Following the announcement of the impending closure of Mandarin Oriental, Manila, on Sept. 9, the hotel celebrated its memorable journey spanning 38 years with four gastronomic farewell events at its two signature restaurants, Tin Hau and The Tivoli. Dubbed as “MeMOries: Best of the Best,” the gatherings marked the grand finale before Mandarin closes its doors for good.
Welcoming guests at the farewell receptions were Mandarin GM Torsten van Dullemen and his wife Paola; chair Nonoy Colayco and his wife Tina; the hotel’s PR doyenne, Charisse Chuidian.
Tin Hau’s executive Chinese chef Hann Furn Chen prepared an exceptional à la carte and—take note, palangga—two sets of menus featuring eight and six courses of his specialities and signature dishes. Feng shui master Joseph Chau, who has been with Tin Hau for 13 years, returned to reenergize lucky charms.
The Tivoli executive sous chef Remi Vercelli’s fab dishes were served to a full house daily at lunch and dinner until the restaurant
closed on July 25.
The events included prominent names as guest chefs: on July 11, the hotel’s former executive chef Norbert Gandler was assisted by two other ex-Mandarin chefs, Ernesto Babaran and Kenneth Cacho; a week later, restaurateur Gaita Fores teamed up with executive chef Rene Ottlik for a nine-course Italian dinner.
The hotel’s music bar, Martinis, attracted an SRO crowd that raved over performances by Kat Agarrado, KO Jones, Mulatto, and DJs Boyet Sison, Elian Habayeb, Robby Lopez and Agnes Macasaet.
While people were queuing for a final luxurious body treatment at The Spa, my favorite Mandarin Deli has taken center stage with all its yummy, freshly baked breads and homemade jams by executive pastry chef Darren Harding—to last until Aug. 17.
And two days before its closure, the Mandarin Deli will host the biggest ever Wines and Tapas Night, with over 30 of the world’s best wine regions represented.
Well, dahlings, there’s still time to partake of all these offers while they last.
Sadly, palangga, it will be quite a long wait until a new 275-room Mandarin Oriental rises in 2020 at the Ayala Triangle. But perhaps loyal guests wouldn’t mind.
Till then, the memories linger on.
Jana de Asis Benitez’s
‘Life Force’
Jana de Asis Benitez’s “Life Force,” an exhibit of her new artworks at Ayala Museum, drew more than 300 of our town’s society figures.
Cocktails were served as Jana hobnobbed with guests, including young-at-hearts Helena Benitez and Yolanda de Asis; helping attend to them was Jana’s mom Joanne—with whom I had spent fun, memorable years in London.
Jana has come full circle, having first exhibited her paintings at Ayala Museum in 1998 when she was just 12 years old. To quote art critic Alice Guillermo in 2009: “Jana comes up with her own personal idiom, a language that she has cultivated on her own from the sheer pleasure of painting… there is undeniable maturity in the artist in her wider quest for lives and contexts other than her own.”
In this latest exhibit, Jana at 28 has plumbed the depths of her artistry—a feat that guests took note of while viewing her paintings which came in different sizes.
The biggest one, I heard, had already sold out even before the exhibit opened. And the proud owner is… oops, my lips are sealed for now, palangga.
The exhibit runs until Aug. 31.
