Dreamlike inaugural of ‘integrated resort’

Have you visited City of Dreams Manila, the latest integrated resort to open in the country, dahlings?

Its recent formal launch was witnessed by Melco Crown Entertainment chair and CEO Lawrence Ho and wife Sharen Ho, and cochair James Packer.

Other witnesses: Clarence Chung, chair and president of Melco Crown Philippines; Cristino Naguiat Jr., chair and CEO of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., and Henry Sy Jr., chair of SM Prime Holdings.

Melco Crown Philippines COO Kevin Sim welcomed the celebrities who walked down the red carpet.

Joey Mead introduced the guests on the red carpet: members of the Sy family including Hans and Carol, and Betty;

Belle Corporation officers; SM Group (Ricky DyBuncio, Willy and Geraldine Ocier, Armin and Ana Raquel Santos, Manolo Gana, Lizanne Uychaco); Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras and wife Marides Almendras; Philippine Economic Zone Authority director general Lilia de Lima; Sen. Cynthia Villar; Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez; and Australian Ambassasdor Bill Tweddell.

The Concert of Dreams program was hosted by Marc Nelson and Angel Jacob. Performing before 5,000 invitees were international R&B star Ne-Yo, Grammy winner Kelly Rowland, and top local acts Gary

Valenciano, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Kyla and Jed Madela.

At the formal sit-down dinner, another program was held, hosted by Daphne Oseña Paez.

“City of Dreams Manila brings together a diverse collection of leisure and luxury lifestyle brands from around the world: Crown, Nobu, Hyatt, the Ault Group, and DreamWorks, which marked its entry with the recent opening DreamPlay,” said communications director Charisse Chuidian. “As such, an exceptional experience awaits all types of travelers and visitors.”

Toms

At Your Local bistro and Yardstick café in Legazpi Village, Makati, Toms unveiled its Spring-Summer 2015 Collection of shoes, bags and eyewear.

The latter was particularly eye-catching with its trendy shapes and designs. It also complemented well with Toms’

charity initiative to aid people with sight problems, providing the poor with sight-saving surgery, prescription glasses, and medical treatment, explained Dimples La’O, Toms’ representative in the country.

Highlight was One for One, a promotion in which every purchase of a bag “shall benefit a pregnant mother in need to ensure her safe childbirth,” said La’O.

The charity promotion followed the earlier One for One in which every purchase of a shoe pair is matched by Toms’ donation of a pair of shoes to a poor child.

Model Victoria Herrera, interviewed by the effervescent Sarah Meier about her outreach for Toms, related about “the children and their reactions after receiving their free pairs of shoes.”

La’O later on talked about the plans of the well-loved brand that has been in the Philippines since 2009.

Naturellement, one couldn’t miss Toms’ hardcore followers such as Victoria’s sisters Teresa, Tina and Rosario, and brother Jon Herrera; Cat Arambulo-Antonio, Princess Violago, Nicole Whisenhunt, Ana Zapata, Dan Matutina, Gil Ibe, Mike Advincula, Crystal Lee and Cristel Constantino.

To date, Toms has given over 35 million new pairs of shoes, restored the sight of about 275,000 people, and provided over 67,000 weeks of safe water worldwide. Now this truly deserves a wow, palangga!

Toms has shops at SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Aura, The Give Project, Adora in Greenbelt 5, Rustan’s Department Stores, Shoe Salon and all Nothing But H2O stores.

DBR Lafite at Nobu

The prestigious Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBR) Lafite wine and its different brands are now in cosmo Manille.

Artisan Cellars and Fine Foods Inc. and renowned Nobu restaurant prepared a dinner that complemented and highlighted the excellence of the fine wines from the DBR group.

Michel Negrier, export director of the DBR group, explained the legend of DBR (Lafite) and introduced top-of-the-line brands from Bordeaux and Languedoc, as well as wines from Chile and Viña Los Vascos in Argentina.

Served at the beautiful terrace of Nobu, cocktail food consisted of pork tacos, oysters with Maui onion salsa, scallop

spicy miso chip, yellowtail jalapeño and crispy rice.

Glasses of red and white wine were paired with a seven-course dinner prepared by executive chef Zachary Hillberry, dahlings. Starting with seafood ceviche paired with Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc, the dinner continued with salmon tartar with Aussieres Blanc Chardonnay, sashimi salad with Legende Pauillac, Chilean sea bass with balsamic teriyaki with Los Vascos Grande Reserve, short ribs with Eringi salad with Blason d’Aussières Corbièress and Chateau d’Aussières, lamb with anticucho miso paired with Amancaya Gran Reserva Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon and Caro.

Sweet ending consisted of honey panna cotta with Yuzu pound cake.

“Once you’ve experienced elegance, you don’t go back to the ordinary,” said Negrier. “We made sure the food was excellently done and paired perfectly with the wine.”

This grand dinner, palangga, was a good way for the guests to experience the tradition of excellence of Lafite, n’est ces pas, mes cheri?

DBR (Lafite) is imported and distributed by Artisan Cellars and Fine Foods Inc. Nobu Manila is at Nobu Hotel, City of Dreams Manila, Aseana Boulevard and Macapagal Avenue, Parañaque City.