Restaurant chic is in. Today, great cuisine must be married with fabulous interiors. The trend for simplicity is over – elaborate, over the top, themed or sheer luxury provide moods and foods for the gastronomically inclined, bland and boring eateries are out, atmospheric cuisine is in. The trend of luxury restaurant seems to be kicking off, Pino's, the gourmet brainchild of Cebu socialite Madame Amparito Llamas Lhuillier and restaurateur and managing partner Monsieur Joel del Prado, resonates luxe and elegance in fine dining. Nothing can beat it for its sheer sprawl and space in a metropolis that is normally afraid to breathe, imparting a grainy feel in uptown Wilson Street in Lahug. Pino's in the neighbour-hood is a few notches upscale ladder with it's name-dropping labels( think the Lhuilliers, the Osmenas and the Ramas of Cebu). The restaurant is spectacularly large with intricately faceted, polished, hardwood panelled surfaces, like being in the inside of a tree. Venetian crystal- chandeliers are suspended from the ceilings. The cuisine presents a modern approach to classic native flavours, very much like the interior design itself by the famous Sheila Solon. The classic native cuisine – international wines paired with innovatively tweaked classic Cebuano recipes like white fresh marlin marinated with coconut milk and baked with local spices is complemented beautifully by the sumptuous interiors. Heavily adorned Venetian mirrors, dimly lit chandeliers, and lavish contemporary bohemian chic-hacienda feel make for a warm dinner and lunch. The exquisite décor makes an unapologetic statement of ancestral hispanic splendour, impossible to ignore. How do the stylishly turned out and terribly talented Cary Santiago in Bottega Veneta arm candy and Project Runway winner Philip Tampus as my lunch hosts and friends strike you? As the kind of people to do things by extremely Haute and Couture? Blink again...I am just simply lucky!
The menu proffers ‘native cuisine’ with a Spanish influence." Pino" which means fine, impressive craftsmanship and impeccable taste, is a leisure repast sit-down family and friends type dinner in relaxation buffet mode. Lowly veggies are now turning up on the tables of the elite and the nouveau-snobs. Take the "LATO" and "Gozo' sea weeds and a staple of the working classes — it can now be found on the best tables and in fine dining restaurants. Chefs in many-starred restaurants even top this sea vegetable with caviar. Similarly, a leafy plant that used to grow wild is now cultivated and served as trendy soups with ulo ng isda and even with delectable sauces. What the poor once ate has now become retro-chic. As have traditional, easy-on-the-stomach dishes like pot-au-feu, local soups and stews. Necessity has always been the mother of invention, or indeed creativity, when it comes to cuisine in the Philippines. Vegetarian food evolved an exquisite vegetarian cuisine that could be an epicurean’s delight. For example, dishes made from the flowers of a banana plant, langka and coconuts. Perhaps, it is time to go back to the future — to the roots, literally speaking too. The health conscious have discovered the virtues of traditional cuisines — even those of the masses. But there is another reason for a return to a simpler past. To the kind of traditional cooking that allows for sudden increases in the number of guests of Pino's. Maybe it was the uncompromising beauty of the locations, or the richness of colour (that our hazy city-life makes drab and grey), or the sheer understated luxury of the environs that made one feel desperately pampered – spoiled even, as if we were the only ones that truly mattered here, or maybe it was the fact that here, no one else mattered to either of us. It completed us.
Seen at the Restaurant: the mother of Ruffa Guttierrez, Eddie Guttierez and Raymond Isaac
Thanks to Cary Santiago and Philip Tampus for my memorable Cebu trip and thanks too for the bottle of wine and the fabulous lunch courtesy from the affable Managing Partner of Pino's- Monsieur Joel Osmena del Prado (above photo)
Restaurant chic is in. Today, great cuisine must be married with fabulous interiors. The trend for simplicity is over – elaborate, over the top, themed or sheer luxury provide moods and foods for the gastronomically inclined, bland and boring eateries are out, atmospheric cuisine is in. The trend of luxury restaurant seems to be kicking off, Pino's, the gourmet brainchild of Cebu socialite Madame Amparito Llamas Lhuillier and restaurateur and managing partner Monsieur Joel del Prado, resonates luxe and elegance in fine dining. Nothing can beat it for its sheer sprawl and space in a metropolis that is normally afraid to breathe, imparting a grainy feel in uptown Wilson Street in Lahug. Pino's in the neighbour-hood is a few notches upscale ladder with it's name-dropping labels( think the Lhuilliers, the Osmenas and the Ramas of Cebu). The restaurant is spectacularly large with intricately faceted, polished, hardwood panelled surfaces, like being in the inside of a tree. Venetian crystal- chandeliers are suspended from the ceilings. The cuisine presents a modern approach to classic native flavours, very much like the interior design itself by the famous Sheila Solon. The classic native cuisine – international wines paired with innovatively tweaked classic Cebuano recipes like white fresh marlin marinated with coconut milk and baked with local spices is complemented beautifully by the sumptuous interiors. Heavily adorned Venetian mirrors, dimly lit chandeliers, and lavish contemporary bohemian chic-hacienda feel make for a warm dinner and lunch. The exquisite décor makes an unapologetic statement of ancestral hispanic splendour, impossible to ignore. How do the stylishly turned out and terribly talented Cary Santiago in Bottega Veneta arm candy and Project Runway winner Philip Tampus as my lunch hosts and friends strike you? As the kind of people to do things by extremely Haute and Couture? Blink again...I am just simply lucky!
