Critic's Log: Cake Couture by Trina

PRODUCT PROMOTION

Cake Couture by Trina

Because there's always room for cake!

APPETITE

Cebu Sensations - Issue

By Kristina S. Tabon

Word Count  568

Photography by Marini Esguerra, M.D.

At her web site's profile, Trina Ang-Kokseng wrote that "sky's the limit for your imagination!"  She didn't mean "hers", she meant her client's imagination.  A quick browse through three of her online pages bear witness to exactly how the clients pulled all stops. In those pages, we find all manner of cakes available.  Everything from traditionally elegant multiple-tiered cakes for weddings to cleverly topped cupcakes and celebration cakes.  There were shoes, guns, gorillas, sexy girls, Louis Vuitton bags, Macbooks---you'll get the picture if you check out her web site at http://www.cakecouturebytrina.com/

Fancy an exotic Asian tropical theme?  Dress up your cake in bamboo, why don't you?  You want swags, Cornelli Lace, and candy clay?  She'll dream up something with all of the above.  How about a can of coke sitting atop a mound of ice in a red cooler?  Done and done.  

Trina calls what she does cake couture and for all intents and purposes she has every right to call it that.  The term "couture" is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the design and manufacture of fashionable clothes to a client's specific requirements and measurements, yet in Old French according to Webster's, "cousture" means "sewing."  So couture as a term refers to clothes and fashion in general.  For those who know their fashion history, "haute couture" is a term regulated by the French government.  (I'm not kidding.  Google it.) The term has evolved, however, and is usually a colloquialism for "haute couture" , and from there, has gone on to mean something into which exquisite care has been observed in its making and is typically handmade.  Trina's creations definitely fit that definition.  There is nothing careless about her pearl borders, her intricate basketweave and latticework, or her sculpted forms.

Being subject to her clients' whimsical ideas means she can't rely on moulds which requires her to sculpt most of the gorgeous embellishments by hand.  She's quite the crafty girl with candy clay!  Her cupcake toppers are exquisite little things that you'll think twice about eating because it's sooo pretty.  Trina credits her clients' imaginations with the end-products:  gargantuan cakes that took more than twenty-four hours to make (with only one assistant! who does the kneading); but really, there's serious skill in this woman's hands.  She injects not only technical know-how, but also a very balanced rhythm in her designs, which doesn't come as a surprise given that she studied at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies in San Juan, Metro Manila, and cleverly supplemented that with multiple courses at the Wilton School of Cake Decorating in Chicago.  Trina was also an apprentice of internationally renowned cake decorator, Colette Peters.

In June 17 of this year, Trina opened a store from where clients can make orders.   It's located in the ground floor of the Banilad Town Centre south arcade, just in front of Rai rai ken.  On Saturdays and Sundays, there's Cupcake Madness where  her quaint little store sells cupcakes in three wondrous flavors:  red velvet, choco madness, and peppermint party.  In the supporting roles are the lemon meringue, chocolate cream, vanilla, and cookies 'n cream.  Pre-orders for the cupcakes are welcome.  

She takes orders by phone or by email.

Please contact 0917-6224464, 0922-8087788, or cakecouture@ymail.com for inquiries and/or search "cake couture by trina" at Multiply or Facebook.  Also call the landline at (032) 316-2181.

CRITIC’S LOG: Ampao nasad

CRITIC'S LOG

Ampao nasad

Or "ampao again."  Not that ampao isn't a worthy topic to discuss.  It's among those categories of things seldom explored because it's always there.  It's about time we take a moment to ponder on the simple pleasures like the crunch of a mouthful of ampao.

APPETITE

Cebu Sensations - column

By Kristina S. Tabon

Photos by Marini & Brian Esguerra

Word count  602

Care for a crunchy treat?  Like a sweet sticky chewy rice crispy? If by that definition alone "ampao" came to mind, you're right.  I hoarded a small bundle while city-bound after a visit to the holy site at Simala, Sibonga, where an image of Mother Mary was reported to have shed tears of blood.  Now the Holy Mother may not be directly related to the story about this famous Carcar delicacy, but it is true that many a pilgrim's journey may often be accompanied by a rice crispy or two.  I must say that obliterating five packs of ampao is the best way to kill time on the 40-kilometer drive back to Cebu City.

