Dining with the stars

February 8, 2015

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An actress, a host, a senator, and a news anchor—these celebs and personalities are not only public figures, but are also superstars behind the camera (and the Senate). After all, there’s more to your idols than hogging the limelight. They can be stars of their own kitchens, too.

BETTINA BAKES

Her Nutella Rocks rocks

By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

Images by Noel Pabalate

It was a happy accident. Actress and baker Bettina Carlos was making an ordinary cookie when  her “aha! moment” came.

“I was making a Nutella cookie, it was a plain cookie,” she says. “I’ve never tried a recipe more than three times before getting it. The Nutella I was making wasn’t that good. There wasn’t an ‘X factor.’ By the third batch, I was desperate and crying. Why can’t I get it? Out of desperation, I got one cookie and spread Nutella on it. That was then my face lit up and I said ‘Wow! This is it!’”

Nutella Rocks was born.

Her rocks stun like a rock star but taste like a sweet serenade. “I always tell people, don’t think they’re rock hard, just because I call them ‘rocks!’” laughs Bettina, who has been baking since 2008.

Her inspirations are her favorite childhood sweets: Ferrero Rocher and Mrs. Fields. “I’ve always wanted to come up with something that resembles a Ferrero Rocher but tastes soft, chewy, and rich like Mrs. Fields cookies,” she says.

Among the many Nutella-rich menus all over the world (to wit: Nutella bun swirls, Nutella meringue, toasties, and pudding), Bettina’s cookies are simple and unpretentious.

ROCK AND ROLL Mom, actress, and baker Bettina Carlos and her original creation: Nutella Rocks.

“Although of course, Nutella is a brand itself—everyone can make Nutella cookies—Nutella Rocks itself is original,” she beams with pride. “Whenever people ask me what makes it different I always say, ‘I don’t know. Taste it.” Hers is a generous serving of Nutella and, well, love. Bettina doesn’t like scrimping on ingredients and, in fact, she shares them in her packaging. “It doesn’t matter if I put the ingredients in the box, nobody would know the measurements! The original tastes different. Many have also tried copying and claiming they did it first!” she says.

Her cute packaging also includes a “shelf life,” or rather, a lack of it. “People would ask me how long the shelf life is. I wanted to say, don’t bother asking. I promise, modesty aside, you’ll finish them in a jiffy,” she says. Her advice is that you put the rocks in the freezer and let them freeze to seal their freshness. Let them out in room temperature for 10 minutes before eating.

Bettina’s online store called Baked Bites also includes Oreo cheesecake and salted caramel brownies. “I’d rather have a few items on my menu, and make sure they are all good, than have a lot of other mediocre choices,” she says.

@abettinnacarlos on Instagram, 63 917861BITE

Vday: His & Hers

His & hers

Flowers, again? It’s time to level up your gift-giving game. Here are ways to make this Valentine’s a day to remember.

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
February 7, 2015

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DRINK UP

Be one of the boys and challenge your man to a drinking session on Valentine’s Day. He’ll love it that you’re willing to try out things that he enjoys. The Many Varieties of Beer glass, Popchartlab.com

Amp up the romance meter: Buy him three bottles of beer he has not tried before and serve it with a unique glass you just bought. Sweet isn’t it?

CLOSE TO YOUR HEART

One of the things that men use all the time is a pen—to sign documents, jot down notes, share ideas. So why not give him a pen for keeps (like this one made from copper), something that he’d always have close to his heart (breast pocket, we mean).  Tactile Turn Mover & Shaker, Light Fix Cut Store, Facebook/LightFixCutStore

Amp up the romance meter: Give the pen to him along with a poem that you have written with it.

WRITE YOUR HEART OUT

If your man is the type who constantly needs a restaurant napkin to write down an idea, a verse, or a lyric, a journal is the perfect gift. Leuchtturm 1917 notebook, National Bookstore

Amp up the romance meter: Write a romantic message on the first page and seal it with a kiss.

PLAY BY EAR

Lovely, mushy messages may be the sweetest music to your lover’s ears. But so are these headphones! B&O Play by Bang and Olufsen in-ear and over-ear headphones

Amp up the romance meter: Make sure that your theme song will be the first song he will hear when you give these to him!

LOVE THE WAY YOU SMELL

Want to keep the love burning this Valentine’s week and every week thereafter? Buy your husband a perfume that’ll make the coming summer nights even hotter. RY by Richard Yap, Avon

Amp up the romance meter: Spray on a body part and kiss it. Spray on another body part and kiss it. Spray and kiss. Spray and kiss. Get our drift?