The menu proffers ‘native cuisine’ with a Spanish influence." Pino" which means fine, impressive craftsmanship and impeccable taste, is a leisure repast sit-down family and friends type dinner in relaxation buffet mode. Lowly veggies are now turning up on the tables of the elite and the nouveau-snobs. Take the "LATO" and "Gozo' sea weeds and a staple of the working classes — it can now be found on the best tables and in fine dining restaurants. Chefs in many-starred restaurants even top this sea vegetable with caviar. Similarly, a leafy plant that used to grow wild is now cultivated and served as trendy soups with ulo ng isda and even with delectable sauces. What the poor once ate has now become retro-chic. As have traditional, easy-on-the-stomach dishes like pot-au-feu, local soups and stews. Necessity has always been the mother of invention, or indeed creativity, when it comes to cuisine in the Philippines. Vegetarian food evolved an exquisite vegetarian cuisine that could be an epicurean’s delight. For example, dishes made from the flowers of a banana plant, langka and coconuts. Perhaps, it is time to go back to the future — to the roots, literally speaking too. The health conscious have discovered the virtues of traditional cuisines — even those of the masses. But there is another reason for a return to a simpler past. To the kind of traditional cooking that allows for sudden increases in the number of guests of Pino's. Maybe it was the uncompromising beauty of the locations, or the richness of colour (that our hazy city-life makes drab and grey), or the sheer understated luxury of the environs that made one feel desperately pampered – spoiled even, as if we were the only ones that truly mattered here, or maybe it was the fact that here, no one else mattered to either of us. It completed us.
Seen at the Restaurant: the mother of Ruffa Guttierrez, Eddie Guttierez and Raymond Isaac
Thanks to Cary Santiago and Philip Tampus for my memorable Cebu trip and thanks too for the bottle of wine and the fabulous lunch courtesy from the affable Managing Partner of Pino's- Monsieur Joel Osmena del Prado (above photo)
Michael Cinco's Madame Butterfly Collection Every year, the Philippine Fashion Week puts us in a existential dilemma – is there life after fashion? Is there life in fashion. Especially our new crop of NextGen fashion designers, who were participating the event in full force, are now besieged by the truth behind cutting edges and shimmering satin duchess. In one week, we have read more than we possibly could about the high spirited Philippine fashion, written with a new found delicacy for words such as embellishments, craftsmanship, sensibility, pinoy oeuvre…. Fair enough. Oscar V. Go- showing off a bright future in his contemporary slim silhouette
We are all developing and honing skills that will allow us to explain fashion’s ‘pinoy-sensibility’ to a world looking at us with renewed zest. But this year both designers and writers grappled and grappled hard to tell their own story. Philippine Fashion Week after several years, emerged as the new Mecca of designs and arts showcase of Filipino talents and a fashion run of veterans as well as the neophytes in the fashion industry. John Herrera's controlled elegance in Beige Gown
Living up to its cultural heritage and blending the modern with the traditional, the Filipino fashion designers are waiting to be noticed by the glamoratti. PFW 2010 ferrets out the designers behind the most compelling collections and unearths an artistic haven of design and aesthetic excellence. But as the drama of the week-long event unfolded, the participating designers struggled to find an individualistic voice. Where the designers were concerned, there was more drama on the ramp than there is in a spring carnival. Where in some, the theatricality of a ramp show worked for their benefit, in others it was a simple cry for help. Leafing through all the fashion fodder that emerged out of Fashion Week, it’s interesting to see where mere terminology stopped and fashion rhetoric began. Cherry Samuya Veric's Turquoise ruffled Gown in naked bodice with appliques
There were big (and unfounded) accusations thrown in the air by people who were armed with little less than the information from international shows. So we saw some designers accused of ripping off Alexander McQueen, a spectator declared, "I am not here to watch a McQueen rip-off!!!". Kermit Tesoro's Avant Garde Collection
Unless a conscious effort is made and constructive criticism is employed, the media’s important role to help develop an entire industry and take it to global levels will be undermined. To sustain the interest levels and ensure continuous participation from local and international Filipino designers, participants need to fast forward to the future rather than play catch-up, observed some style critics from the industry. Benjie Pascual: Shimmering Black Gown with voluminous cape collar
Several years of good performances is a good juncture for the major events at the Philippine Fashion Week (PFW) to deliberate on how to build on to a more strong agenda, a foundation of designers,buyers, media – all need to collectively decide on the path forward so that this event, which is organised to world class standards, will become an important fixture in the global fashion calendar. Kaye Morales Book leaf magenta ensemble with embroidered tapes on the bodice
The only disturbing aspect has been the ongoing economic crunch, other than that major obstacle, the Filipino designers unique talents attract attentions. Ronaldo Arnaldo's Trendy Chic
Great effort and support for the fashion week is needed to develop an entire fashion industry and take it to global levels. There are so many talented designers showing here and a promising crop of GenNext and Emerging Designers. Nicky Martinez in Black slim gown with tribal embroidery matched with hanging beads on shoulder
