Spices offers Eat-all-you-can ‘Virtual Buffet’
METRO Manila may have it all, but what it hasn’t tried yet is The Peninsula Manila’s Spices restaurant’s “virtual buffet.” Spices is offering a 45th anniversary á la carte menu of eat-all-you-can classics that will have lovers of Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore traveling back in time, enjoying endless servings of Spices Timeless Classics. It’s one of the greatest hidden deals in the metro. Groups can reserve a table to eat endless platters of Seafood Laksa (Malaysian shrimp, egg noodles, seafood, and coconut soup), Gha Gio (Vietnamese fried spring rolls with pork, shrimp, and mushrooms), Green Chicken Curry (Thai boneless chicken thigh, eggplant, long beans, and coriander), Chili Crabs (Singaporean curacha crab in spicy scallion sauce, scallions), and more, all served for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday. The deal costs P1,976 (inclusive of taxes). For inquiries or further information on Spices’ 45th Anniversary Timeless, call 8887-2888 (trunk line), extension 7410 (Restaurant Reservations), e-mail diningpmn@peninsula.com, visit the website peninsula.com, or through PenChat, The Peninsula Manila’s 24-hour e-concierge by using this link: https://bit.ly/PenChatFacebook.
The Commissariat Manila brings Bacolod Christmas treats
GINO Asensio Lopez and Monique Lopez Ong opened The Commissariat Manila in July 2020 during the pandemic. It was established to fulfill people’s need for first-class goods from Visayas, particularly Bacolod City, the place that the siblings both know has unrivaled pastries, cakes, chorizos, and seafood. Many of their sought-after delicacies come from Negros Occidental’s Felicia’s Pastry Shop. These pastries are baked fresh, and will be air-flown from Bacolod to Manila every week beginning Nov. 13 to Dec. 18. The Commissariat Manila has prepared a lineup of limited-edition Christmas sets featuring Felicia’s ensaimadas, cheese roll, cookies in cans including Almond Crisps, Lemon Thins, Almondettes, and their pili products such as their Pili Crumble and Turron de Pili. Felicia’s also released its cake line in Metro Manila and Cebu. These cakes in cans include the heirloom Potato Cake, Sans Rival, Swiss Chocolate Cake, Classic Chocolate Cake, and Butter Cake. All are available on-hand at The Commissariat Manila which also carries other top-rated Bacolod brands such as Casa Carmela’s “Bacolod in a bottle” line, such as Crazy Rich Crabs, Sexy Squid, Chorizo Pudpu, and their signature Papa Daniel’s Bangus; the Ereñeta-Manaloto Chorizo Recado and Hamonado Bilog, and the newest addition to the Chorizo line, the Chorizo Mozzarella. The Commissariat Manila also offers its own products such as The Commissariat Flat Quillos, and, seasonally, The Commissariat Bantayan Bay half-shell scallops which are harvested from Bantayan Island and flown straight to The Commissariat freezers. Pre-order early to get on The Commissariat Manila’s delivery list. For advance placement of orders, refer to the social media links. For Felicia’s fresh air-flown pastries and limited-edition Christmas sets, the pre-order cut-off for each week is on Wednesdays by 7 p.m. All late pre-orders will carry over to the next available shipment date. Deliveries for Metro Manila begin every Saturday of each week from Nov. 13 to Dec. 18. All on-hand products such as Felicia’s Cakes in cans, Casa Carmela bottled goods, Ereñeta-Manaloto Chorizos and The Commissariat Flat Quillos will be available for delivery until Dec. 23, and will continue to be available from Dec. 27-31. Fresh air-flown Felicia’s Ensaimadas and Cheese Rolls will resume on Jan. 8. The Commissariat Manila serves NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal). Visit and order from the website www.thecommissariatmanila.com, its Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommissariatmanila/, and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecommissariat/ pages.
Park and Dine at Diamond Hotel Philippines
DIAMOND Hotel Philippines offers Park & Dine, where guests can enjoy dining on the hotel’s sandwiches, pastas, Japanese and Chinese specialties, popular mains and bento combination sets in the comfort and safety of their own car, parked at the hotel’s front drive. Health protocols are in place for the diner’s safety and well-being. To keep the food hygienic, meals are placed in disposable packaging and each guest will receive his or her order wrapped along with single-use utensils, bottled water and sanitation kit. Lap tables will be provided so guests can dine with ease. Park & Dine is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and parking is subject to availability for walk-ins. For advanced reservations call 8528-3000 and 0975-792-1473 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. only), or e-mail restaurant_rsvn@diamondhotel.com. Pre-order is also available and the menu may be viewed at onlineshopping.diamondhotel.com.
