Trick-and-Treating with Bobby Chinn

For someone known to lecture for 6 hours straight... on gluten... TWICE in a day, it sure is ironic that I would be at a loss for words at any time. But I do. I get starstruck... actually, more like DUMBSTRUCK: Gary V, Sam Milby, Piolo Pascual, Freddie Roach, internationally renowned 3-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singers... Either I say something stupid or I don't say anything at all. Once, I queued up by Rockefeller Center from 5am to jostle for a ringside spot by The Today Show's outdoor jam. And as Al Roker worked the early morning crowd, my cousins and I practiced our best smiles and rehearsed our small talk JUST IN CASE. Then when, as an obvious afterthought, Ann Curry finally made her way towards our giddy Pinoy huddle, I began to hesitate... palpitate... and finally glaciate. Seriously. Cultural connotations of adobo were discussed around my inanely frozen grin. It was beyond embarrassing, it was downright pathetic.

Having students in strategic departments has its uses-- rumors were quickly confirmed that top chef Anthony Bourdain was in town earlier this week to shoot a segment for his Discovery Channel show, No Reservations. Having friends in high places has its perks-- like preferential seating at BOBBY CHINN's demo-signing for Wild, Wild East at Fully Booked.

I traded trick-or-treating in Ayala Alabang and made my way across 3 cities through payday/Halloween Night/All Soul's Weekend traffic just to satiate the curiousity for an authentic celebrity chef. Bobby Chinn of World Cafe Asia is FUSION incarnate: he was born in New Zealand to Egyptian-Chinese parents, educated in England and the US, was a stockbroker in New York, even a comic in LA (BC about Kwek-Kwek: "It is so good that you have to say it twice!"), before finally settling as a restaurateur in Hanoi.

More than a sampling of his Vietnamese cooking, Top Shelf's packed house got a mouthful of this Puto Bong-Bong fan's cheeky humor throughout the animated monologue which was peppered with Chinn's signature irreverence. I was, however, most impressed by the sustained energy level that put this braggart to shame and Little Lumix to the test.

Thanks to Joanne who, at seeing the beginnings of my notorious lock jaw, thought to give me a nudge-that-ended-up-as-a-shove, or I again wouldn't have evidence to show for this encounter.




It reads: "Peachy, you are the fruit of my eye!..." Show-biz!


*both pictures of me taken by Joanne Limoanco

A Divi Day

Driving home from school late last night, my one open eye dilated at a familiar twinkle by the foot of the Buendia flyover-- PAROLS?! The lanterns are out already??!!! And that makes it undeniable... CHRISTMAS IS UPON US. The countdown is now at 63 days, making me, by industry standards, very late with holiday preparations. The first step to getting back on track? DIVISORIA.

With gift of parking securely tucked under my belt-bag, I confidently (maybe TOO confidently) drove head-long into the bowels of consumerism… only to hit an unusually thick wall of cars, pedestrians and construction. JASMS, a large high school compound, is no more. By the looks of it, in its place, along with 2 other blocks, will soon stand a huge-r mall than China Town has ever seen. In the meantime, the trucks and cement mixers were cramping my parking-swagger. Then right in front of a police station, I spot a man frantically enticing me into a slot between a squad car and a stalled vehicle. I WAS desperate, so I allowed him to guide me in with, “’Wag kayong mag-alala. Nahuli ‘yan, pwede nyong tutukan!”/ “Don’t worry, you can park flushed to that car. It won’t be going anywhere, the owner is in jail." Yeah. I was REALLY desperate.

Trusting my fate and my AUV to other beings, creature of habit that I am headed to old haunts: Morning Glory for haberdashery, Golden Era for paper products, Best Way for baking supplies, Top Ten Tinsmith for pans and Commoner’s for everything else.

A trip down to Binondo is too bloggable to resist, so Little Lumix was evidently along for the ride. Those who have been to Divi know to pardon the less than noise-free photos… my camera was flying under pick-pocket radar reach.

I’m really not sure what draws me to these streets… it’s certainly not the sights nor the smells. Maybe wandering anonymously along with the regular and at times irregular folk is my exercise in touching base with the basics of life.





