MAGNETIC ‘KILIG’
Ariane Santos and Kara So Kua, the two women behind Magnetic Poetry MNL, just released a set that’s perfect for your hugot needs—their Tagalog poetry kit (P300).
Ariane said, “We believe it’s the best way to bring home the magnetic poetry experience and make it closer to the heart of Filipinos.”
It contains over 250 word tiles including “halik,” “ulap,” “bituin,” “lungkot” and our favorite, “tocino.”
Ariane loves the “tocino” tile, too. She said, “We also love the words ‘tocino’ and ‘sinangag.’ We can already imagine a really funny poem on the fridge in the morning!”
Expect more from the brand which will be releasing more kits and launching its official website soon.
Find Magnetic Poetry MNL on Facebook and Instagram. Call 0917-8265789.
FOR YOUR FROZEN HEART
“Yay! Makakatikim na ako ng Matinong Boyfriend!” wrote one fan on Sebastian’s Ice Cream’s Facebook page.
Our favorite sorbetero Ian Carandang has whipped up four new flavors for Sebastian’s 2015 Valentine Ice Cream Collection: Matinong Boyfriend, Matinong Girlfriend, Closure and, the most popular on social media, Unresolved Issues.
Celebrate your Matinong Girlfriend (potato chip ice cream with cheddar-sour cream potato chips coated in salted white chocolate) or Matinong Boyfriend (passion fruit sans rival ice cream made with a cashew-buttercream ice cream base, a ribbon of passion fruit sorbet, wafer pieces and toasted macadamia nuts) with a scoop. “The best boyfriends have lots of passion and are a little nuts (in a good way),” said Sebastian’s on its Facebook page.
Matinong Boyfriend is Ian’s favorite: “The flavors are just so lovely and new and they go together perfectly.”
But as a concept, it’s Closure that he loves: “Instead of putting distinct flavors together, this was about layering… and coming up with a completely new flavor in a smooth, chunkless ice cream.”
Get Closure (chrysanthemum ice cream made with orange zest and real vanilla) on a cone or, if Valentine’s Day is amplifying your bitterness, eat your Unresolved Issues (ampalaya sorbet made with fresh ampalaya and garnished with candied ampalaya).
Ian finds it amusing that Unresolved Issues is the flavor that Sebastian’s Facebook fans have shared the most. “Not even Closure comes close,” he said. “Unresolved Issues was primarily just for a laugh, to show that ‘Yes, I went there… Hugot ice cream talaga.”
He made it by using ampalaya tea. “My mom has it every night by steeping fresh ampalaya in hot water,” he said. “That’s where I got the idea from. I used that tea and turned it into a sorbet.”
He added: “I don’t expect this one to sell at all, except maybe to the people who eat Harry Potter Bertie Bott’s Beans for the gross flavors. Don’t get me wrong, it tastes good, as good as a sorbet from ampalaya can be.”
It was Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah creator Carlo Vergara who inspired Ian’s Valentine’s Day flavors.
Ian said, “In late 2013, Carlo told me, ‘Your next best-selling flavor will be named ‘Matinong Boyfriend.’ On Valentine’s Day last year, I ran with it. This year I expanded the concept and added ‘Closure’ mainly so I could say ‘Come to Sebastian’s on Valentine’s Day and get closure!’”
The Valentine flavors will be available starting today at Sebastian’s in Mall of Asia, Podium and Regis Center Katipunan.
And if you want to try any of these, you need to act fast. Sebastian’s limited-edition flavors are like a hot fling—“once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
UNLOCK YOUR LOVE
Inspired by love lock bridges around the world, Unlock My Heart is Swatch’s Valentine’s Day watch. It comes in a beautiful watch box that, like your heart, needs to be unlocked.
The dial features a heart-shaped lock, and the pretty strap is adorned with three fuchsia loops and even more hearts.
It’s the perfect gift for someone you love or, yes, even yourself.
Available at Swatch Shops in Swatch & Swatch, SM Megamall, Glorietta 1, Greenbelt 5, TriNoma, Alabang Town Center, Marquee Mall, Pampanga, SM Mall of Asia, SM City North Edsa, Rockwell Power Plant Mall, Greenhills V-Mall, Shangri-La Plaza, Robinsons Place Manila, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, Festival Mall, Ayala Center Cebu, SM City Cebu, Abreeza Mall Davao and SM Lanang Premier.
