mini pomelo-lobster rolls,

skewers of cheese and cherry tomatoes,

and a selection of pickled vegetables (kalamata olives, baby onions, artichoke hearts, etc.) and local white cheese (kesong puti).

The main entree' of choice is Angus beef steak with baked potato and vegetables on the side.

We decided to forego the dessert selection and instead ordered their famous baked alaska (additonal order) and accompanied with brewed coffee.

The Champagne Room

Lunch

Mondays to Saturdays

11:30 am to 2:30 pm

Reservations recommended

Website - https://manila-hotel.com.ph/champagne-room/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheManilaHotel/

MaARTe 2015

Save the date!

MaARTe 2015

Art, Craft, Food, Design Fair - August 28 - 30 at the Rockwell Tent.

Museum Foundation of the Philippines

                                          (Photo courtesy of MaARTe 2015 Facebook Page)

29th Negros Trade Fair

The Soul of Negros in the heart of Makati.

On-going now until Sunday, September 28, is the 29th Negros Trade Fair.

Check out their fine export-quality furniture and furnishings, jewelry, arts and crafts, food(!!!), and more!

The 29th Negros Trade Fair is at the Glorietta Activity Center along Palm Drive, Makati.

Cafe Escudero

A Taste of Sorsogon

 

Growing up in a family where food plays a key role in fostering good cheer and camaraderie amongst its family members, photographer Philip Escudero has taken the long road back from his native Sorsogon to share his hometown’s cuisine in a café situated in the heart of Quezon City’s restaurant row.

                                            The café’s interiors evoke an outdoor feel with its exposed ceilings and radiating trellis slats.

 

Philip’s appreciation of good home-cooked food was instilled in him from youthful memories when he and his siblings would sit together at the dinner table and enjoy their mother’s cooking. The unique taste and flavors of Sorsogon cuisine, a staple in their household, was to become the basis of his new endeavor. Seeing the potential of offering these distinct dishes, Philip embarked on establishing a café that would offer the best of Sorsogon cuisine in a relaxed, casual setting. 

Sprawling with white, black, and pink sand beaches and lush mountains, the province of Sorsogon abounds with marine life and vegetation that has greatly influenced its local cuisine. Fresh fish and shellfish as well as leaves from the taro plant are common fare and are cooked in many variations from town to town. A staple ingredient is coconut milk which is used to steep the ingredients in as well as red hot chili peppers that give the dishes that added dimension unique to Sorsogon’s regional cuisine. 

Café Escudero, which opened last August 2012, offers a specialty menu of comfort food from Sorsogon.  We tried a sampling of their menu choices and were pleasantly surprised by the subtle flavors of each dish. Flavors blended and complimented each other with hints of flavor from particular ingredients surfacing with each bite. Here’s what we tried.

 

An appetizer of fried spring rolls made of cheese sticks lined with green chili pepper. The slight heat from the green chili pepper was just enough to compliment the flavor and texture of the cheese without overwhelming it.

Sorsogon Alimasag Tapenade (foreground), Monggo Bean Cream Soup (background)

Kinilaw na Baluko - shellfish akin to scallops in vinegar brine

Crispy Baluko is served with a vinegar dipping sauce steeped in garlic and red chilies

Inihaw na Pusit is stuffed with a medley of vegetables

Top on the 'must-try' list is "Pinangat' - layers of taro leaves steeped in coconut milk and chilies. The leaves are wrapped into parcels and steamed until cooked.

All-day breakfast fare can be had with Sorsogon's famous 'Danggit' (dried, salted fish). Fish in Sorsogon is usually dried and stored to be used during the monsoon season when fishing activities are suspended.

Another all-day breakfast staple is Guinobatan Longganiza, named after the town from which it is produced

Rellenong Sorsogon Alimasag - stuffed crab served with parsley rice and vinegar dipping sauce

Not wanting to limit the cafe's food choices, Philip has expanded the menu to include hearty soups, pasta dishes, sandwiches, and other typical cafe fare.  

Creamy pumpkin soup

A trio of pasta dishes - (top to bottom) Gourmet Tuyo Arrabiata, Pesto with Lemon-Butter Baluko, and Carbonara ala FB

Tender and succulent Rosemary Chicken with a hint of herbs on a bed of vegetables

Typical cafe fare of Club Sandwich (top) and Crunchy Fish Fillet Sandwich (bottom)

 Cafe Escudero is at 41 Sgt. Esguerra Ave. Quezon City - Tel: +63.2.4125201