Tea-rrific affair

To coincide with the celebration of English tea brand Twinings’ 310th anniversary, Stephen Twining, 10th generation member of the famous tea family, visited the Philippines recently.

The well-loved tea company, known for its passion, commitment and superior craftsmanship in providing consumers with the finest quality tea, hosted a series of events for the media. It also hosted an event for its local food and beverage partners.

Stephen led the festivities that featured a special menu with delectable tea-infused dishes prepared by chef Ivan Saiz of Vask. Some of the favorites were Carpaccio de Wagyu with Twinings’ Enchanted Forest Fruits Black Tea oil, pine nuts and parmesan ice cream, and the dessert called Sakura, which was a yogurt sponge cake with Twinings’ London Strand Earl Grey Tea-infused ice cream.

The series of events also served as the official launch of Twinings’ Large-Leaf Discovery Collection. This new large-leaf tea collection consists of eight wonderful blends designed to take Filipino tea lovers on a journey of discovery that will surely delight the senses.

Nobu-fied feast

(From left) Chef Michael de Jesus, Tessa Prieto-Valdes, City of Dreams’ Charisse Chuidian and chef Ricky Estrellado.

Nobu New York executive chef Ricky Estrellado and Nobu Manila head chef Michael de Jesus recently collaborated for an unforgettable feast that “Nobu-fied” timeless Filipino recipes.

The two-night event highlighted the collaboration of two talented Filipino chefs who have both worked with the renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa for years. Chef Ricky, who has worked with Nobu for 22 years, oversees both the Nobu New York in Tribeca and Nobu Next Door on Hudson Street. Chef Michael, a Fil-Am who grew up in the US, started his nine-year career with Nobu in its Los Angeles restaurant. He worked in Nobu Las Vegas before coming to Nobu Manila this year.

The dinner highlighted Nobu-style interpretation of Filipino classic cuisine. We started with sisig foie gras on a gyoza cone followed by seared tuna kinilaw tartare with kizami wasabi, then an ubod salad lapu-lapu shiso crepe with jalapeno and Matsuhisa dressing. One of Nobu’s signature dishes, Yellowtail new style sashimi, was reintroduced with a green mango purée and dried bagoong (fermented shrimp) while the spiny lobster tempura was served in miso sinigang consommé. The entrées were sous vide crispy pata with amazu ponzu and Brussels sprouts laing and beef short ribs kare-kare anticucho, which offered a refreshing perspective to the traditional Filipino pork and beef dishes.

Before dessert landed on the table, an array of sushi was served such as saba tinapa-style, local tuna toyomansi, whitefish sarciado-style, salay-salay paksiw and mixed seafood kilawin taco. The Nobu-style water halo-halo (with shaved frozen coconut water instead of ordinary shaved ice) offered a delightfully sweet ending. I couldn’t decide which one was my favorite as I loved them all.

I met Ricky years ago in New York and his cooking was still as good as I remembered it to be in Nobu New York.

(For inquiries and reservations, call 800-8080 or e-mail [email protected].)

An all-American festival

Beringer wines.

For its 15th anniversary, The Manor at Camp John Hay (CJH) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) present an American food and wine extravaganza.

This food and beverage festival will take place at The Manor every weekend of September starting Sept. 10. It will feature the delectable creations of famed chef Billy King such as USDA steaks, hamburgers, hotdogs, fried chicken and ice cream, which were once the staple fare at Camp John Hay in Baguio.

The event’s wine partners include California’s Beringer, Robert Mondavi Woodbridge,  Menage a Trois,  and Sutter Homes together with US MEF.

CJH Baguio was the rest and recreational facility for members of the US military since its birth way back in 1903 and was turned over to the Philippine government (BCDA) in 1991. In 1996, CJH Development Corp. took on the mantle of developing the Camp and converted it into the prime, one-of-a-kind destination that it is today.  Two hotels were built in the property (The Manor and The Forest Lodge). The Camp also houses a world-class golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, the CAP convention center, a town center, strip malls, sports and recreation centers, camping grounds, picnic areas and an eco-trail.

