The Manila Hotel Café Ilang-Ilang offers halal-certified food for Takeout and Delivery

Muslims around the world celebrate the end of the fasting period of Ramadan with Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast this May 12, 2021. It is celebrated through prayer, gifts, and lavish feast. While the country is predominantly Catholic, Islam is the second-largest religion in the country. No wonder, Filipinos have become fond of Halal foods.

Halal food is prepared following a set of Islamic dietary laws and regulations that determine what is permissible, lawful, and clean. Any dish can be halal, as long as the meat used is religiously slaughtered and no pork or alcohol is involved.

The Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang Ilang has a Halal kitchen certified by the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board. This kitchen dedicated to Halal food preparation serves Indian and Middle Eastern-inspired halal dishes that will whet your appetite and pay homage to its traditional roots.

Designed for proper breaking of the fast, The Manila Hotel’s Ramadan Special Halal Home Buffet set comes with dried dates and juice, chickpeas hummus, Fatoush mixed salad, roti and naan bread, vegetable biryani, tandoori chicken, lamb rogan josh, vegetable samosa, and baklava. The set is just one of the three choices for the Halal Certified Home Buffet.

Vegetable Samosa and Baklava

Vegetable Biryani

“Our Lamb Rogan Josh is a must-try. It’s imported from Australia and it has the spices and sharpness that will surely be enjoyed by everyone. We can also customize the food according to our customer’s requests. Say you don’t like chili, we can make it milder. We can tweak a dish to please your palate while still being true to its authentic taste,” says Chef Kiran Singh, the hotel’s Halal-trained chef.

Celebrate Eid Al Fitr by ordering any of The Manila Hotel’s Halal Home Buffet sets or dishes, available for Takeout and delivery. Visit https://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/takeout/ for the full menu, or call 8527-0011 or 0998-9501912.

Penny for my Thought: Judging Time

For this month's personal entry, I decided to share with you my thoughts and experiences being a judge for a writing contest. You may or might not be one someday yet I included some pieces of advice that hopefully inspire you.

Last year, I was invited to be one of the judges of Jahric Lago Presents: Misty Moon. The JLP series is a yearly event under TBC Publications that caters to newbie writers and seasonal authors to be part of an anthology. There is a common theme, word counts, and other requirements that need to be followed.

It was my first time being a judge of a writing contest. It was a wonderful experience reading incredible stories from the imaginative minds of my colleagues. I gave insights to the writers because I know being rejected and in a small way, I hope I have given them something to be inspired of. It was heartbreaking cutting them to fit for the 20. But I needed to do the task. 

A few months after a friend who is also a professor of Pamantasan Lungsod ng Muntinlupa sent me a PM. He asked if I can judge his students' essays. I was hesitant because I'm not really good with essays but he convinced me that I could do it. He told me that I should think of it as a project. I agreed when I saw that theme was how the students define leadership during the pandemic. A very relevant topic especially nowadays. Reading through the entries, I really learned how youth thinks and most of them tackled mental health which is good.

And recently, a fellow author and a bibliophile dropped me a message asking if I can be part of the judging panel for the Short Story writing contest of their school. Rizal Technological University is celebrating its National Literature Month and I'm very honored to be invited to this amazing celebration. I'm actually finishing reading entries and so far, I am having fun.

If one of these days, you are given a chance to be a judge for an online contest, here is my simple advice.

*Be humble enough to accept the responsibility.

*In giving critics, make them see that they are opportunities to improve and end it by motivating them.

*Be more open-minded.

*Don't be so hard with yourself and meet the deadline. 

*Enjoy the moment.

That's it. I'm going back with checking the short stories and hopefully will finish judging them in time.

Thank you to Jahric, Jeff, and Zandro for the marvelous chance of being a judge!

Perk's New Discovery: Supporting Local

I'm very supportive of local products and I like promoting them because it is a way of helping them also. For my personal post this month, I'm featuring two different brands that you are familiar with or you heard it.

Linya-Linya Mask Masaya.

Wearing a face mask has been essential to us since the pandemic started. Whether it is a surgical mask or cloth mask, we cannot leave the house without one. 

When I saw an email from Linya Linya about their discounted face masks, I immediately checked it out. They have four designs but I only bought two which really caught my attention. One face mask was 88 php because it was a Chinese New Year sale. 

They are properly packed!

The statement written in the front face masks is so adorable! 

My only concern was the black face mask. The words and the dots printed were erased when I hand-washed it after using it once.

Human Nature Natural Shampoos

I'm a huge fan of Human Nature's Sunflower Oil. I've tried their shampoo back then when I had curly hair and it was good. 

I'm back trying these two variants because I decided to use all-natural ingredients shampoo again. 

Aloe Vera is 149 php. Apple is 159 php.

The Aloe Vera really smells like one. There was this tinkling sensation when the shampoo touched my scalp. It felt like it was working its way. I believed they chose green apple because it has a subtle smell, unlike the red one.  I'm still waiting on how effective Apple with my crowning glory. 

