My Few Seconds with American Idol 2009 Winner Kris Allen

I asked Kris Allen this at the Music Fest 2010 press con: "In last years' American Idol, you have been described as having quiet confidence. Have you always been that way or is it because you felt that you were going to win?"

Yeah, that's me in red. :) Click video to hear the answer.

Music Fest 2010

For work, we were supposed to meet with Jomari Yllana of Fearless Productions for a media partnership so while waiting, we attended the press conference for Fearless Productions' Music Fest 2010 which gathers YouTube sensations Boyce Avenue, America's Best Dance Crew champs Jabbawockeez and American Idol 2009 winner Kris Allen.

The bystanders at the Eastwood Mall Open Park, where the press con is, went wild as each of the performers went onstage for some Q&A's with the press.

As I don't view YouTube at all (yes, you may find that hard to believe but its true), I wasn't aware of Boyce Avenue's existence so to me, they are just another boy band out to make girls swoon over their love songs. During the press con, I learned that they are an acoustic-rock band from Florida, all three of them blood brothers, who succeeded in crossing mainstream from YouTube. Although they are responsible for the famous covers of hit songs such as Umbrella, Hate That I Love You and With You, they also write their own songs.

Up next came the winners of the first season of America's Best Dance Crew the Jabbawockeez, composed mostly of Filipino-Americans. The boys were quite playful as they would sometimes answer "Secret!" to questions that want to elude. Good news to Pinoy fans of Jabbawockeez! The California-based hip-hop group signed a contract with ABS-CBN's Sunday afternoon variety show ASAP so they would be seen more often as they shuttle between USA and the Philippines to perform.

The much awaited celebrity was saved for last, of course. 2009 American Idol winner Kris Allen was welcomed with applause and screams from the girls. He is best known for his Idol performances of songs by Bill Withers ("Ain't No Sunshine"), Kanye West ("Heartless") and Michael Jackson ("Man in the Mirror"). Kris came with his band, all of whom were equally good looking and charming.

Music Fest 2010 will be staged in Cebu and Manila -- February 5 at the SM City Cebu North Open Parking and February 6 at the Piazza, McKinley Hill Open Grounds.

Down the Yellow Lane

In celebration of former President Corazon C. Aquino's 77th natal day on January 25, a Photo Exhibit of the Cory Years is mounted at the SM Megamall Atrium from January 22 to 31, 2010.

This tribute features about 200 never before seen photos and letters of Tita Cory from the 1986 People Power Revolution until her days as President of the Republic of the Philippines. Also on exhibit is a set of commemorative Cory stamps.

It is good to know that a lot of people still remember her contributions to society as they themselves expressed on the freedom board. Couldn't help writing my own message of thanks.

I just hope that Filipinos, especially the youth, will never forget what Tita Cory stood and fought for. To Tita Cory, thank you and happy birthday, whichever part of heaven you are now.

MOMOlicious!

I've always wondered about what type of food is served at Momo Cafe until I tried them. Here are some of my favorites...

I remember the first time I went to MOMO Cafe in Eastwood Mall for a meeting -- my first impression of the place was that it was cozy and light and the whimsical wallpaper of tea pot prints was delightful.

While waiting for the group we are meeting, we ordered "Popcorn Shrimp" Popping Poppers as it seems cute a concept. I was not disappointed as the light appetizer made of packed a punch of flavor either alone or complemented with sweet pickle mayo and cocktail sauce, potato wedges and curly fries.

Being a fan of cheese and spicy food, I sampled the Crispy "Nacho Style" Jalapeño Cheddarella Cheese Rolls. This dish will give you your money's worth as it has thick blocks of cheese inside the roll wrapper and just the right amount of "kick", even without dipping it in sour cream or the salsa fresca that comes with the dish.

The Momo! Gourmet Salad was divine -- roasted garlic shiitake mushrooms, candied walnuts, fresh white cheese, raspberry-balsamic vinaigrette, arugula mixed greens, sliced oranges and hard boiled egg. Am I working up your appetite now?

