If you still haven’t been there, dahlings, dash over to the awesome Lartizan Boulangerie Française that has Cosmo Manille heating up! And I ain’t just talking about the weather, palangga. It’s giving us food lovers loads of options for our fill of fabulous cuisine.
Lartizan had a grand opening bash at its first sit-down branch at Serendra in Bonifacio Global City, with Johnlu Koa, the genius behind The French Baker and Chatime.
Now with Lartizan, Koa focuses on classic French country cooking, no less.
The popular Sen. Grace Poe, in spite of her endless meetings, obliged to do the ribbon-snipping, with Kim Bernardo-Lokin taking on the hosting duties for the night.
Other esteemed guests were Sen. Sonny Angara and wife Tootsy, GoNegosyo’s Joey and Marissa Concepcion and Mon Lopez, culinary figures and instructors Sylvia and Ernest Gala, and renowned chef (and Lartizan consultant) Reggie Aspiras.
The invitees just couldn’t stop commenting on the sumptuous slow-cooked roast beef, baguettes made with red wine, lobster linguini and sourdough boule, among the other superb dishes, and drowned with free-flowing red and white wine, natch!
Inside the cozy, très chic Lartizan, the wide selection of French breads and pastries were on full display, including scones, brioche rolls, macarons and croissants.
Since its soft opening in January, Lartizan’s customers have been raving about savory food items, including the crab meat vinaigrette, flank steak, chicken vol-au-vent with wild mushroom sauce, pata negra, onion soup, shrimp Alfredo pasta, Normandy-style pork ribs stew in Calvados cream, and three-cheese stuffed homemade ravioli. Now that’s enough to make you and moi go back again and again, which I have done with some of my friends.
Lartizan’s interiors and décor, by the way, were inspired by Johnlu’s sojourns to Paris.
The boulangerie’s 36 seats and nine main guest tables surround the counter, pastry window and prep area, and there’s also a small function room for special events for “hush-hush” conversations.
High-quality ingredients and tableware have been brought in from Europe, and the wide wine and tea selections make pairings with food even more fun.
Lartizan’s new home in Serendra marks Johnlu’s 25 successful years in the food industry. “This keeps me innovating and satisfying the consumers. People are always looking for new lifestyle alternatives. Lartizan represents that and answers the need of the market,” he said.
Après, it was time to dig into all the yummy items, which had everyone completely satisfied.
Well, that’s what great food, Johnlu style, is all about, ’di bala, palangga?
New phone retailer
At another launch, this time of the mobile phone retail chain Allphones, dubbed “Fun for All” held at the ballroom of Crowne Plaza Hotel, guests likewise had a fab time.
It also marked the opening of its outlet in Robinsons Galleria. Would you believe, this is Allphones’ 50th store?
The event started with a parade led by the Allphones mascot, followed by gorgeous gals, and the Allphones Funbassadors, naturellement.
Guests included the big bosses from Allphones’ Australian and Philippine offices, including Geoff A. Hester, Allphones Philippines’ chief executive adviser; Shaun Colligan, managing director AMT Group/Allphones Retail, Australia; and Blue C. Avelino, Allphones Philippines chief operations officer and general manager.
Also present were Peter Bithos, Globe Telecom chief operating adviser; and Jun D. Sy Jr., president of Tao Corporation; and OPM boy band 1:43.
Soon after as the store opened its doors, a fun show was held at the Robinsons Galleria activity center where participants each received a “Fun for All Passport” that gave them access to nine booths, including dances and fashion shows presenting the latest smartphones and tablets from Samsung, Sony, MyPhone, Lenovo, LG, Nokia, Alcatel, ZTE and Cloudphone.
Now that’s really an impressive list cell phone brands, n’est-ce pas? Allphones is said to carry the widest range of the latest, most features-rich and fun smartphones and gadgets.
Allphones is Australia’s most successful mobile phone retailer. The company opened Allphones Philippines in partnership with Tao Corp. and Globe Telecom in late 2013.
Asian V8 racing series
Top racing enthusiasts, plus members of the chic diplomatic corps, rushed to the atrium of Resorts World Manila to toast the launch of the “Asian V8 Championship Series,” a très prestigious international racing happening that is sure to put our country, palangga, on the motoring tourism map.
An endless flow of booze and excellent hors d’oeuvres were served as the big, hot names in the racing circuit both here and abroad rubbed elbows, dahlings.
Entertaining was Tom Pastor of the Philippine Formula Autosports Foundation Inc., natch, with Ed Cox of Orion Motorsport, which participates in late-model Nascar USA, and Alain Veyssiere of Scorpio Motorsport, which is active in EuroNascarWhelen Series in Europe.
Also present, naturellement, were international race car drivers Christian Jones and Callum Whatmore of Australia, Joe Meszier and Heidi Assuncao of Macau.
Filipino racing champion Enzo Pastor, was on hand, as well as his brother Don, the first Filipino-American to participate in the Nascar Whelen Euroseries race circuit. Don was named Philippine Driver of the Year in 2010 and has won the 2012 Global Time Attack race held in Buttonwillow, California, dahlings.
“With this partnership, we are all revved up to bring the Philippines back on the global map of motorsports,” said the debonair Tom Pastor.
The Asian V8 Championship Series, dahlings, will showcase eight stock cars with brand-new V8 engines using the late-model Nascar spec race cars.
Sixteen international race car drivers from all over Asia will be flown in and brought to Clark International Speedway to race. The winners will be given the chance to compete in the US and Europe racing events.
Now, palangga, that’s zooming around with the best of the best behind those wow cars, n’est-ce pas?
And yeah, with the staging of the Asian V8 Championship Series, auto racing will be more fun in the Philippines!