Spread 'Easter Joy' with The Manila Hotel's Mystery Egg!

When I was young, I always looking forward to Easter because of egg painting. But nowadays, children seldom do this tradition. 

Good thing The Manila Hotel has this magnificent idea of celebrating Easter! 

This is the second year that we would be celebrating Easter without events featuring fun and games for kids, or even their much-awaited Easter egg hunt. 

While we are all advised to stay at home and keep safe, parents can still bring joy into their homes with a simple activity they can do with their kids. 

Putting a spin on the popular Mystery Boxes that are being sold online, The Manila Hotel offers the “Easter Joy! Mystery Egg,”—a giant egg hand-made from Belgian chocolates that kids and adults alike can enjoy cracking open to discovering what’s inside. 

You have to find this!

Add to that, the Mystery Egg is also the highlight of The Manila Hotel’s “Easter Joy! Raffle” that will be held on April 5, 2021 at 2pm via Facebook Live (@TheManilaHotel). 

Every purchase of the Mystery Egg for only P2,500 nett from now to April 4, 2021 gives guests a stub for the raffle, wherein they can win the major prize of a Chromebook laptop—a perfect gadget for online classes and workshops kids can enjoy. 

They can also win one set of The Manila Hotel Gelatos, and The Manila Hotel’s Willy The Bear. The Manila Hotel also partnered with several groups to help make the Easter celebration a little more special for kids. 

Mystery Egg buyers also get the chance to win passes to online kiddie workshops from Make Believe Productions, like Superhero Art, Groovebeats Dance Workshop, Imaginart: Drawing and Painting for Kids, and Make Believe N’ Yoga for Kids; Activity Kits for kids from Kits For Kids by RC Lab like My Body Care Lab Kit, 25-in-1 Science Bear Experiment Kit, and Fizzy Easter Activity Kits; and also Introductory Visit to The Little Gym online classes.  Wow! The prizes are awesome!

The Easter Joy! Mystery Egg is available from now until April 4 (Easter Sunday), 6pm, and may be ordered for pick-up or delivery by calling 85270011 or 0998-9501912. 

Bulk orders must be done in advance. The Manila Hotel’s Deli is also selling various Easter-related chocolates and goodies that can be ordered for pickup or delivery.

Back to Kdrama World and Unboxing!

The last series that I watched when I bid goodbye to Korean Drama was A Korean Odyssey. 

Photo from A Korean Odyssey Facebook

I stopped seeing one because the trend and hype were a bit toxic for me and I felt I want to give the other Asian series a try.

It was a great decision. 

I found myself enjoying Chinese drama series because of unfamiliar actors and their stories were really awesome though there were a bit long to watch, Japanese series are shorter and easy to finished, and recently, I'm such a fan of this particular Laikorn that I've been replaying every other day. 

So going back to Kdrama series, I'm definitely watching them again! Congratulations to me! 

And the first drama that I've seen was Netflix's Rookie Historian: Goo Hae-ryung. 

Photo from SBS Pop Asia

It is a historical drama set in my favorite Joseon Era. Goo Hae-ryung is one of the first female historians. She has this strong personality and she's not afraid of speaking her mind. Her love interest is Prince Dowon who is the writer of the best-selling romance novels and is being kept away from people.

Thanks to this series especially Cha Eun Woo who played Dowon, my heart with Kdrama is full of glee! I am actually having a great time with another historical time-traveling series at the moment. I probably give you an update once I'm done watching it.

Before I ended this blog, I'm excited to feature my first Kdrama Box! 

Thanks to fellow blogger, Miss Ana Gonzales aka Anagon for this lovely box of True Beauty. Honestly, I haven't seen the series but I've been hearing fantastic reviews.

So why did I buy it in the first place?

I have two reasons: it is one of my birthday gifts and Cha Eun Woo.

Without further ado, here is the content of True Beauty's Kdrama box!

These freebies are so cute! 

And what really made me place the order is this pillow! 

Ang puso ko! The most handsome Korean actor ever!

Who can't even resist this? It is the closest way, I can hug Eun Woo!

I can't wait to purchase another Kdrama box and hopefully it is the series that I've been gushing about! 

Level Up your 'Tita-ness' with Tita's Lifestyle Package

Age is just a number. But if you are a Tita, age is an ultimate priority. 😅

As we get old, symptoms of aging (cough) are coming out that's why we need a Lifestyle box that caters to our needs! 

It's finally here, the one we've been waiting for! Here comes Tita's Lifestyle Package that is perfect for every Single Tita, Tita Wannabe, or for your favorite Tita!

What's inside the Sampler Box:

*Two Single Drip Bag (Benguet Brew and Hazelnut Coffee)

*Sunflower Oil

*Pure Essential Oil (Orange)

*Katie's Trinkets

*Coaster

My Thoughts:

~Drip Bag Coffee 

It was my first time to try a Drip Bag Coffee. So aside from research, I even asked my Boss how to use one. 😆Unlike the typical sachet, you don't need a spoon to mix the coffee. Pull the two holders and place them on top of your mug. 