For main course, we ordered the Old Fashioned Beer Battered "Fish & Chips" that was big enough for three people to share. The crunchy beer batter was made even more sumptuous when dipped in the tangy sweet pickle tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, malt vinegar and lemon.

We also got the Melted 4 Cheese & Roasted Mushrooms Pizza made with Mozzarella, Cheddar, White Cheese and Gorgonzola, four flavorful cheese that somehow did not overpower the thin crust.

To quench my thirst, I opted for the strawberry frozen iced tea which I think could satisfy two people with its large serving in a tall glass.

Rating is a thumbs up! I'll definitely bring my family at Momo Cafe for a nice weekend lunch or dinner, maybe at their branch in Robinson's Midtown in Manila.

DUETS: Truthfully Funny

They say the truth hurts but having watched DUETS last night, I can say that the truth can funny as well. Being Filipinos, we are non-confrontation about things most of the time and when we do want to express something, we blurt it out through a joke or with a funny line. That's how Repertory Philippines' DUETS dramatized the truths about relationships and situations -- through witty lines and funny circumstances.

Having met with Repertory Philippines' Rem Zamora for a partnership at work, I really don't know anything on DUETS except that it is a play with only two actors portraying eight characters between them in four vignettes. So until last night, I was not sure what I was watching. Glad to say that the play did not disappoint me as it entertained me all the way through the four short acts, while giving me truths on relationships to ponder on. My friend, who accompanied me to watch it, kept saying that act one was meant for us, single girls who are hopeful, not desperate, to find love.

The actors, Repertory veterans Joy Virata and Miguel Faustmann, were simple great and they were able to deliver each character different from another.

Vignette one was about singles Jonathan and Wendy who met each other in a blind date through a magazine personal ad. Both characters were awkward at their first meeting, having decided to have a 15- minute chat over having dinner straight away so they won't be forced to stay through an expensive dinner when all they want was to go home, and not wait for dessert any more. Here they tackled the usual "crime" of people putting personal ads -- not declaring their real age and giving a different description of themselves -- for fear that they won't get responses for being truthfully accurate. The real message, I think, is that when people open up and show their real selves, that's when they'll meet people who will genuinely like them and who knows, maybe stumble upon love.
Vignette two was about co-workers who are also friends where Barrie is the gay boss and Janet his hardworking secretary. This one delves with platonic relationship between male and female, staying platonic because the male is gay but the female doesn't really mind although she wishes he was straight. Janet doesn't mind spending her golden years with Barrie but the latter is cheering her up to not lose hope in finding her mate.

Vignette three was about Shelley and Bobby, a divorcing couple who opted to break-up gently while on a holiday. Here, the "uncouple" dished out their dislikes to one another while reminiscing on how they were when the got married. I guess this sort of thing happens when two people outgrow each other and are no longer passionate enough to stick to their wedding vows. The best thing is for them is to talk things out and go their separate ways while they still have respect for each other.
The fourth and last vignette was about Angela and Tobby, middle-aged siblings. Angela was about to get married (her third time already) and Tobby was trying to be supportive of her by not telling the truth about what he hates -- the groom, the wedding dress, the party. But he ended up pushing her sister to go through the wedding when she started making a mess of herself by being wary of "omens" that are telling her not to get married again. The classic case of a brother who only wants the best for his sister.

Catch the remaining play dates of DUETS at Greenbelt 1 Onstage this January 29, 30 and 31 for a couple of hours of funny truths and truthful fun.

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Photos from:

1) http://www.repertory.ph/currentshows.asp

2) http://philippines.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_Repertory_Philippines_DUETS_Opening_Weekend_20000101

Inspired by Vietnam

Had a meeting today with the Center for Asian Culinary Studies of Chef Gene Gonzalez (Cafe Isabel) for a partnership. I was thrilled because I am going to meet Chef Gene in person for the first time and also because I have been nurturing this passion for cooking and am contemplating on taking up culinary arts.