 SURPRISE GETAWAY

Want to ditch the V-day crowd and traffic in the metro? Plan an out-of-town getaway instead. While you’re at it, buy your husband a stylish weekender bag. LeSportsac weekender bag

Amp up the romance meter: Plan the getaway in secret (but make sure your husband is totally free and there is someone to watch over the kids!). Surprise him with his stuff, all packed in his new bag.

GAME OF LOVE

Let your man play his favorite pastime: basketball. Hey, it’s better than other, more dangerous, vices, right? Adidas Lillard rubber shoes

Amp up the romance meter: Watch one of his games and play the cheerleader, complete with placards, banners, and cheers.

FOR THE T-SHIRT KIND OF MAN

Blazers can transform a man. If you’re husband is the T-shirt kind of guy, this is one piece that he’d need to have in his closet. Blazers can easily transform a casual getup into something more formal, something that he can wear at the office or at a party, or at a fine dining restaurant. Tod’s jacket, Rustan’s

Amp up the romance meter: Surprise him with a romantic dinner date at a posh restaurant. If he balks at the idea because of his attire—his usual—present him with this blazer.

STASH ‘EM CLEAN

Every month, your wife is swamped with bills, credit card statements, and receipts. This Valentine’s Day, surprise her with an organized desk. Ring binders, pens, journals, and pouches by Daphne Oseña Paez, National Bookstore

Amp up the romance meter: Take on the task of organizing financial paperworks for two months. It’ll make you appreciate your wife’s hard work and it’ll make her appreciate you more!

CRAVINGS OF THE HEART

You vowed to love her through thick and thin. While this one is very literal, treat your woman to a tummy-bursting feast she’ll surely enjoy. “Who cares if you’re a fatty? I will always love you honey.” All together now. Awww!

Chocolate kisses cake from cravings

Amp up the romance meter: Relive your wedding ceremony and give each other a serving of heart-shaped chocolate cake.

 YOU SMELL NICE, HONEY!

When’s the last time you enjoyed a bath together? For Valentine’s Day, send the kids to grandma’s house and ready the bath tub, complete with candles and rose petals. Cream Factory Netherlands goat milk soap; Lush cupid love soap

Amp up the romance meter: Make sure that your skin is extra soft and fragrant.

PUT A LABEL ON IT

Your house’s in disarray? Surprise your wife by organizing the garage or the kitchen, particularly the refrigerator or the pantry. She’d be so happy to see everything properly labeled and in alphabetical order! Brother P Touch Label PT D200

Amp up the romance meter: Buy her a cake or pastry that she likes. Put it inside the fridge and label it “I Love You.”

MAKE IT EXTRA CHIC

Okay, so you can’t exactly afford a Winston yet but you can still give your wife the best that your current budget can afford with pieces that look classy and elegant even if they’re not the real thing.  Accessories from Stockton Row

Amp up the romance meter: Do a Pretty Woman and prepare a head-to-toe makeover for your lady.

A TRIP TO REMEMBER

You’ve been postponing that out of the country trip thrice now because of work, work, and more work. Surprise her this Valentine’s Day with a trip that’s finally pushing through. Level up and book a ticket to an airline that will land at Charles de Gaulle. Delsey Chatelet luggage

Amp up the romance meter: A trip to Paris. What can possibly top that?

SHOES THAT KEEP ON GIVING

Why keep all the love and blessings in the family? Get your wife one-of-a-kind handpainted flats and, at the same time, help Typhoon Yolanda survivors. This handpainted slip ons  is created by Boy O, a 22-year-old artist from Calicoan Island, Guian, Eastern Samar.

Flats from the Tom’s Haiyan initiative line

ONLY YOU

You promised to give her the world. But while we know you cannot literally give it to your better half right now, you can, at least, give her the best of the Philippines. Let your wife pick her Valentine’s Day gift at 1780 by SariSari (www.sarisaristore.com), an online store that sells items from different regions in the country. Paniya case from Region VIII

Amp up the romance meter: When she has made her choice, announce a Holy Week vacation in the region she bought her gift from.

Beauties Behind the Wheel

Two young women in aeronautics prove they’re more than just a pretty face.