As far as I know, no one's a stranger to ampao.  They're peddled by street hawkers at every jeepney stop and introduced to tourists the moment they get off the plane.   At Myrna's, a pack can be had for PhP20.00 while aggressive vendors at the Carcar Plaza sell them at PhP25.00.  Now you won't really feel like shelling out if they're shoving ampao at your face while you're buying chicharon, so if you don't mind a short walk just behind Jollibee (still at the Carcar Plaza), you'll find the humble abode of Myrna, who claim to have been the originals for the ampao south of Cebu.  Ampao are ubiquitous white cubes of crispy rice. And rice being our nation's staple food, every corner of the archipelago has its version of rice-based desserts. It is one of those classic Filipino desserts that always always reminds us of our childhood.  My ears used to feel like it popped every time I chewed a piece.  Nevermind that the toasted rice grated at my gums, I'd eat loads of them anyway.

In Cebu, ampao has a definite address. It can only be the right kind of sweet chewy crunchy if it's from Myrna's in Carcar City. Otherwise, the rice would be too dry, too sweet, and horror of horrors---not chewy at all!  It's making is quite the hands-on affair, usually consuming a whole morning. It starts as cooked rice---Myrna's uses Sinandomeng---that goes through a repetitive sun-drying process before the batch is cooked in a wok of sugar syrup.  It's this syrup that holds the rice kernels together.  While in this gooey state, a whole batch is eased unto a tabletop mold where it's pressed flat with a rolling pin.  They do this repeatedly until the rice crispies are packed so closely it's almost airtight.  It's this process that helps keep the ampao fresh for days, which explains why it's a favorite inexpensive baon among travelers.  

At this point, another block of wood is used as a ruler for the cutting process.  They use regular knives to cut the rice into symmetrical blocks and from there, they're packed and sealed, ready for the market.

Such a simple procedure creates this simple delicacy, the ampao.  And often, as in other cuisines and cultures, it's this simpleness, the availability of its crucial ingredients, and the ease of preparation that makes certain food work---across different palates.  I'll even go as far as saying, anyone can make ampao if they really wanted to.  You've got rice in your pantry, some sugar, a bit of calamansi to liven up the syrup, and the forever sunny weather.  All it takes is the will to make it just right, the way Myrna does.