After the meeting, Chef Gene let us try a prototype of a Hershey's Reese cake that Hershey's commissioned him to develop and it was so heavenly we ate the whole slice before realizing we forgot to take a photo. :P

We were given a tour of the facilities and we were invited to sample the Vietnamese dishes the students prepared in their class. " Yummy" is the word to describe them, having been inspired when the CACS management team went to Vietnam to sample authentic Vietnamese fare.


Initially, I tried the noodle soup or Pho, made with flat rice noodles (similar to sotanghon), beef, pepper corns, cilantro, basil, etc. Since I have sworn out meat, the noodles and soup itself was more than satisfying for me -- I could taste the herbs, especially the fresh basil.

The soup worked up my appetite and so I proceeded to eat the salad. The combination of shreded red cabbage, cucumber, carrots , yellow squash, chicken bits and peanut sauce made one heck of a flavorful party inside my mouth.

Finally, I gave in to the vegetarian spring rolls -- two versions of them, fresh and fried. I dipped the fresh spring rolls in peanut sauce while the fried ones were perfect with honey vinaigrette.

There was dessert of some kind, Vietnamese version of sago-gulaman, but I was too full to eat anything more and just went home with a big smile on my face and thoughts of one day visiting Vietnam.

Merkato Cuisine: A Hidden Treasure in QC

One of the perks that comes with my job is being able to dine in new places and have the opportunity to try new dishes (to the detriment of my diet). One such chance came when my staff and I met with an events company for a possible partnership. Actually, when the meeting was set, the name of the place, Merkato Cuisine, didn't ring a bell. Of course I don't know all the restaurants in Quezon City as I am a Makati girl, but I should at least have heard of it or read about it even once.

On the day of the meeting, we even got lost because the restaurant is situated away from the famous Tomas Morato strip -- Scout Rallos corner Scout Santiago to be exact. Found Merkato eventually after a second cab ride but the effort was not put in vain. The stress of having been lost and late for the meeting was immediately replaced by a feeling of calmness and we were immediately at home as we were greeted by attentive staff as we marveled at the simple yet classy interiors.

I was delighted with the golden sunburst fixture that seemed to shine from the middle wall partition and I was enthralled with the simple stenciled leaves scattered on the white walls that matched the motif of the wrought iron furnitures and the lampshades.

It turned out that Merkato is barely a year old in the business and have been catering to guests who stay in the adjacent Casa Pura or residents and office goers near the area. Looking at the menu with its array of mouth watering offerings, we couldn't decide what to get. Good thing we got to meet the young but expertly trained chef, AC Agra, who guided us in our choice of food for the day. For starters, we sampled on Merkato French Onion Soup which was described as "slow-cooked onion broth with gratineed kesong puti served with onion tempura and cilantro creme fraiche." Their version of the onion soup was better than usual and the kesong puti made the big difference. The cheese was soft and more flavorful and the soup's texture smooth to the throat. Sorry there's no photo here of the soup as I immediately devoured it with gusto and forgot I have a camera with me.

To tickle our appetites, we ordered Vietnamese Springrolls with Sweet Garlic Veloute or simply sweet and spicy garlic soy reduction. The rolls were so light to the mouth and yet bursting with flavors --- a vegetarian delight!

For the main course, I ordered Grilled Tiger Prawns with Lemon-Cilantro Papardelle which was absolutely fantastic. I could really taste the grilled flavor of the prawns and the homemade lemon and cilantro-infused hand cut pasta with pomodoro sauce was unlike any pasta I've tried before. Not only did I see the yellow and green bits of lemon and cilantro in the pasta, the added flavor blended perfectly well with the sauce and prawns.

For dessert, we shared a slice of the the Sugar-free Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cake that was very chocolatety without the guilt.

I'll surely make another visit to Merkato with my family and friends for the place is well-suited not only for business meetings but also for intimate gatherings.

To know more about Merkato Cuisine, click here: http://www.merkatocuisine.com/