A special night at The Bar at The Pen
THE PENINSULA Manila will host Masahiko Endo, Group Beverage Director of Mizunara: The Library, Hong Kong (ranked No. 86 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars for 2023 list) — for one night only at The Bar on Feb. 23. He is an award-winning mixologist from Japan who manages the specialist whisky and cocktail bar Mizunara: The Library. With over 20 years of experience, he regularly conducts masterclasses and tasting sessions for whiskies, spirits, and cocktails. From 8 p.m. to midnight on Feb. 23, catch him at The Bar as he prepares his four signature cocktails featuring Chivas Regal. For inquires on the Mizunara: The Library, Hong Kong Pop-up at The Bar, call 8887-2888 (ext. 6694 for Restaurant Reservations and 6740 for The Bar), or visit peninsula.com/manila.
Michelin Star chefs at Solaire
SOLAIRE Resort Entertainment City is bringing Michelin Star chefs to the Philippines. For its anniversary month in March, Solaire will have three renowned Michelin Star chefs presenting their signature dishes for dinner at Solaire’s Finestra, Yakumi, and Red Lantern restaurants on March 13-16, followed by a buffet brunch on March 17. Cristina Bowerman, the Chef Patron at Glass Hostaria in Rome, a bastion of contemporary Italian cuisine which she has led for 17 years, will present a six-course dinner at Finestra featuring her signature dishes. Chef Goh Fukuyama delved into the world of French cuisine right out of high school, opening La Maison de la Nature Goh in 2002, a discreet yet stylish establishment renowned for its imaginative French Japanese omakase. He will present an eight-course dinner at Yakumi. A maestro of Sichuan cuisine, Xu Fan is the visionary behind the Michelin-starred Xujia Cuisine in Chengdu and the Black Pearl 1 Diamond restaurant. He will take charge of the Red Lantern kitchen, presenting an eight-course dinner. Joining the chefs are certified Sake Samurai and Sake Master Brewer Akihiro Igarashi, Luis de Santos, the first and only Master Sommelier of Filipino descent, and Max Solano, one of the West Coast’s most respected and creative mixologists and spirits educators. For details and more information, e-mail restaurantevents@solaireresort.com, visit https://www.solaireresort.com or Solaire’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Starbucks’ Spring offerings
THE SPRING offerings of Starbucks are available from Feb. 20 to April 15. This starts off with the French Vanilla Mille-Feuille Oatmilk. Inspired by the classic French dessert, this has light buttery notes and flaky pastry toppings, available in hot, iced, and blended, ranging in price from P225 (Tall) to P255 (Venti). As for food pairings, there’s the Mango Coco Sans Rival Cheesecake, sans rival layered with cheesecake and mangoes, finished with mango buttercream icing and crushed roasted almonds. Prices range from P295 for a slice to P2,495 for the whole cake. The Sakura Doughnut has a pink chocolate ganache glaze with hints of cherry blossoms, priced at P95. The Black Sesame Crepe Cake consists of layers of paper-thin crepe with roasted black sesame filling and topping, sprinkled with roasted black sesame seed, and is priced at P275 for a slice, and P2,195 for the whole cake. The Plant-based Chocolate Chip Cookie is made with Belgian chocolate and is priced at P105. Other choices include the Cheesy Brioche Bun (P115), the Sausage Ragu (P235), and the Mushroom Melt sandwich (P195). Cap it all off with assorted lollipops, with different flavors ranging from caramel to grenadine (P45 each). Get them in store, along with the other spring merch like cherry blossom tumblers. Starbucks products are also available via Grabfood, Foodpanda, and Pick.A.Roo.
Shake Shack brings back Gochujang Chicken
SHAKE Shack brings back the hit Gochujang Chicken sandwich, Chicken Bites, and Fries, now available for a limited time in all Manila Shacks and at shakeshack.ph. Gochujang is a go-to ingredient in Korean cooking, made with red chili peppers, sticky rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. Inspired by Seoul’s fried chicken scene, the limited-time Gochujang Chicken (P370) features a gochujang-glazed crispy chicken breast topped with toasted sesame seeds over a white kimchi slaw. Completing the K-food experience are the Gochujang Chicken Bites (crispy, whole white meat; P255 for six; P365 for 10) and the Gochujang Fries (crispy crinkle-cut fries served with spicy-sweet gochujang mayo sauce; P275). Share a favorite K-inspired story at shakeshackph on Facebook and Instagram for a chance to win prizes. Skip the line and order ahead at shakeshack.ph.