Kadayawan: Makati Version (part1)

I was busy with Giselle... and also a little tight with my liquidity... so a trip to Davao for the annual Kadayawan Festival was out of the question. I was blessed nonetheless, to do the next best thing. I got invited to be a part of the Kadayawan festivities at Market!Market! as judge for the culinary challenge.

It was a weekend event that featured two iconic ingredients that Davao is known for. The 17th of August was the competition to whip up delectable desserts with Durian as the main ingredient. There were 6 contestants who were given 30 minutes to whip up their desserts. I was just so excited to see what the contestants would come up with, I started snapping photos of the dishes they came up with.

There were three of us who served as judge. Myself, my dear friend Lorraine who is a chef and food stylist and Kathleen Tan who is Brand Manager for Dowell home appliances. All three of us noticed how well the dishes were plated. However, all three of us were unanimous in that above everything else in a cooking competition it's flavor that counts most.

Ist place: Durian crepe with durian infused syrup

Therefore,some of the more complicated platings did not merit a prize. We observed that some contestants had garnished their desserts with ingredients that were either unpalatable or had no bearing whatsoever with the dessert they concocted. So a simple crepe won the top prize.

2nd place: Durian bar with strawberry durian mocktail

At the end of the day, it was justified that even the most aesthetically pleasing manner in which to serve a dessert doesn't stand on its own if you can't eat everything on the plate.  So the durian bar with a strawberry and durian mocktail that looked really tempting only placed second because the rose petal was included purely for visual effect.

Third place: Durian bar crumble with dragon fruit and spun sugar and blueberry streak

Third place was a durian bar crumble with dragon fruit and spun sugar and blueberry streak which looked tempting except that the durian bar was mushy. It wasn't a bar at all but more of a pudding. It would have been nice to be able to lift it up and take a bite out of it if it had the texture of a granola bar.

Durian pudding with orange slivers

Some of the photos are entries which didn't quite make it. But I'm including them here for pure visual delight. The thing with durian is that is has a strong aroma and a distinct taste. It either grows on you or you can completely try to mask it. some flavors were pretty complementary to durian but sadly, some flavors just don't go well with it.

Durian tapioca with mint 

So for the not so lucky contestants, they have more time to experiment until next year...

Durian with raspberry syrup, orange marmalade and sugar tuille

Raffles and Fairmont: Trademarks of Oppulence

A few months ago, Ayala Land was host to the opening of two new spanking hotels. Both have been known for luxury and service beyond the ordinary... Raffles and Fairmont hotels have finally opened its doors as Manila's bespoke hotels.

The first one I visited was the Fairmont. Situated right beside the Landmark, it is one of the more modern hotels I have visited. Sparsely decorated... almost spartan in its interiors, the hotel breathes a minimalist design. Huge Vats decorate the front desk while vibrant tribal installation art line the foyer.

Fresh flowers adorn niches and a cascade of crystals offer an imposing site in the lobby that precedes the grand staircase. There's also a bowl of juicy red delicious apples on the vestibule, which from time to time, are snatched by the hotel's guests.

The coffee shop offers a wide array of cocktails for the weary traveler or for the thirsty visitor up for a tall drink at the end of the day. The bakeshop has an interesting array of cakes and pastries. And for the piece de resistance... macaroons! There's a whole assortment of them!!! And if foodies are to be believed, they're supposedly the best of them all...

On another occasion, i was able to pick up guests who were billeted at the Raffles Hotel. It is situated beside the Fairmont on a corner block along Palm  and Arnaiz avenues. The difference between the two is that the Raffles is geared towards expats who are expecting to stay longer than the average tourists.

Ergo, the Raffles is  designed more as residences rather than a hotel. A few settees are strewn about the lobby that has groupings of all sorts of mirrors and a crystal chandelier cascading down the center. It is where expats can feel the comforts of home away from home as they spend their days in Manila while on assignment. The hotel boasts of valet service 24/7. The lobby is clearly not a place to gather and chill out in unless you have a meeting with the guests at the coffee shop.

On my visit here, I chanced upon Rick Harrison of Pawnstars fame. Yes, he was in Manila for a spell with son Cory. I managed to shake hands with the celeb and even managed to infom him I watch his shows. He managed to smile and thank me for being a fan... and that was that!

Realizing Giselle

Months ago, I posted a blog on the designs of Giselle. I was in the process of making the costumes for Ballet Philippines' Gala presentation to open the 44th season of the company.

I'm so honored to have been a part of the production. It was not without its trials, however, I feel the difficulties far outweigh the rewards. At first I thought the project was going to be easy-breezy. How difficult could it be to spruce up Badong Bernal's costumes? Little did I know the costumes were in total disrepair...

With Nonoy Froilan's visual peg, I started over in making the costumes from scratch. A few weeks later, some costumes came into realization. They weren't perfect, as some prototypes are expected. But they weren't bad...

With that conceptual direction down pat things got underway. The sourcing of materials, the contracting of suppliers, the scheduling of measurements and fittings had to be done in the span of barely two months. Add to that the constant changes from panicking re-stagers and choreographers and the unsolicited opinion of those who think they know how to make dance costumes were incessant irritants to my usual calm composure.

But come Gala night, the costumes were ready. Up to the very last minute, capes were being sewn and beads were being added to headresses. After all the hardwork Giselle had a successful run this weekend. After the heart aches and disappointments, all's well that ends well. =)