Author Archives: Rater-In-Chief

MOST Institute Culinary School – Cebu Grand Launch

Nothing to do this summer? Why not try cooking or baking? Enroll at MOST Institute Cebu and let’s be classmates. 

MOST Institute is a provider to hotels and restaurants with culinary professionals with the right skills, disciplines, and attitudes in the workplace. It has successfully produced over 3,000 graduates for its 10 years of operation. MOST Institute Cebu is located at the 3rd Floor of Square One Building at 232 Lopez Jaena St., Tipolo, Mandaue City (at the corner of the road going to Singson Village) is their 4th branch.
Aside from the Culinary Arts and Baking Certificate Programs, MOST Institute Cebu also offers Fundamentals of Asian Culinary arts and my favorites —Kiddie Cooking Program, Japanese Sushi and Baking and Pastries lifestyle course. I’m seriously considering taking the Baking and Pastries.
 
Their grand launch on April 11, 2015 is attended by model-celebrities Daniel Matsunaga and Fabio Ide.
  

For further inquiries on tuition and class schedules you may call them at 09173111449.
Here are some information I found from their catalogue.

Some student activities and events:

Star Wars Themed Coffee Shop: Amidala Cafe

Since it is a holiday today (Day of Valor), it’s a good time to wander in the galaxy and look what I’ve found, Amidala brewing some beans for the Stormtroopers. 

Good news from the intergalactic universe to all Star Wars fans in Cebu, Star Wars themed coffee shop, Amidala Cafe, is now open to serve all Cebuanos. Do the Imperial March to Maria Christina Extension  Juana Osmena Street, Cebu City at the road where Bordz and (old) Frontgate are located.
 

They offer reasonably priced coffee and snacks. Nothing fancy, it’s the theme that we like the most.
 
  
They are open everyday fro 1:00pm to 12 Midnight (sometimes earlier) Call them at  09227859873 to be sure.
 
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MOVIE REVIEW: Furious 7 

Furious 7 is breaking box office records here and abroad. It seems to appeal not only the  nostalgia-driven-audiences but also those who are demanding more than the usual Fast & Furious chase scenes  —the airdrop at the Caucasus Mountains and the break out at Abu Dhabi’s Jumeirah and Etihad Towers are the most amazing stunts so far in the Fast & Furious movies. All scenes in the movie practically have their own merit. You should watch it with an empty bladder.

Furious 7 surpasses all expectations. It is not a refurbished of the supposedly-worn-out Fast & Furious plot, as one may expect, but a brand new conveyance, besting its six predecessors.

Aside from the usual Fast and Furious vibe, it drifted to a fresh and new angle that humanizes the characters. (You should see Vin Diesel’s remorseful eyes.) The movie provides a sweet, smooth and very artistic goodbye to a very good friend.  It may take some time to find a chemistry that is Vin and Paul.

It wouldn’t be ludicrous if Universal will renew its franchise for 3 more movies after Furious 7 at the rate on how this movie innovate and defy physics.

P.S.

Fast & Furious (Part 1), Fast & Furious 6 and Tokyo Drift will help the audience to profoundly understand the plot of Furious 7.

#8.5/10 #EthysMovieReview #Furious7

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Binondo Chinatown Food Trip

I was at the University of Santo Tomas assisting our team of students for the Jessup  Cup National Rounds. With around 3 hours free time after the matches, we decided to go on a relaxing food trip in Binondo (you know Chinese food is comfort food.)

Note: All restaurants/cafes mentioned here are within one street and within walking distance.



First stop, Estero Fastfood at Brgy. 297, Binondo, Manila. 









Of course, we ordered their best-sellers, that include the exotic Chili Crispy Frog Legs (Large, P260.00), Oyster Cake (Large, P220.00) and Sweet and Sour Pork (Large, P220.00). 




Chinatown experience will not be complete without the dimsum indulgence. Cafe Mezzanine serves the best  Xiao Long Bao (P180.00)  and Shrimp Hakaw (P120.00) in the area. 