(For this celebration, The Manor offers a 50-percent discount on room rates, starting at P3,500. For more information, call 584-4911 or 687-6524.)

Of great wine & good food

(Seated) Chateau Lascombes managing director Dominique Befve, Abraham Cordoves and Grand Hyatt Manila’s Daniel Ganser; (standing) Wine Depot’s Brett and Hazel Tolhurst.

It was a night of good food and great wine when Wine Depot’s Brett and Hazel Tolhurst hosted the “Wine Depot Buyer’s Table” at The Peninsula Manila’s Old Manila.

The dinner, which featured Chateau Lascombes, a Second Grand Cru Classe Margaux wine, had Dominique Befve, managing director of Chateau Lascombes, as a special guest.

Executive chef Mike Werhle prepared terrine de lapin (rabbit terrine), mache salad, candied walnut and croutons for starters. These were followed by the “Old Manila” Boeuf bourguignon with summer vegetable ragout, mashed potato for the main. Dessert was the delicious Malagos chocolate, pinipig, carabao milk and pili nut.

Guests and buyers sampled Chevalier de Lascombes 2012, Chevalier de Lascombes 2010, Chateau Lascombes 2013, Chateau Lascombes 2010 and Chateau Lascombes 2005.

It was a simple yet wonderful dinner paired with amazing wines that left guests wanting for more.

(Chateau Lascombes is available at Wine Depot branches:  217 Nicanor Garcia street Bel-Air Makati City; L/G Floor SM Aura, Taguig City; 6 Missouri St. North East Greenhills, San Juan City; Westgate Corporate Center, Commerce Avenue cor. Filinvest Avenue, Alabang; 2nd Floor SM City BF, Parañaque City; and Filinvest Cebu Cyberzone, IT Park, Cebu City.)

Blue Man Group in Manila

The members of Blue Man Group hitch a ride in Manila.

Expect an unforgettable experience as award-winning global entertainment company Blue Man Group invades Manila from Sept. 14 to 25 at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City.

Be ready for a night of comedy, theater, rock concert and dance party   performed by the group, composed of Chris Wink, Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman. They are well-known for their unique brand of techno color entertainment.

Co-founder of Blue Man Group Phil Stanton recalls how it all started 25 years ago, “We were three very close friends interested in finding our own voice through performance while exploring our various interests such as music, comedy, performance and fine art, as well as pop culture.” They have played to over 35 million people across more than 20 countries and even have permanent shows in Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, Boston, Chicago and Berlin.

During a week of performances, the Blue Man Group relies on 32 lbs. of Jell-O, eight boxes of Cap’n Crunch cereal, 96 pieces of white chocolate Toblerone, 240 marshmallows and 40 boxes of Twinkie Lights. (Whether those food products are eaten or simply used as props in the show, that is for you to find out at the Blue Man Group show in Manila!) The tour also relies on 25 drum heads, 14 cymbals, 24 drumsticks, 50 gallons of paint, 27 bald caps and “Blue Man Blue” colored makeup specially made for the trio.

Despite the absence of spoken dialogue, the group keeps the audience mesmerized during the show with a fully immersive audio-visual experience complete with electrifying music, state-of-the-art technology, a live band and its signature interactive audience experiences.

Blue Man Group, in partnership with Globe Telecom, is brought to Manila by Blue Man Productions Ltd., Lunchbox Theatrical Productions Ltd. and Concertus Manila.

(Globe customers get a 20-percent discount on tickets. Simply access the Exclusive Perks section in the Globe Rewards App and present the Blue Man Group digital badge at any TicketWorld outlet. They may also enter the promo code online to avail themselves of the special discount. For more information, call Concertus Manila at 403-8646 and 403-8678 or TicketWorld at 891-­9999 and visit www.ticketworld.com.ph.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)