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
February 8, 2015

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While most young women take up a Tourism course and become flight attendants to see the world, these two young women took the road less traveled. They’d rather wear flats, fold their shirt, wipe their sweat, twist their hair, and stay behind the cockpit and do the dirty work.

Meet Elaine Elago, 23, and Cleo Margaret Brown, 17. Both are beauty and brains and can easily pass as FAs, but chose not to. They’re aeronautics engineers, and they are also vying for the Miss Aviation Philippines title on Feb. 10.

“My dad, even though he’s an aircraft structures engineer, doesn’t want me to take my course. But seeing airplanes makes me happy. This is my passion,” says Elaine, who graduated cum laude at the Far East Air Transport Incorporated (FEATI) University. She says only three women engineers graduated in her batch.

Her job is to propose structure repairs for airplanes. She gives the repair schemes while the mechanics execute her instructions.

“I’ve been to France and Germany for my training. I want to prove that I can excel in this male-dominated industry. When I was still studying, the hardest subject I took was Aircraft Design. You cannot graduate without passing this subject. I designed an acrobatic aircraft for sports,” Elaine says.

Cleo, half Scottish and half Pinay, was influenced by her sister. She’s a freshman student in Asian College of Aeronautics taking up Aviation Electronic Technology. Her course deals with wirings and electricity in the cockpit. She says she’s enjoying her chosen craft.

“We want to prove that we can do it. Aviation and tourism industries are different. We are the people behind whose job is to make sure the aircraft is in good condition,” says Cleo.

This year, more than the prestige, the Miss Aviation Philippines competition takes a deeper meaning as it carries important advocacies: to empower women, to inspire the youth to pursue a career in aviation, and to become an ambassador to bring the tourism and aviation industries together toward more efficient and safer travels.

“From avionics technicians to flight cabin crew, to flight dispatchers, aeronautical engineers, and aviation students, the 23 participating ladies will be future leaders in the industry. And young people can look up to them for inspiration,” says pageant director Morena Carla Cabrera Quimpo.

One of the supporters of the competition is the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF), one of Asia’s longest-running sports aviation events, that gathers aviators from the local and international scene.

“We are happy to share the same vision with Miss Aviation Philippines 2015. It is no secret that the improvement of the aviation industry also brings about progress in many other sectors, especially tourism and the local economy, and we hope to deepen this awareness through the pageant,” says PIHABF event director Capt. Joy Roa.

Where Do You Want to Go?

Get ready for the biggest, grandest travel fair next weekend.

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
February 8, 2015

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Thirteen long weekends, 7,107 islands to choose from, and a minimum budget required. Philippine tourism is everybody’s ballgame.

Dubbing this year as the biggest tourism campaign yet, the Department of Tourism (DoT) announced 2015 as Visit the Philippines, luring both locals and foreigners to let their hair down, dip into the crystal clear waters, dig in, and experience what the Philippine streets, cities, provinces, and people have to offer.

•  VISIT THE PHILIPPINES and go to... Bangui Windmills

(Images by Ronald Jayme)

To make every budget travelers’ dream come true (well-heeled wanderers are welcome, too), the annual Travel Tour Expo (TTE) unveils its biggest travel treat happening from Feb. 13 to 15 at the SMX Convention Center. Now, the 22nd TTE is occupying the entire convention and tapping almost 300 major presenters including 24 airlines, 107 resorts and hotels, 15 national tourism organizations, six cruise ships, domestic tour operators, travel agencies, and other stakeholders to present their destinations, products, and services at low rates.

“I can assure you the discounts will be fantastic. All the other exhibitors are offering great discounts. The addition of 3,000 square meters adds to the comfort and choices of the visitors,” says TTE chairman Marciano Ragaza. He adds that some airlines are offering as much as 90 percent off and as low as 50 percent markdown for high-end resorts. “As far as the fare is concerned, airlines offer huge discounts because they love us,” he adds. “Seventy percent of their revenue still come from travel agencies like us.” TTE’s official airline partner is PAL.

While the DoT has a target of 10 million foreign visitors by 2016, and many tourists respond to its aggressive campaign, our facilities and infrastructure like hotel rooms and airport (the world’s eighth worst airport, according to Wall Street Cheat Sheet) and the entire system is seemingly not ready for this surge in arrival. The more pressing question now is seemingly not where one ought to go, but if your destination is ready for the tourists.