‘TADHANA’
We said it before and we’ll say it again: You need to watch “That Thing Called Tadhana,” the Antoinette Jadaone film starring Angelica Panganiban and JM De Guzman.
Let the movie take you from Rome to Manila to Baguio to Sagada and remind you of your own tales of love, heartbreak, healing and moving on.
SAY IT WITH BEER
Craftpoint Brewing Co. has created Forbidden Fruit, a light, tart and refreshing Valentine’s beer with cherry notes, hints of honey and subtle spice. The bubble brew promises to give you (or your date) the feeling of drinking a fruity champagne.
Forbidden Fruit will be available at Edsa Beverage Design Group (209 Edsa, Mandaluyong) and Big Bad Wolf in Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City.
MAKE SOMEONE’S HEART GO FLIP-FLOP
Give the gift of sweetness without the calories with Havaianas Chocolate, available at All Flip Flops.
S’MORES PIZZA!
We’re so in love with Project Pie’s Choco S’mores pizza that we wish it would be on its permanent menu. (Marshmallow and nutella on crisp pizza dough? Yes, please!) Project Pie is also giving the delicious dessert pie a sexy Valentine makeover by adding strawberries dipped in hazelnut fondue. Available for P145 from Feb. 13-15.
MONDAYS AT MIDAS
He played Jewel in “Rak of Aegis.” Now singer and theater actor Jimmy Marquez will serenade guests at Midas Hotel (1501 Roxas Boulevard) all Mondays of February from 9 p.m. to 12 midnight.
He takes requests, too. Whether you’re in the mood for Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran or some old-school R&B and OPM, let Jimmy entertain you with a night of music and laughter.
Follow him on Instagram.
COOKIE ROMANCE
Award-winning pastry chef Miko Aspiras is back from his coaching duties at the World Pastry Cup in Lyon, France, just in time to make your Valentine sweeter.
He has special cookie creations at Scout’s Honor, the craft cookie shop that he and his partners Kristine Lotilla, Dwight Co and Charlie Paw have put up at Century City Mall’s Hole In TheWall.
The Ferrero cookie, available till Feb. 15, is a work of art. This decadent chocolate cookie topped with gianduja chocolate, Ferrero and sugar roses is so pretty you might hesitate before taking a first bite.
Try the Red Velvet Inception, the limited-edition version of the popular Cookie Inception. Bite into this hefty chocolate chip cookie to reveal a red velvet Oreo hiding inside a double chocolate fudge cookie. It’s a cookie within a cookie within a cookie. Scout’s Honor will serve only 100 pieces of these cookies on Feb. 13 and 14.
Scout’s Honor’s Eagle Scouts premium cookies get a Valentine makeover, too—Red Velvet, Matcha Sesame, Samoas Dreams and S’mores cookies will be heart-shaped for the entire month of February.
Scout’s Honor has other new cookies—Corn Corn Corn, Nutty Professor, Cranberry & Strawberry Jam and Dark Chocolate Potato Chip.
There are big cookie treats good for sharing, whether you’re on a date or hanging out with the barkada or your family. There’s the Cookie and Ice Cream Boat (rocky road cookie, Reese’s peanut butter cookie, Maltesers ice cream, Matcha Oreo cookie ice cream, popcorn butterscotch ice cream and salted caramel ice cream topped with Horlicks powder and peanut brittle). We love the Cookie Bucket, too (double chocolate fudge and chocolate chip) served with any of Scout’s Honor’s flavored milks. Our favorite is melon, the creamy new flavor.
Scout’s Honor is at Hole In The Wall, 4/F of Century City Mall, open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays; and 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Find Scout’s Honor on Facebook and Instagram.
HIT THE ROAD
Experience Philippines offers road trips of all kinds, including those for single people to a surprise destination.
“Get to know your travel buddies while sliding down waterfalls, walking through fields of green…” the site promises. The two-day trip costs P4,500.
There’s one scheduled this weekend and another in June.