They have given Philippine Fashion Week 2010 a boost and they all deserve the support of the entire fashion community. Noel Llave's white trendy and avant gardish collection
So how does that affect the PFW? ....the fashion week needs a ‘fashion critic’ board who can properly place the Pinoy collections in context, in this country, right now and tell it like it is. And sometimes just say ‘No!’ There are designers here who will benefit more from a critical review than a compliment. They need someone to say ‘No…don’t do that’. Don’t send that out. No, edit the collection better. No, those shoes are all wrong…you don’t need the huge handbag. The ruffle is unnecessary. The fabric is being tortured…. Stop! The stylists brought in have made huge contributions, but they can only take it so far. The designers need counsel and advice long before PFW. ‘No’ is just not a word used often enough here, to help the designers. Philip Tampus' uber luxe wine red ruffled Gown with seamless BodicePHOTO CREDITS: STYLEBIBLE.PH
Michael Cinco's Madame Butterfly Collection Every year, the Philippine Fashion Week puts us in a existential dilemma – is there life after fashion? Is there life in fashion. Especially our new crop of NextGen fashion designers, who were participating the event in full force, are now besieged by the truth behind cutting edges and shimmering satin duchess. In one week, we have read more than we possibly could about the high spirited Philippine fashion, written with a new found delicacy for words such as embellishments, craftsmanship, sensibility, pinoy oeuvre…. Fair enough. Oscar V. Go- showing off a bright future in his contemporary slim silhouette
We are all developing and honing skills that will allow us to explain fashion’s ‘pinoy-sensibility’ to a world looking at us with renewed zest. But this year both designers and writers grappled and grappled hard to tell their own story. Philippine Fashion Week after several years, emerged as the new Mecca of designs and arts showcase of Filipino talents and a fashion run of veterans as well as the neophytes in the fashion industry. John Herrera's controlled elegance in Beige Gown
Living up to its cultural heritage and blending the modern with the traditional, the Filipino fashion designers are waiting to be noticed by the glamoratti. PFW 2010 ferrets out the designers behind the most compelling collections and unearths an artistic haven of design and aesthetic excellence. But as the drama of the week-long event unfolded, the participating designers struggled to find an individualistic voice. Where the designers were concerned, there was more drama on the ramp than there is in a spring carnival. Where in some, the theatricality of a ramp show worked for their benefit, in others it was a simple cry for help. Leafing through all the fashion fodder that emerged out of Fashion Week, it’s interesting to see where mere terminology stopped and fashion rhetoric began. Cherry Samuya Veric's Turquoise ruffled Gown in naked bodice with appliques
There were big (and unfounded) accusations thrown in the air by people who were armed with little less than the information from international shows. So we saw some designers accused of ripping off Alexander McQueen, a spectator declared, "I am not here to watch a McQueen rip-off!!!". Kermit Tesoro's Avant Garde Collection
Unless a conscious effort is made and constructive criticism is employed, the media’s important role to help develop an entire industry and take it to global levels will be undermined. To sustain the interest levels and ensure continuous participation from local and international Filipino designers, participants need to fast forward to the future rather than play catch-up, observed some style critics from the industry. Benjie Pascual: Shimmering Black Gown with voluminous cape collar
Several years of good performances is a good juncture for the major events at the Philippine Fashion Week (PFW) to deliberate on how to build on to a more strong agenda, a foundation of designers,buyers, media – all need to collectively decide on the path forward so that this event, which is organised to world class standards, will become an important fixture in the global fashion calendar. Kaye Morales Book leaf magenta ensemble with embroidered tapes on the bodice
The only disturbing aspect has been the ongoing economic crunch, other than that major obstacle, the Filipino designers unique talents attract attentions. Ronaldo Arnaldo's Trendy Chic
Great effort and support for the fashion week is needed to develop an entire fashion industry and take it to global levels. There are so many talented designers showing here and a promising crop of GenNext and Emerging Designers. Nicky Martinez in Black slim gown with tribal embroidery matched with hanging beads on shoulder
They have given Philippine Fashion Week 2010 a boost and they all deserve the support of the entire fashion community. Noel Llave's white trendy and avant gardish collection
So how does that affect the PFW? ....the fashion week needs a ‘fashion critic’ board who can properly place the Pinoy collections in context, in this country, right now and tell it like it is. And sometimes just say ‘No!’ There are designers here who will benefit more from a critical review than a compliment. They need someone to say ‘No…don’t do that’. Don’t send that out. No, edit the collection better. No, those shoes are all wrong…you don’t need the huge handbag. The ruffle is unnecessary. The fabric is being tortured…. Stop! The stylists brought in have made huge contributions, but they can only take it so far. The designers need counsel and advice long before PFW. ‘No’ is just not a word used often enough here, to help the designers. Philip Tampus' uber luxe wine red ruffled Gown with seamless BodicePHOTO CREDITS: STYLEBIBLE.PH