 Not only that, income of the cafe is donated to Binondo Paco Volunteer Fire Search and Rescue. 

Dessert is at Lord Stowe’s Egg Tarts. I used to always have the when they were still open at SM MOA. 

Finally, our last stop is at Binondo San Lorenzo Church. It would be an easy location where we shall wait for our ride.








Kipling’s Updated Concept Store in SM City Cebu

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    Kipling, a fashion brand founded in 1987 in Antwerp, Belgium, rolled out it’s updated store concept (the first in Cebu and 4th in the Philippines) in their 80sq. meter shop located at the 2nd floor of the Northwing, SM City Cebu (beside Watsons). 

    

    Kipling owner, distributor and models

    


    The updated shop exudes a vibrant and modern look but with the classic touch of bricks and upholstered tucked boards. The dressing room inspired shop is perfect for selfies while shopping. 

    

    Kipling is most famous of its collection called Basic, a line recognizable for its crinkled nylon fabric and its monkey zipper. 

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Weddings in the Age of Social Media

With everyone going digital in establishing social connections in Social Media, it is inevitable that they might result to an amorous and conjugal union. Love is anywhere and could happen anytime whether at first kiss, first sight, first like or even at first swipe (to the right). 

 The truth is Social Media is a good purveyor of love.

All kinds of love in the modern age is sustained by social media. Why not seal that love by utilizing social media itself? 

 Weddings in social media are not only trending topics but also convenient. Why not prepare you wedding with a click and invite your guest with an app?

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Cebu City Marriott Hotel gathered all wedding suppliers in one venue and showcased the best practices in the market. Love @ First Like is a three-day bridal event featuring a two-day workshop for wedding suppliers on February 23 and 24, 2015. 

Be inspired and harness fresh new ideas for your craft. Learn from some of the most sought after names in the industry like celebrity wedding planner Rita Neri, virtual story-teller Jason Magbanua, premier event stylist Teddy Manuel and top photographer Dino Lara. 

Discover concepts that thrill todays new age customers while engaging in a panel discussion about digital marketing with social media guru’s. Witness the launch of Cebu’s top suppliers in the digital world.

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With the Cebu’s best and globally recognized wedding videographers. You’ve got to have their numbers if you want to capture timeless moment during your special day.

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Beqaa is a must!

I have completed my list of Top 5 Best Cuisines in the world. The latest to add in that list that includes, Japanese, Italian, French and Thai is Lebanese.

In Cebu, there is one lebanese restaurant that stood above the rest, a kitchen you can recommend even to your finest and most discriminating guests. Beqaa Lebanese Kitchen is another gourmet restaurant from The Abaca Group which brought to Cebu some first-rate restaurants like Abaca in Punta Engano, Lapu-Lapu City and A-Cafe in Crossroads, Banilad. Beqaa is in Design Center, A.S. Fortuna St. (Pine Tree), Banilad, Mandaue City. It serves the freshest and best lebanese and indian cuisine in Cebu.

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My Nth Beqaa experience (but on a budget)

We kick-off the night with a sip of pomegranate shot and mojito. The marriage of the fruity sour pomegranate and Bacardi White is a sensation. The best foreplay for our porkless dinner.

Our appetizer is a mixture of meat and vegetables with hints of yoghurt and cheese. These alone set apart Beqaa from any other middle eastern theme restaurant.

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Cucumber Raita (Labmeh, mint and cumin) P245.00

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Arayes Lahme (meatband cheese filled flatbread) P185.00

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Arnabeet Mekleh (crispy cauliflower, tahini and chili) P265.00

Everyone is ready for the main dish. Armed with our forks, we dig in further with passion.

Kafta (spice minced lamb and beef with onions and parsley) P435.00

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Chicken Tikka Masala (mildly spicy tomato based curry with yoghurt)
Lebanese Garlic Riz (P95.00)

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For dessert we have Mohalabiha (coconut cream, vanilla powder and orange chutney)

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For a group of 3 the whole dinner was just P500.00 per pax. You can never be nearer to Lebanon than this with that budget.