Event-Food Feature: Great Adobo Challenge 2010

The 2010 Great Adobo Challenge
Where: Marco Polo Plaza Hotel
Written by: Kristina Tabon and Marini Esguerra
Word Count: 953
Sometimes I can see steam rising from asphalt roads in the scorching
midday heat. Water is a dream and iced water is . . . well, in Pluto,
something that never was. Such was the day when I braved the heat and
traffic to drive to Marco Polo Plaza Hotel. They were staging the
first-ever 2010 Great Adobo Challenge and I was admittedly curious if
anyone could live up to the "adobo of my dreams." Café Marco was the
inimitable stage of this lovely affair and the adobo specials were to
be had during their lunch and buffet dinners. To make dining even
more fun, diners get to rate their favorites while earning a chance to
win an overnight stay in Manila for dinner at the guest chefs'
restaurants or a round trip ticket for two to Hong Kong.
In the quest for the best adobo 'there is no try'. I will hunt it
down, I will find it, and eat without sharing. Adobo is the holy grail
of Filipino cuisine. It's the one soul-food that embodies the spirit
of the Pinoy. It's what we eat with steaming hot rice, with ice cold
coke on a Sunday brunch with the family. It's the ultimate "Lola's
Secret Recipe." I wanted some of that mouth-watering, tangy, sweet,
aromatic, unexplainably heavenly soul-food.
On March 29 to May 2, 2010, the Marco Polo Plaza challenged four of
the greatest Pinoy Chefs to open the armory and make the most
inspiring adobo humanly possible, and they did not disappoint. Fairy
Godmother made my adobo dreams come true! There it was, my dream
adobo, served on a pristine, white, unassuming plate in stark contrast
to the gleaming glutinous mound of rice. Tasting it was one of the
highlights of the month! Four gloriously talented chefs prepared
several varieties of the dish, each one better than the last, although
come voting time, I abstained. Don't get angry, I was genuinely
confused. I couldn't decide which adobo was better.
The 'Adobong Sugpo sa Taba ng Talangka' was cooked to perfection by
Chef Glenda Barretto. I can see why the Filipino Restaurant Via Mare
is very successful and world-renowned. She represented East
Philippines (Samar) and has secured her niche in the culinary world
when her creations were monumental hits at the Philippine Expo 1992 in
Seville, Spain, the World Expo in 1998 in Lisbon, Portugal, and in
2005, at the World Expo in Aichi, Japan. This formidable woman also
wields the power of the pen as she is a columnist of the Philippine
Star and has authored four cookbooks.
Next to the heavenly sugpo was the creation of Chef Myrna Segismundo,
called the 'Mushroom Adobo Terrine,' but to me it was 'Ingenious,
Yummy Adobo.' Chef Myrna gave my soul-food a modern approach. She is
the Managing Director of TV Food Chefs and is an advocate of the
preservation of traditional Filipino cooking. Also a food writer,
Chef Myrna produces TV Food Chefs with ABS-CBN. Having once been
chairman of the Chefs on Parade (a national culinary competition for
pros and students), she is no stranger to bright lights and
showmanship. On her belt are two cookbooks: The Party Cookbook and
the Philppine Cuisine. Chef Myrna represented Batangas for the Great
Adobo Challenge.
Then there was 'Tinupig Adobo' by Chef Danny de la Cuesta. This
talented food expert from Northern Luzon has two loves: fashion and
food. For both his loves he received tutelage and training overseas—at
FIT in New York for fashion and then at the Le Corden Bleu Ecole de
Cuisine et de Patisserie, in London, with Chef Jean Claude Boucheret
as a mentor. We could go on about where Chef Danny has been but this
is about his sumptuous adobo creation. His version was a twice-cooked
pork and chicken adobo in green mango grilled in banana leaf. Veeeery
nice. And the banana leaf was clever. As a take-away item, one could
microwave the dish for dinner and the banana leaf kept in every drop
of sauce. Marco Polo Plaza's PR Team had the nifty idea of providing
the conference attendees with bags of take-away, so I may have had my
fill at lunch and then relived the gustatory experience at supper.
Brilliant!
Chef Nancy Reyes-Lumen made adobo without the guilt, but with all the
flavor, having carved off every bit of fat from the meat. The name
'Liposuction'd Adobo' spoke for itself, but a taste of it was enough
to give me the warm fuzzies. She said her clan—the Aling Asyang Reyes
Clan—lives to eat. Chef Nancy is another one of those people whom the
Almighty bestowed ten talents: she writes (cookbooks and columns),
critiques, hosts TV shows, does broadcast radio, and shares everything
in her noggin through SMS daily food tips with Smart Telecomm. Like
the other chefs for the Adobo Challenge, she helps to promote our
native cuisine to the rest of the world, but she also works locally to
increase the dietary standards and food literacy in the Philippines.
I can imagine wanting to live one more day just to have that amazing
adobo. With every bite, it felt like global warming was a distant
reality, there were no power fluctuations, and the dolphins were
safe. Happiness really is directly proportional to a full stomach
because that afternoon, I headed out and the world was a better place,
everyone was happy, the sky was the perfect shade of blue with wispy
cotton clouds, and the birds were chirping in the golden sunlight.
When I left Marco Polo Plaza I had the silly smile of someone who
found peace.

CRITIC'S LOG: White Party at the Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa

CRITIC'S LOG:  White Party

Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa introduces its new leading man, Markus Kraus
APPETITE