Starbucks Traditions Promotion returns
STARBUCKS brings back the Starbucks Traditions Promotion this Christmas season. From Nov. 2 to Jan. 3, customers will earn a sticker for every purchase of a Tall, Grande, or Venti handcrafted beverage. Exclusive Starbucks Traditions merchandise may be redeemed for every 18 stickers collected. While staying true to a tradition of almost two decades, this year debuts a never-before-seen collection and new ways to join. The 2022 Starbucks Traditions Planner comes with a matching Organizer. This year’s edition comes with an embossed Siren and scale design. The organizer consists of built-in pockets to keep a pen, Starbucks Cards, and other essentials in one place. Inside the planner, there are 12 exclusive monthly artworks. New this year are the 2022 Starbucks Traditions Mug and Tumbler with Pouch. Each set includes a sleek stainless-steel matte black 12 oz tumbler or a classic white 12 oz ceramic mug, both paired with a pouch the customer can carry all day. Customers can now collect stickers digitally in two ways: 1.) get the new QR promo card in stores and collect a digital sticker every handcrafted beverage in store, or, 2.) use the Starbucks app by opting in to collecting e-Stickers for every handcrafted beverage purchased using a registered Starbucks Card. Starbucks has also made it easier to earn stickers from home. Customers can now earn digital stickers through their delivery app. Every purchase of four eligible handcrafted beverages on GrabFood or food panda will be issued a QR promo card loaded with its corresponding digital stickers. Stickers can now be collected at all Starbucks stores nationwide. To have a closer look of the 2022 Starbucks Traditions and for the full mechanics, visit https://starbuckstraditions.ph.
SaladStop! holiday favorite returns
SALADSTOP! brings back one of its most popular offerings — the White Christmas salad, a mix of romaine, kale, walnut snow, turkey ham, grapes, green apples, croutons, and a special Queso de Bola dressing. Unique to this salad is the walnut snow, a sweet meringue with walnuts and a hint of cinnamon. The Queso de Bola makes it feel like Christmas in every bite. White Christmas will be offered in party trays for the first time, available in both or wrap options. White Christmas salad, will be available in SaladStop! Metro Manila stores from Nov. 9 to Jan. 3.
Kenny Rogers Roasters serves new Truffle Roast
UNWRAP a luxurious holiday celebration with Kenny Rogers Roasters’ new Truffle Roast. Kenny’s Truffle Roast is soaked in a flavorful marinade of truffle and buttermilk extracts, then roasted to perfection. Drops of truffle oil are added on the chicken just before serving to further enhance the rich truffle aroma of the roast. A gold foil wrapping encloses each Truffle Roast. Each roast is served with the new buttermilk sauce. The Truffle Roast Group Meal — good for a group of four — comes with one whole roast, four side dishes, four cups of rice, muffins, and a 1.5L Coke for P1,105. The Truffle Roast Solo B Plate comes with a quarter chicken, the new buttermilk sauce on the side, two side dishes, rice and a muffin for P315. Meanwhile, Kenny Rogers Roasters’ signature mashed potatoes has been leveled up with the new Spinach Mashed Potato. Kenny’s Truffle Roast is also available as an upgrade in other Kenny Rogers menu offerings. It is available in all Kenny Rogers Roasters stores nationwide, available for dine-in, take-out, and delivery. Order these combos for delivery through www.kennyrogersdelivery.com.ph, the hotline 8-55-9000, or via Grab Food and Food Panda.