My ritual always ends at 168 Mall’s well-maintained food court, where my Thai-Vietnamese cooking teacher, Chariya Thaikupt, has a self-named stall. Where else can you get decent Pad Thai at P90? Today’s discovery is her Chicken in Garlic&Pepper, also for just P90. A regular bonus is Aldrino’s Bibingka (P60) AND Puto Bumbong (P50).


But I was only able to begin digesting at the sight of my car safe and sound with my man Manolo (the parking dude) giddily waiting for his Christmas bonus. (Why he thinks he deserves one in October on top of the P100 pre-paid fee will remain his charm.) He then sends me off with a number to call for parking on my next visit, claiming an extension at – as in INSIDE-- Precinct 11, the detachment at the corner of Soler and Meisic Streets. Well, well, well… it looks like my Space Angel just got reinforcement.

When the CIRCUS came to town

It used to be that a classic Pinoy children's party, so long as it had the requisite sweet spaghetti with hotdogs, chicken lollipops, mini rainbow sandwiches and fruit salad, with hit-the-pot and musical chairs for entertainment, already spelled F-U-N! Manolet Lloren to this day still refers to the cotton candy and ice cream carts on my 9th-or-so birthday which, to his then child's eyes, made me sosyal. But when Jeremy Markus Antolin turned one, his parents James and Mitsy put together a party that put my humble bash to shame and certifiably spelled W-O-W!

Friends who came to join the Circus for the day were met at the door by visions straight from a fantasy-- a child's or otherwise... draped ceilings, a rainbow of balloons, gaming booths, those bouncing thingys (you know what I mean). Whomever didn't come in costume soon got into character care of one of the most talented face-painters I've ever seen. A stilt-walker, clowns, a group of acrobats and jugglers had the crowd agog.








Joanne, Gerd and I got our dress-up fix at the photo booth and the inflatable castle slide was hard to resist. The only things I DID recognize were the cotton candy and ice cream carts.

Turnovers

TEMPLE HILL, 10am
Yesterday was a BIG day in a BIG week. Bright and early after a 14 hour teaching Wednesday, I was again off cross-country to Temple Hill for my monthly baking sessions with the young and the restless. Fresh Fruit Tarts were never so colorful.

METRO WEDDINGS, 3pm
The afternoon found me 14 floors up at ELJCC Tower's Restaurant 9501 for a meet-and-greet with Metro Weddings Magazine's new editorial team.

It was another unusual gathering of designers, stylists, coordinators, florists, photographers, even butterfly suppliers, and other wedding industry folk. In the cake decorators' mutual admiration huddle with me were regular contributors (AND SELF-CONFESSED BLOG READERS!) Judy Uson and Michelle Hechanova.
(Romina Urra-Gonzales, Michelle Hechanova, Judy & Batch Uson)

Outgoing EIC Romina Urra-Gonzales warmly introduced to the 80-odd curious present, the fresh tandem who will now lead the progressive MW team: Editor-In-Chief Michelle Katigbak-Alejandro and Creative Director Trisha Chua-Juico. Romina stays on as Editorial Consultant and the magazine's most fervent rah-rah girl (7/27/08 Hot Off The Press!).

LA REGALADE, 7pm

(Alfred Sycip, Adoree Uy, Jeroen Van Straten, CJ Juntereal, Bombom Saulo, Pam Obieta, Joanne Limoanco, Junjun de Guzman, Joel Erfe)

What do chefs dining out at one of the hottest new restos talk about while waiting for the apps to arrive? NUMBER OF SEATS, AVERAGE CHECK and TURN OVERS, of course. Chef Jeroen Van Straten of Dome Cafe and most recently, Pepper Lunch, fame had more than an anecdote or two to share, and had our heads swiveling at his record-wowing statistics! But last night was all about LA REGALADE French Bistro, where family and friends in the industry joined Executive Sous Chef Rhea Castro in celebrating her many reasons for thanksgiving.

Rhea's 100% Benilde culinary team did us proud with their execution of creations by Rhea, Salsa-dancing Executive Chef Pierre Cornelis, and masterpieces of 2 Michelin Star-rated Chef-consultant Alain Raye. Impeccable service and great conversation heightened by bottles of good Shiraz made for an excellent evening. At closing time, we all sat around sated and happy.

(Chef Cornelis and Rhea with Mikel Zaguirre, Karen Martin, Ryian Sandagon, Bong Julve and trainee Mitch Siao. Not in picture is Paulo Castillo.)

