Artworks, cool footwear, grand and glorious cuisine

After all that rain, it was finally a gloriously sunny afternoon, dahlings, when those women of stature, the Congressional Spouses Inc., joined hands with Art Gallery Manila at the south wing lobby of House of Representatives for the opening of the “Proud To Be Pinoy” art exhibit.

The exhibit was conceptualized “to honor global Filipinos who have made international recognition for themselves and for our country,” said art lover and CSFI executive director Paula Bondoc, who welcomed guests on behalf of CSFI head, QC vice mayor Joy Belmonte, and CSFI chair Mons Romulo.

Not long after the opening ceremonies, loads of high-profile politicians trooped to the exhibit. Some of them couldn’t help but choose and take home paintings by renowned artists. Who were they? Ah, my lips are sealed—for now, palanggas.

Clearly enjoying themselves as they breezed around the gallery were Speaker Sonny Belmonte, Malacañang Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa, QC Mayor Herbert Bautista, newscaster Ces Drilon, lawyer Gigi Reyes, and business magnate and art collector Mikee Romero. Others who made it include Bong Sta. Maria, Tricia del Rosario and Rep. Mark Villar.

In her short welcome speech, Romulo said: “Our CSFI members, with the leadership of VM Joy Belmonte, has lined up several fund-raising activities because we want to reach out to various NGOs all over the country in need of our help. Seeing the smiles on their faces makes all our efforts worthwhile.”

Fantastic works of art featured at the exhibit included those by Fernando Amorsolo, Anita Magsaysay Ho, Ang Kiukok, Arturo Luz, Vicente Manansala and Juvenal Sansó. A percentage of sales will benefit the CSFI’s projects, palanggas.

Brazilian night

Brazilian and Russian models have invaded our shores lately. There’s also the Ipanema flip-flop, which recently gave us an exciting and colorful Mardi Gras happening to launch its latest collection of fashion-forward sandals, wedges and flip-flops, at the Philippine Fashion Week.

The world’s best-selling Brazilian footwear brand showed the crowd that wearing those comfy and glam sandals is today’s “in” look, dahlings.

Led by gentleman Patxi Elizalde, managing director of Ipanema’s exclusive distributor in the Philippines, Elro Corporation, the crowd got into the Brazilian groove with the sound of percussions, a capoeira demonstration, and a sexy, vivacious samba performance by the Guarana.

For a whole week, the Ipanema lounge booth at the SMX Convention Center also allowed guests to experience the culture of New York, Milan, Paris, Madrid and Sao Paulo while clad in an Ipanema pair. (Visit www.ipanemaphils.com.)

New flavors

The Manila Pavilion Hotel’s general manager Christopher Park, along with Waterfront Hotels and Casinos’ assistant to the president Weslie Gatchalian, hosted a super-successful back-to-back media and corporate event at the hotel’s Malaysian-Cantonese fine dining restaurant Peony Garden, to mark the grand debut of the resto’s newly redesigned menu and fresh culinary creations.

GM Park said: “We are very excited and proud to present our newest selection of Malaysian-Cantonese fine cuisine, which enhances our dining service and gives us the excellent opportunity to present another dimension of grand Oriental dining.”

With that over, the hot-shot namedroppables couldn’t wait to dig into the bean curd feast superbly prepared by the hotel’s amiable Chinese executive master chef, Lee Yan Feng.

Okay, dahlings, check this out! Roast chicken, barbecue pork, jellyfish and Century egg combinations; braised shark’s fin bamboo pit with fish lips and sea cucumber; the superb braised whole chicken with Chinese herb; steamed garoupa fish with black bean sauce; braised pork belly with skin in oyster sauce served with steamed bun; braised bean curd with minced pork; braised sea cucumber with black mushroom and two kinds of vegetable; soya egg noodle with three kinds of meat, and black mushroom, plus five others in the list.

Moi, for one, couldn’t go through the entire menu, palanggas. Whew!

The hotel’s close to a hundred new menu entrees consist of “a la carte, the chef’s monthly special recommendations; four lauriat set menus; an incredible live seafood selection, and 18 homemade dim sum choices,” explained to me by the hotel’s marketing communications manager, Donna R. Lampano. Now that’s really kinda hard to beat, di bala, palanggas.

Call tel. 5261212 ext. 2224, fax 5232114, or e-mail d.lampano@waterfronthotels.net. Peony Garden is at the 3/L, Manila Pavilion Hotel, open for lunch daily, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; and dinner, 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.