New Nespresso Boutique opens at Robinsons Magnolia
NESPRESSO’S third boutique in the country has opened in Robinsons Magnolia. The boutique’s interior has a muted coffee-inspired palette of rich brown and crema-inspired gold and floor tiles and lamps that echo what are found in coffee farms. Local flair comes from the use of capiz on a section of its walls. The table-tops were made from used coffee grounds and wood from reforestation programs. The boutique boasts a window-to-farm virtual view of coffee farms, and a Greenery Wall, a visual representation of local coffee plantations. The store will soon introduce an interactive Recycling Corner: drop a bag of used capsules in the bin which will show customers the weight on a screen, revealing what it can be recycled into — a pen, chopsticks, or Swiss army knife. Nespresso is at the Upper Ground Level of Robinsons Magnolia, New Manila, Quezon City. It is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Monkey Shoulder pop-up bar at BGC
MONKEY Shoulder blended malt whisky has a newly launched festive pop-up bar at Bonifacio Global City. Located at the Monkey Shoulder Giving Tree along C1 in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), the pop-up bar will be run in partnership with a lineup of watering holes throughout the festive season to serve up whisky cocktails. To give shoppers the chance to sample what Monkey Shoulder serves, every guest above the legal drinking age is entitled to one complimentary cocktail per weekend. In November, weekend visitors can look forward to cocktail creations by bartenders from 205 on Nov. 12 to 13, iDarts DASH on Nov. 19 to 20, Skye on Nov. 26 to 27, Fireside on Dec. 3 to 4, and Boozy on Dec. 24 and 25. For updates on the latest event happenings, as well as new additions to the featured bar line-up in December, follow Monkey Shoulder’s Facebook and Instagram. Meanwhile, the Monkey Shoulder Giving Tree and pop-up bar will be open till Dec. 31. All event personnel are fully vaccinated, and have been trained to observe and ensure health and safety protocols. There are also limited-edition Monkey Shoulder Twin Packs, made up of two 700ml Monkey Shoulder bottles and a Monkey Shoulder Bricks Game. The Monkey Shoulder Twin Packs are now available at selected S&R, The Marketplace, and Robinsons Supermarket stores, while stocks last. Visitors to the Monkey Shoulder pop-up bar can also get their hands on the pack from Nov. 19.
My Little Pony, Transformer toys now in Happy Meals
MCDONALD’S now has new My Little Pony and Transformers toys packed inside Christmas-themed Happy Meal boxes. As a bonus, the Add-on promo allows customers to have a Burger McDo Happy Meal by adding P50 to any McDonald’s meal. Kids can collect Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and the cast of characters from Equestria, or BumbleBee, Optimus Prime and the robots of the Cyberverse. Every Happy Meal purchase comes in festive, ready-to-gift, and limited-edition Christmas-themed Happy Meal Boxes. And with McDelivery Send to Many, it is easy to send to multiple addresses with one booking. To learn more, go to the McDelivery website or app and follow McDonald’s Philippines on Facebook.
Jollibee releases new Champ & Joy Super Meal
JOLLIBEE levels up its partnership with its newest endorser, Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz — who made history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by winning the Philippines’ first ever Olympic gold medal — with a special Champ & Joy Super Meal. The Champ & Joy Super Meal combines Chickenjoy with the Champ, and comes with a free Go Large Coke drink. As an added treat, customers will also get special packaging featuring Hidilyn Diaz and a limited edition Hidilyn Diaz collectible card with every order of the Super Meal. Part of the proceeds of every Champ & Joy Super Meal will be donated to the Philippine Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission. The meal is available for P240 in select Jollibee stores nationwide (via the Jollibee Delivery App, JollibeeDelivery.com, #87000, GrabFood, and foodpanda, and also through dine-in, drive-through and take out) only until Nov. 30.
Food deliveries for a Pinoy Christmas
AS WE inch closer to another quarantined Christmas, unable again to celebrate together with friends and family under one roof, Grab is making it easier to “Padalove” gifts and happiness for a Pinoy Christmas. Grab hopes to close the gap between friends and family through 100+ Cities Delivery, a new feature with which customers can send anything from food and presents to loved ones living overseas. To be launched on Nov. 22, 100+ Cities Delivery will enable Filipinos to send their love with GrabFood and GrabMart to 148 cities throughout the Philippines and Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Grab also helps with the Christmas present shopping with its extensive catalog of holiday staples and gifting options available on GrabFood (from GrabFood Signatures to holiday-themed bundles), GrabMart (a selection of gadgets, toys, home essentials, and holiday baskets, and holiday party staples like ham and queso de bola), and GrabExpress (GrabExpress Instant for quick deliveries, GrabExpress 4 Hours for affordable options, GrabExpress Multi-Stop Delivery to send gifts to multiple recipients, and GrabExpress Pabili). Get to support local businesses and MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) through GrabExpress’ Madiskarteng Boss Club Holiday Bazaar to be launched online soon, wherein Madiskarteng Boss Club members will showcase the best of their holiday offerings and unique gifting options. Grab’s Christmas-themed Holiday Saver Pack is a three-month bundle that consists of 41 GrabFood, GrabMart and GrabExpress vouchers, with a total of savings of up to P4,000. The Holiday Saver Pack is available for an early bird price of P49, from its original price of P249. Outside of the voucher bundle, Grab is also offering more discounts and offers across its services.