Cebu Sensations - column
By Kristina S. Tabon


Body Copy
We've read the news. This summer is the Philippines' hottest ever and
at Mactan Island, Cebu, where UV rays bounce off sedimentary rock like
a mirror, it's a whopping average of 29°C indoors with the air
conditioner on High Cool. In the back burner, all this guilt for
consuming Earth's resources percolate, and then I opened my mail.
Not email. Snail mail. Delivered by messenger. 1700h rendezvous at
the Hilton's Vanilla Beach Sala, an all-day dining restaurant oozing
with mid-twentieth century appeal due to its retro-colonial design and
whitewashed walls. It's open for guests at 0630 to 2300, yet at the
five o'clock call time, the sala was refreshingly exclusive save for
the staff. Not surprisingly, guests were requested to dress in white,
the perfect non-color for the sizzling hot day.
THE MAN
The White Cocktail Party was thrown in the honor of Markus Kraus,
Hilton Cebu's latest addition to their family. He arrived in white
and missing a fedora. Had he donned one, he would've looked like he
came off the set of Casablanca. His best accessory: his lovely wife,
Brigitte. Mr. Kraus comes to Cebu armed with a strong background in
the hotel industry and in working in a multi-cultural environment,
along with extensive experience in food and beverage management and
mentor programs. He has been with Hilton World Resorts since the 90's
and has managed locations as exotic as Dubai, Cairo, Fujairah, and
Ulaanbaatar, among others. His being a Swiss national eventually led
the table conversation to the topic of chocolate and he told us the
story about how his town had a resident chocolate factory and how
every day, the air smelled of milk chocolate. Mr. Markus Kraus had
the undeniable makings of a media darling.
Hilton's new leading man, Markus Kraus with his lovely wife, Brigitte,
and Chef Peter Wicki. Regular fare at the Vanilla Beach Café is
influenced by regional, Mediterranean, and Filipino cuisine,
highlighted by the Chef's Signature dishes, but for the White Party, a
special cocktail menu was served. It was designed to have something
for everybody and made the attendees very very comfortable indeed.
THE MENU
THE FOOD
The all-time favorite chicken lollipop, this crowd pleaser played up
its popularity to the hilt. They were gone in sixty seconds as soon
as they were spotted on the serving trays.
Seafood spring roll with Thai sweet chili. Among many things so
pleasant about the White Party was the well-roundedness of its menu as
well as its down-to-earth quality. Perhaps this was a reflection of
the nature of the party host: Markus Kraus. The seafood spring roll
was a welcome introduction for those going for less meaty fare.
The lemongrass chicken with pineapple: What can I say? It's chicken
on a happy stick! And the pineapple went very well with the sparkling
whites making the rounds.
Another crowd-pleaser, the california roll with wasabi-soy. With the
chicken lollies gone, the hungry writers pounced on this one. Funnily
enough at this party, beverage rolled out faster than food, so before
we had an hors d'oeuvre, we've already had two glasses of wine.
MannyO's was king that evening aside from new GM Markus Kraus, of
course.
The parade of pre-dinner sweet nothings began with the choco profite
rolls.
This fruit tartlet was sensational when followed with a sparkling
white. This author could've had more but there was a dinner up next
at the beachfront, so the plan was to lay off the sweets before my
appetite closes its doors for the evening.

Chocoholics got their fix with the choco rumble.

Savory with contrasting textures, the salmon gravadlax rosette was as
fine as they come.
[insert image here]
Pork Gyoza with Yuzu Soy. Although this author wasn't inebriated
enough to down a shot-glass of soy (weren't supposed to anyway), the
pork gyoza armed our bellies to withstand another round of drinks!

Fiery Thursdays at the Hilton Cebu's beachfront is one of two themed
nights with buffet dinners, the other day being Monday. Think of it
this way, Monday tends to be slow around the metro while Thursday is
the perfect pre-party weekend starter. Either day is a good choice
especially when the food hits the spot and the entertainment,
spectacular.
The baked grouper was just one of the many delicious entrees served at
Fiery Thursday Nights. Local seafood specialties take centre stage
here as well as a hot show of fire poi dancers.
The buffet stretched across the beachfront: one end comprised of a
collection of ceviches and seaweed salads; the other, a high-end
version of a local fruit stand. That means, you could start with
dessert or end with it. Your choice.

stir-fried prawn with garlic and chili

squid adobo with black bean sauce
The next photos are the most photogenic from the bunch, and no
surprise, they're mostly from the desserts table.
puto kutsinta

cassava cake

sapin-sapin

PEOPLE

The usual suspects: From left to right, Cebu Daily New's (CDN) food
columnist, Aissa dela Cruz, KT, Expat's Richard Ramos, CDN Lifestyle's
Regina Aguilar with Hilton PR's Mia Sy. New GM Markus Kraus remarked
how strictly we followed the attire request to come in white. He
thought for sure the staff will respect it, but didn't expect the
guests to go into detail. Kraus was pleasantly surprised at this
observation. A number of the writers did go into detail. Aissa dela
Cruz of Kitchen Stories (CDN) was insightful enough to don metallic
flats for the occasion while yours truly and Sunstar Daily Cebu's
April Rama floundered to our dinner tables in our stilettos. Staff
kindly offered us Hilton-embossed room slippers.