Canapes
Prawns – Tomato – Chorizo

Soupe De Canard, D’Endives Et De Pommes Caramelisees
Duck Endive Soup with Caramelized Apples
P. Cornelis

Salade De Regalade
Regalade Salad
A. Raye

Salade De Foie Gras Poele
Foie Gras Salad
R. Castro

Travers De Boef Braises, Sauce Au Poive
Braised Short Ribs in Peppercorn Sauce
A. Raye

Filet De Snapper Aux Horicot Verts
Pan Seared Snapper Fillet with French Beans
R.Castro

Navarin D’Agneau Aux Epices Et Abricots Secs
Stewed Lamb with Dried Apricots and Spices
A. Raye

Terrine Au Chocolat Et Aux Fruits
Chocolate Terrine with Wild Berries
R.Castro

(La Regalade
820 Arnaiz Avenue
Makati City
Open 11:30am-2:30pm and 6:30-10:30pm
For reservations call (+632) 750-2104, (+632) 750-2105

or email reservations@laregalademanila.com)

Flashback!

LIZA, DON'T TOUCH THE CAKE BEFORE I TAKE A PICTURE!

I had a date with a Chocolate Cream Cake and I was late! Rushing to Alabang and jumping what felt like a speed bump for each of our years of friendship, I had flashbacks. About 30. Of Chocolate Cakes, Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Clusters, Chocolate Profiteroles...

Going to school as deep in the southern suburbs of the 80's as De La Salle Zobel, it was safe to assume that you lived in the area. No one would have been crazy to wander that far with only Alabang Twin Cinema and South Supermarket for entertainment. So we turned to each other, and our social lives revolved around hopping from house to house. One of the most beloved was the Del Rosario home, then on Cadena de Amor. Sprawling, airy, warm and welcoming, it was always brimming with friends of the popular siblings: Maiton, Marissa, Malu, Tony, Tina and Liza. And everyone gravitated towards the kitchen, magnetized by Tita Aida's cooking and baking. A picture still clear in my mind is their family driver delivering up to 30 boxes of cookies to campus that were fought over EVERYDAY. For more than 10 years they ran CHOCOLATIER at the Ayala and SM Malls.

"Your cooking is the sum of your life's experiences, influences and decisions", I read that somewhere. As you evolve, so does your cooking. Well, in my universe, Tita Aida del Rosario's Chocolate Cake was the first and the standard in its class. That remains a constant.

For orders of Chocolatier classics, call Malu at (+63)920-9120154, or (+632)850-6051, (+632)842-5882.

Evanescing

With just 2 hours sleep, I dragged on a secret stash of adrenalin… and a tall
Caramel Macchiato to pump me up for what I knew was going to be a long one: Batch 105’s graduation day. Definitely a Lumix moment.

My jusi kimona and U.P. sablay slowly wove through a sea of black cloaks and a ramp show of ankle-strapped stilettos, stark contrasts to our usual kitchen whites and clogs. It was an evanescent yet important ritual, tentative farewells disguised as happy reunions marked by frenetic snapshots. The solemn mass and the iron-smooth ceremony, our final act of community.

Magna cum laudes, cum laudes and honorable mentions are simply the icing on the cake. It was the years of shared oohs, ahhs, ho-hums and yeheys that washed down my face and flowed into my heart. I close my eyes and the memories burn permanently in my mind.

It seems just like yesterday that I myself stood at the edge of the same platform. The actual number of years has long run in the double digits, yet on days like this it somehow feels so fresh. Admittedly,
even then there really wasn’t much of a plan, but thankfully a lot of divine intervention. And here I find myself caught in the spiral of life.

God speed!

Point and Shoot

The mere talk of electronic gadgets triggers in me, brain freeze. Seriously. My muscles tense, eyebrows mesh, jaw locks, then... ohhh, the head aches-- yes, initial stages of a systemic clamp down. Deciding on buying one requires community involvement. The latest poll I sent out had the Panasonic winning over Canon and Nikon cameras. And today I picked up my new baby, a Lumix TZ5. Look, look, look!

Sitting in the photo shop surrounded by the DSLRs, zoom lenses, tripods and a gorgeous Sigma winking down at me, I have to admit to being tempted to upgrade last minute. It’s a good thing I was able to shake off the lure of the MEGA-mega pixels and quickly seal my purchase before faster continuous shooting capabilities and more effective macro modes got the better of me.