Just pour the water and let it drip inside your mug. Voila! I was even fascinated when it was done.

*Classic Benguet Brew - The smell of it is really strong and it reminds me of the Mountain of Sierra Madre and Cordillera. If you like Dark Coffee, this is for you!

*Hazelnut-Flavored Coffee- I enjoyed this more because I like coffee that it is a bit sweet. The aroma is truly Hazelnut, heavenly!

~Essential Oils

*Sunflower Oil- The smell is nice and not sticky... 

Full review of this skin miracle product on this link: https://www.facebook.com/316743821763572/posts/3250753358362589/

*Orange Pure Essential Oil- This orange scent is perfect for relaxation...  

Full review of this lovely product on this link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLMKXlIhYs_/?igshid=ks7x316jh3jw

Verdict: 

This is a sampler box that I'm grateful to be given a chance to review. I enjoy discovering every item inside. The packaging of the products was well-thought of.  Probably, my suggestion is that they can add another essential oil like mentholated oil for our aching muscles. Yeah because we are getting old and we need hagod! 😂

Tita's Lifestyle Box will be out soon and they are planning to release boxes of coffee and essential oils where you can choose between the two or have them both!

Check out their other amazing products on this website: https://titaslifestyle.com/

Support them by buying and trying! Thank you very much to Cindy and Ate Kate for this collaboration. 

Level Up Your Romance for Valentine’s at The Manila Hotel!

Do you have plans on Sunday? Why not bring and surprise your special someone in Manila Hotel?

Valentine’s Day is synonymous with a time for wining and dining. It is also the perfect opportunity to show your love and appreciation to your favorite people, or your significant other.

Let it be a Dinner to Remember

Be inspired to take your special someone out on an ultimate date night at The Champagne Room, touted as the most romantic room in the country—the exquisite backdrop to many proposals and declarations of love. The destination of choice for top-tier dining, The Manila Hotel reopens its signature French restaurant exclusively for heart’s day weekend.

Escape the monotony of everyday dining and let your palate escape to France with our specially curated Valentine’s set dinner which kicks off with Pan-Seared Foie Gras and Lobster on melon gazpacho, followed by decadent entrees like Aged Sherry-Scented Roasted Pigeon Consomme with stuffed morsel and sous-vide poached quail egg; and Sweetpea Mascarpone Agnolotti (butter-parmesan emulsion with prosciutto). For mains, you have a choice of generous Chilean Sea Bass in creamy balsamic-pomegranate sauce, Oriental risotto, and fresh market vegetables or our signature Beef Tenderloin on wild mushroom puree, with Anna potato and market vegetables. End your night by lingering over dessert—a must for any romantic occasion—with Raspberry Delight on pistachio shortbread, and a Valentine Praline.  

As an added treat, lady diners will be given one long-stemmed Ecuadorian rose. Lucky girls! Combine all of this with the chic French ambiance and intimate seating, and your Valentine’s Day will be complete. 

The gourmet dinner will be available from February 12, 13, 14, and 15, 2021 at Php4,500 nett per head. Don’t wait though—a table for two at our Champagne Room is always a hot commodity. Call us now for a reservation and book a table at 85270011. 

Add some Sweet Surprises

It’s easy to find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift with our range of premium and delicious chocolates. Chocolate gifts have long been a staple of Valentine’s Days for decades, so what better way to show your love than with our handcrafted chocolates. Two new items from the Deli will surely make your Valentine’s night all the sweeter. Surprise your loved one with either the Valentine Praline Bouquet or the Chocolate Strawberry Bouquet. 

For only P980 nett, the Valentine Praline Bouquet is exactly that—a round bouquet of hazelnut gianduja-based pralines, with highlights of rolled pistachio nuts.

Timeless and popular, round bouquets are popular in weddings, but this artisanal chocolate bouquet is one that will surely add a sweet touch to Valentine’s Day. 

The Chocolate Strawberry Bouquet, which sells for only P1,380 nett, combines the taste of juicy strawberries and the comforting sweetness of chocolates loved by many.

Dipped in artisanal Belgian chocolate and interspersed with pink variant, this is a perfect gift that says a lot. 

These sweet surprise variants can be pre-ordered starting February 8, 2021 from The Manila Hotel’s Delicatessen, or by calling 85270011 or 09989501912. 

And just in time for this Sunday, the Valentine-inspired Raspberry Delight heart-shaped cake combines three ingredients that make the perfect combo: Chocolate Mousse brings sweetness and mellowness; raspberries an acidity note; and pistachio biscuit just the right crunch. For only, Php1,300 nett, this indulgent dessert is just what you need to satisfy your sweet tooth without going overboard. One-day pre-order is recommended.

The Delicatessen also has a host of other chocolate gift items in regular boxes and collectible boxes like heart-shaped sinamay containers. From Belgian chocolate bars to assorted pralines to heart-shaped concoctions, you have numerous options to choose from. 

Hurry make your Valentine's day memorable with Manila Hotel!