The photo ops were never complete without a tableau: From left to
right, Expat's Richard Ramos, CDN Lifestyle's Regina Aguilar, Hilton's
new GM Markus Kraus with wife, Brigitte, and Chef Peter Wicki, CDN
columnist Aissa dela cruz, Hilton PR's Mia Sy, and KT.
INFORMATION CARD
NAME OF RESTAURANT / Promo Theme nights at the Hilton Cebu Resort and
Spa
Schedule Mondays and Thursdays
Where beachfront of the Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa
Details
Cuisine Filipino favorites, Grill, local seafood
Service type Dinner buffet
Entertainment Dances of the Pacific, fire poi dancing, local bands
Time 6:00PM, dinner; 7:00PM, start of performances
Contact details
Address Punta Engaño, Mactan Island, Cebu Philippines
Telephone number/s For theme nights reservation, call (032) 492.7777
For an exclusive show and dinner buffet, call Events Executives at
(032) 492.7760
Fax number/s
URL/email sales.cebu@hilton.com,
www.hiltonworldresorts.com/cebu

CRITICS LOG: Capitancillo Islet, Alegre

We got suited up at the resort's dive center, Aqua Sports, at
Fisherman's Cove. Destination was Capitancillo Islet, a lighthouse
island whom the locals shrouded with legend and stories whose plots
vary with the times. It was left unfinished as a Spanish outpost in
the 1800s and finished by the Americans in the 1900s. The Japanese
took over soon after they took over the rest of the country and the
lighthouse acquired its various nuances in architecture.
It took fifty (50) minutes on an outrigger boat to get there. Portside
were views of the beach houses owned by well-endowed families.
Lhuiller's was the modern red house. Structures along the coast are
forced to build down the hillside. Imagine the island like a
mushroom head stuck on the sea; there would be stony outcrops jutting
out onto sandy patches every so often. Anyone who wants to build frst
has to level the stone and hug the slope. This characteristic gives
Alegre its inimitable terrain where one follows patchworked stone
walkways winding to and from one's cabanas (duplex huts) and the other
amenities in the resort.
The private beach houses trickle to lush coastal foliage with a
smattering of nipa huts while starboard, there's nothing but endless
blue water. Our boat (Kanaway 2) was riding against the current and
had us leaping off troughs, leaving clothes salty and sodden, and our
poor heads in a tizzy. The smell of crude was heady on the first deck
and contributed to biyahilo. That aside,all our attention became
riveted to a shiny speck of white on the horizon. Fingers were pointed
and the heavy-duty lenses taken out by the photographers for a closer
look. GM Fritz Kahler explained that this was Capitancillo Islet. From
afar, it may well have been Clark Kent's crystal palace except it's in
the tropics. The modern lighthouse (Australian-made) shone like a
palace tower and became whiter and whiter as we approached.
Unlike diving spots in Mactan, Capitancillo's most attractive asset is
its relative isolation. True, Nilusuan and other islets near it are
just as much a sea life sanctuary as this one off the coast of Bogo.
Sanctuary fees as well as landing fees are paid per head. But at
Capitancillo, you're also given the element of novelty and the visual
impact of a historical structure painted calburo white, surrounded by
white shells and corals instead of sand. The water around it is a
luminous turquoise with darker blues on the deeper end. (I later found
that the islet is surrounded by shelves of sand, that it may seem like
a short distance from shore, but the water is well over six (6) feet
deep just off the sandy shelf! I opted for a sun bath on the rocky
shore after that rude awakening. Capitancillo's rehabilitation has
been through the ongoing efforts of Alegre, the township of Bogo
(explains why there is a town seal) on the lighthouse's base
structure, and the Philippine Navy whose jurisdiction includes all
lighthouses in the archipelago. It was the latter who approached
Alegre to play a part in the islet's welfare. This has been a 2-year
project to date and while the islet's been cleaned up, huts and
grilling areas designed and made, the local fishermen got their own
pitstop too. Better care was given the sea as dynamite fishing was
stopped. Kahler says more exotic wildlife were seen to have been back;
many of whom have been absent from these waters for years. Boating
guests reported seeing manta rays, trigger fish, the dolphins at
sunset, and it may be a little more time before we see the whales again.
Lunch was a desparate effort of formality as staff dressed up plastic
chairs, laid a mantel and rolled up silverware in napkins when most of
us opted to eat with our hands anyway. The beach is always a primitive
affair for Cebuanos as we're always just about 30 minutes from shore.
When we do get the time to play in the water, don't expect us to want
to deal with kubiertos especially when served with grilled seafood.

*Soaps by gema suzara perfumery. Peppermint and oatmeal soap bars.
*Brgy. Liki, Sogod - where the bagon was sourced. 150 small medium
large woven balls used for the christmas tree.