San Miguel kickstarts Oktoberfest
THIS year, San Miguel is giving away up to P100 million in prizes via the new Instant GCashPanalo Under-the-Crown Promo as part of its Oktoberfest celebration. Beer lovers can win GCash rewards of up to P5,000 simply by buying participating San Miguel Beers until Dec. 31. To join buy any participating San Miguel Beer, look for the eight-digit alphanumeric code under the crown or beer cap and scan the promo QR code in stores or San Miguel Oktoberfest Facebook page. From there, the buyer will be directed to the GCash app page, where they must enter their mobile number, promo code, and the CAPTCHA code to claim a GCash reward. There is no redemption limit. The following San Miguel Beers are part of this promo: San Miguel Pale Pilsen 320ml and 1000ml, Red Horse Beer 330ml, 500ml and 1000ml, San Mig Light 330ml, San Miguel Flavored Beer Apple 330ml, San Miguel Flavored Beer Lemon 330ml, San Miguel Flavored Beer Lychee 330ml, San Mig Zero 330ml or Gold Eagle Beer 320ml and 1000 ml. This promo is available in areas where allowed.
Restaurant 101 takes over Manila Golf & Country Club’s F&B operations
ENDERUN’S Restaurant 101 officially took over the F&B operations of Manila Golf & Country Club (MGCC) in October. According to 101’s Managing Director, chef Thomas Wenger, “we were looking for an opportunity to bring 101 to a different market and feel that we have found the right place by taking this opportunity at Manila Golf & Country Club. We hope that with the recovery into full operations within the foreseeable time, the MGCC operations will open up banquet and catering opportunities for 101.” It will be handling food and beverages (F&B) services for the concessionaires of the Verandah restaurant, the Sand Trap Bar, and banqueting as well as outside catering, all golf teahouses, and kiosks. The majority of the Manila Golf & Country Club’s staff has been retained, and while the menu will remain mostly unchanged, 101 will introduce additional seasonal menus and special events for the club’s members.
Master third wave specialty coffee with Breville’s Bambino Plus
THIRD wave coffee is a concept that considers the drink as artisanal, and also gives importance to a deeper understanding of coffee and its origins — how it is grown, where it is sourced, how it is prepared. Breville Philippines, a lifestyle home brand offering premium kitchen appliances, is known for its high-quality espresso models like the Breville Barista Express and the Breville Dual Broiler. Recently the brand released a friendlier appliance for the home: the new Bambino Plus. It combines the ideal dose, proper temperature, optimal pressure, and sufficient steam for a serving that can challenge brews from coffee shops. The model also uses an innovative ThermoJet heating system, adjustable milk temperature setting, and a hands-free automatic steam wand. Follow Breville’s social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok and visit their website to learn more about the coffee makers.
XTREME Appliances’ discounts on Lazada 11.11 Sale
XTREME Appliances offers up to 52% off during the Lazada 11.11 Sale. This includes the XTREME Cool Combo Washer & Dryer with 10 kilo washer capacity and 7 kilo dryer capacity and an inverter motor that can save up to 70% on electricity consumption. There are aircons like a 1.5HP XTREME Cool Split Type Inverter Aircon, 1.0HP X-Series Split Type Non-Inverter Aircon (XACST10X), and the Non-Inverter Aircon with Remote (XACWT10RX), and gas ranges like the 50CM X-Series Gas Range which has four-burners and a stainless steel cooktop, and an Ultra HD Android TV like the 43” XTREME Android TV with its 4K resolution and Doly Audio feature, plus a Google Voice Assistant for voice control. For the full list of products and exclusive discounts, please visit XTREME on Website, Lazada, and Shopee e-commerce.
Japan-PHL 65th anniversary online cooking contest winner
THE EMBASSY of Japan in the Philippines hosted a prize dinner for Ana Liezl Quibrantar for winning the Food and Friendship: The Japan-Philippines 65th Anniversary Online Cooking Contest, at the Ambassador’s residence. Ms. Quibrantar received a Certificate of Appreciation for her victory in the competition and praised her winning dish named Shirashi in Tempura Taco Nori. Inspired by Japanese and Filipino cuisines, the dish combines elements of the classic Japanese dish chirashi and prepared with marinated fish similar to the Filipino kinilaw. The online competition featured photo and video submissions from Filipino contestants that focus on Japanese cuisine and/or Filipino-Japanese fusion cooking.