Feel free to follow my orders. It wont disappoint.

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Must-Watch Movies That You Probably Missed in the Cinemas

You probably missed these movies last year. They are classics and perhaps, among the best films of 2014. Have seen all these three?

Gone Girl

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Gone Girl is a fun sick movie—the good kind of sick—that made Rosamund Pike a star in her stellar petrifying performance as the missing wife (Amy Dunne) of Ben Affleck (Nick Dunne) who reported it to the authorities—that later turned into a media frenzy. A massive search and investigation were conducted based on a series of clues found on the seemingly decontaminated crime scene lead to the most unexpected culprit.

Chilling, intriguing and shocking. An elegant and poignant satire exposing the dangers of truths drawn from the swings of public opinion on the common ills of modern day marriage.

PS. Expect some nudity, shockingly intense sex scenes and gory flesh. The movie runs for 2 hours and 29 minutes. This one is not for the fainthearted.

8.5/10

John Wick

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John Wick could be the best gun-fu movie of the year. I thought the Matrix moves of Keanu Reeves could not be equalled but this gritty movie disproves it, from gunfight to grappling and stabbing, and to kungfu.

Although it lacks publicity, this movie will surprise its audiences with its beautiful dark and extreme violent scenes of a grieving hero thirsty for blood while going through a Russian mob.

Yes, familiar revenge plot, but this one is not just all about the “bang-bang”, it’s actually the impressive style and kinetics.

8.5/10

Interstellar

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Interstellar is a brilliant adventure into space and time. I remember the scientific idea of time travel and space-time continuum being topics of discussion with some of my mathematically gifted college of engineering friends applying and tweaking Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. The movie, like our discussion, is full of so many things —so many questions that two hours and fifty minutes is not sufficient to answer them but at least enough to raise mad curiosity on time warp, wormholes and even on the idea of perpetuating humanity in some habitable planets.

Matthew McConaughey is a gift to humanity. He is as effective as Christopher Nolan’s signature flashbacks, silences and drags which humanize the fiction. There were some parts of the film that I was literally holding my breath for him.

Relativity, from one mass to another, a person to another, and gravity to time, is what this ambitious movie is all about. An acquired taste but definitely worth your time. Time is of essence, right nerds?
8/10

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Gong Xi Fa Cai from Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel is definitely the best venue to celebrate Chinese New Year with your family and friends because of its fireworks. For years now, Waterfront has ushered the Chinese New Year of Cebuanos with a colorful big bang to roar all the bad luck away. Many filipino-chinese families flocked to Waterfront to witness the quintessential new year’s lion dance and feast on the delectable chinese cuisine and delicacies at Cafe Uno and Tin Gow.

Some photos taken during the event:

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Xin nian kuai le!

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MOVIE REVIEW: Fifty Shades of Grey

Amusing but confusing and repetitive.

Fifty Shades of Grey is a film about a glorified sadist and his willing victim, who mustered a spunk to change him. (Some girls just don’t get it, right? They think love is the cure to anything. They want to change their man when they know fully well what exactly they are in for.)

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Rather than seriously deal with the disorder, the movie took a different turn and instead, it explores the awkward bargaining of pleasures and penalties from due diligence to a consequential sex catalogue.

It is more humorous than arousing. The monotonous conversations fail to stimulate however, the actors’ body language, although contrived, were nonetheless, fascinating. Generally, it’s kind of a bore for a big sex movie like it, but at least not to a point that you have to push the red exit button.

The biggest flaw (or insult to the audience) of the movie perhaps was the blur and the shades of grey to black on the screen. The distributor/producer’s over submissiveness to censorship is an overkill. It distracts the art; a travesty to freedom of expression. They should have learned from Anastasia Steele herself on how to challenge the domineering in the quest for a more profound love of the craft.

Laters, Baby!

7/10 #EthysMovieReview #FiftyShadesofGrey

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