“We recognize the problems, but be assured that we are doing our best to be the best airport. I want to paraphrase what my boss says, ‘What do you want? Two hours in a lousy airport but four days in a beautiful beach—you cannot say that in other countries—or stay two hours in a beautiful airport and four days in a lousy beach? ” says Tourism Promotion Board chief operating officer Ramon Enorio III. He says that 8,000 new rooms in Metro Manila alone are opening, such as at the newly launched City of Dreams complex on Roxas Boulevard. Ramon says that the rise of the gaming and entertainment industry in the country is also among the additional come-ons for tourists. “But more than the gaming, we also want to focus on entertainment. People will bring their family to theater, to shop, and to dine. More and more facilities are allocated toward the hub,” Ramon says.

As for the budget, you know you’ll get the best deals at the expo. “There is a package for every budget and it will be definitely better and cheaper than when you buy it outside the expo. The budget depends on how far and how long you want to go but you can be assured that wherever destination you choose your budget will be stretched longer and you can have more destinations to visit,” says Mariano.

Besides Cebu, Bohol, Boracay, and Manila, the tourists can also get good deals for Batanes, Palawan, Baler, Tuguegarao, and Vigan among many other tourist destinations. There are international packages, too. The Korea Tourism Organization and Japan National Tourism Organization, among others, will set up their booths.

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6 Winning Tips To Getting Good Deals

1. Seventy thousand people participated in last year’s travel expo, and TTE is expecting more visitors this year. The expo will start at 10 a.m., so line up early, even before the doors open.

2. Make a game plan. When visiting with your barkada, designate alleys and scour the entire SMX first before booking a package. Divide and conquer.

3. Ask as many questions before sealing the deal.

4. Prepare a credit card (TTE’s partner is Citibank), but you can also bring in cash.

5. Bring food and water so you won’t waste time looking for refreshments.

6. Check travel advisories, travel blogs, DoT website (itsmorefuninthephilippines.com) and Visit the Philippines website (http://phl2015.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/) for travel inspirations.

Remember the Good Old Days

A new restaurant in Ortigas will soon serve good food and beautiful memories

February 5, 2015

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“What was your favorite song as a teenager, ma’am?” the waiter asked while arranging my table napkin. He was waiting for an answer. It was an easy question but dumbfounding. It’s not a common icebreaker at a restaurant, is it?

At Nostalgia dining lounge, yes, it is.

Formerly the Oak Room restaurant at Oakwood Premier Joy Nostalg Center in Ortigas, Nostalgia is a dining gem that remembers all that was: movies, music, and memories all shared at the dining table. Replete in the newly renovated and refurbished restaurant are mementos fit for a #TBT post, including old cameras, photographs, and figurines.

•  Chef's Terrine, crisp pork belly mesclun escargot in puff pastry

(Images by Pinggot Zulueta)

“Banking on our five years of memories and dishes and recipes, we decided to put together this restaurant, where in the evening, it converts table cloth to more vintage feel where diners can reminisce,” says Nostalgia executive assistant manager Janine Taylor.

But Janine is quick to add that the restaurant isn’t exclusive for oldies only. “It’s more of the feel you want to have in the room. We don’t really need to cater to an age bracket only but to anyone who wants to enjoy good food,” she adds.

Opening on Feb. 14, Nostalgia offers new and heirloom recipes from the brains of its French executive chef Jerome Cartailler. “Some personal menu includes secret recipes from my family, from my grandmother, which I brought from home to the table,” he says.

Among the Asian and cross-continental classic cuisine is Chef’s Terrine, Crisp Pork Belly and Mesclun, Escargot in Puff Pastry. Chef’s Terrine, which is an heirloom recipe from Jerome’s grandma, is pork flavored with cognac, marinated, and slowly baked. Chef Jerome infused the Pinoy favorite crispy pata in the recipe, making it more local and relatable. The menu offers seafood, salad, soup, pasta, pizza, and more.

Restaurants, hotels, and fast foods are sprouting here and there. What makes Nostalgia stand out? “The good food and ambiance,” says chef, without batting an eyelash. “It’s hard to think of best sellers because all the dishes we put on the menu are the best sellers and favorites in the past five years,” he says.

Whether celebrating events that stir special memories (Nostalgia has three new themed function rooms: The Old Manila, Bohemian Paris, and Cosmopolitan Shanghai that all evoke different feelings), or creating brand new memories, you can do all that at this quaint dining area in the bustling city of Ortigas.—NICKKY FAUSTINE P. DE GUZMAN