It was a gargantuan feat to keep my hands from ripping the little black box open while driving the South-not-so-Super. And I was basically useless to anyone once the battery was fully charged. Not even FaceBook could tear me away! But as of this writing, I am still trying to figure the darn thing out, determinedly reading the manual from cover to cover like a good girl should.

Information OVERLOAD!!!

THIS is why I bake!

(JT Photoworld, Inc.
1132 Pedro Gil St.
Paco, Manila 1007
Tel No. 523-4396, , 536-6590, 536-6591
http://www.jtphotoworld.com

Sigma Showroom
1082-F Chino Roces Ave.
Barangay Tejeros
Makati City 1204
Tel. No. 899-5018)

Saturday Night Live!

Last Friday's US Vice-Presidential Debate logged a record viewership of 69 million. Several million views short but a kazillion times more fun was SNL's political parody pitting Gov.Sarah Palin against Sen.Hillary Clinton. Tina Fey's comebacking impersonation glowed opposite the perfect foil of Amy Poehler, simply brilliant! You just HAVE TO see it! I only wish the implications on reality were truly funny and not so scary.

The only thing that managed to tear me away from YouTube was Batch 105's graduation party, FINALE. A good dinner and some Spanish wine at Barcino warmed up us old folk for the sensory bombardment of Embassy Fly. It was truly an education. What was once a disco is now reinvented as... a CLUB. Entry requires... besides an ID... a bag and metal detector search, a dog sniff, not 1-not 2-but THREE arm stamps, and PERSONALITY. Oh, not to forget... MONEY. Beer costs P190! Then instead of the rigorous coordination required by The Running Man and Roger Rabbit, it is currently acceptable to just... NOD. When the big burly man walks up to you, you do exactly like his shirt says... OBEY. And if you leave at pumpkin midnight, you are... UNCOOL. Other than that, even I managed to have a great time. Epiphanic!








*photo by Porschia Domingo

Selamat Hari Raya

I awoke to a rainy Eid Al ‘Fitr and thoughts of a breakfast of freshly brewed coffee, fluffy pancakes and warm pandesal slathered with homemade mango jam. At about this time of year two years ago, my dear friend Mayan (Javellana) Montenegro prepared exactly that for me at her lovely home in the suburbs, 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.

Her husband Jimmy was then serving as Director of Operations of HOTEL EQUATORIAL in Bangi, a gorgeous sprawling resort hotel in Putrajaya, the newly developed seat of the federal government. Leading the property’s forward-thinking team, he supervised renovations and saw the large potential in banquets including birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. And as part of a broader program designed to elevate the skills of their pastry department, I somehow found myself lugging tools, gadgets and books back to Malaysia to conduct a cake decorating workshop. The classes were scheduled for after the Ramadan, allowing the staff time to come in from their hometown visits on their Balik Kampung.

In my care were Head Pastry Chef Bob or Ahmad Fairuz Harrun, Pastry Assistant Radzy and Hotel Artist Zulu.
The training covered piping techniques, sculpting trends and cake assembly, even a photo shoot. For their final project, they came up with an ingenious Deepavali Lantern Cake and a Hari Raya Cake featuring Kantil patterns and a fondant Ketupat-Lamang, a woven palm leaf rice cake pouch that figures prominently in Muslim festivals.

But a week of living in a hotel and feasting on Executive Chef Abu Bakar's interactive buffet three times a day was punishment. I had to make tough decisions and schedule thematic meals: Chinese breakfasts, Malay lunches and Indian dinners, mix-matching on alternate days. How could I turn down Japanese outlet Chef Cheah's generosity? So the guys manning the brick oven wouldn’t feel bad, I also had to have their thin and crispy Italian-style pizzas. Oh, and just to be fair to the evening shift, I forced myself during overtime to down their deliveries of cold stone-like ice cream concoctions. I truly wish it were a joke that I went home 10 pounds overweight!

That Malaysian stint was one of the most fulfilling of my career. It was extremely humbling to work with such a spirited and eager group who trusted me without hesitation. To be called their Sifu* was an honor.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia- *Sifu (師傅 or 師父; Pinyin: shīfu) is a Chinese term for a master. The character 師 means “teacher”.

James Montenegro is now General Manager of Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam.