Dining In/Out (09/12/24)

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Mooncakes and cocktails at The Pen

GUESTS can indulge in Hong Kong mooncakes and Japanese cocktails at The Peninsula Manila — not at the same time, unless they want to that is. Guests can experience Tokyo’s elite cocktail culture when The SG Club — one of Japan’s most celebrated bars and landing at No. 23 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list for 2024 — takes over The Bar this coming Friday, Sept. 13, from 8 p.m. to midnight. Meanwhile, in time for the Mid-Autumn festivities, Peninsula mooncakes have been flown in from Hong Kong especially for the occasion and are available exclusively at The Peninsula Boutique and The Lobby for a very limited time. Says The Peninsula Food and Beverage Director Katsuma Tokitsu, “This year, we are thrilled to introduce two new mooncake flavors — the Mini Red Bean Paste Mooncakes and Mini Chocolate Egg Custard Mooncakes. We have taken the time to experiment and perfect the ingredients, ensuring that each bite offers a harmonious blend of flavors. These will be exciting new additions to this year’s celebration.” Peninsula mooncake aficionados can still enjoy classics like Mini Lotus Seed Paste with Egg Yolk Mooncakes and Mini Egg Custard Mooncakes. Also available are boxes of assorted mooncakes. The mooncake prices range from P3,888 (for four pieces) to P4,888 (for six pieces) and P5,888 (for eight pieces). For inquiries and orders for Peninsula mooncakes, call 8887-2888 (ext. 6694 for Restaurant Reservations and 6769/ 6771 for The Peninsula Boutique).

Mid-Autumn treats at City of Dreams

THE City of Dreams Manila presents Mid-Autumn Festival specialties until Sept. 17. Crystal Dragon, which specializes in Cantonese cuisine and regional Chinese specialties, offers the season’s flavors in the Mid-Autumn special a la carte menu which is available for lunch and dinner. The menu consists of: Steamed Hokkaido Scallop and Vermicelli in ginger scallion sauce; Double-boiled Pork Rib Soup with abalone, lotus seed and lion’s mane mushroom; Jasmine Tea-smoked Crispy Roasted Duck; Tiger Prawn tossed in spiced pumpkin curry sauce; and Wok-fried Fragrant Taro Rice with slow-braised 13-spiced pork belly. As partaking of mooncakes is a time-honored tradition during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Crystal Dragon is also highlighting its signature Snow Skin Mooncake, served in a trio of flavors that combine tradition and creative renditions: Lotus paste with salted yolk, Purple ube with salted yolk, and Red bean. Crystal Dragon is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For inquiries and reservations, call 8800-8080 or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila.com. For more information, visit www.cityofdreamsmanila.com.

More mooncakes at Manila Hotel

IN CELEBRATION of the Mid-Autumn Festival, The Manila Hotel offers an array of gourmet mooncakes, available at Red Jade and the Delicatessen from Sept. 1 to 30. This year’s selection showcases a range of flavors such as Single yolk red bean, Single yolk red bean with orange peel, Single yolk pure white lotus, Milk golden sand, Red dates, Mung bean, and Rose paste. Solo boxes are priced at P388 each, while the silk brocade box of four mooncakes is available for P2,288. For bulk orders, discounts are available from Sept. 1 to 30. Enjoy a 10% discount on orders of five to 10 boxes, a 15% discount on orders of 11 to 15 boxes, and a 20% discount on orders of 16 boxes or more. Bulk order discounts apply only to the Mooncake Box of Four with the same flavor. For more information, call 8527-0011, 5301-5500, or +639989501912, or e-mail restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com.

Cocktails at Conrad

CONRAD MANILA spices up the C Lounge, the hotel’s contemporary lounge by the bay, with a bar takeover featuring award-winning mixologist Jay Gray. Mr. Gray is behind Sago House, ranked 15^th on Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2024. He started his career in the bar industry in London and eventually relocated to Singapore, where he co-founded award-winning cocktail bar Sago House. Done in collaboration with Dilmah, a world-renowned tea brand, Conrad Manila’s guests can try innovative tea-infused cocktails from Sept. 20 to 22. During this promo, guests can choose from a selection of tea-infused cocktails, such as Bright and Stormy, a concoction of chamomile and ginger soda, dark rum, lime, Angostura bitters, and honey; Jasmine Americano, a blend of green tea and Jasmine soda, sweet Vermouth, and Campari; and Breakfast Martini, a fusion of breakfast cordial, lemon and lime elixir, orange marmalade, lemon juice, and Aer. Other must-try’s are Gray’s signature creations called Peach Fuzz, made of peach elixir, lemon, gin, Cointreau, Aer; and Tie Tie Fizz, a mix of Tie Guan Yin soda, sweetened black tea elixir, and apple cordial. Guests will also get to chat with Mr. Gray and learn about the art of mixology. The cocktails’ prices start at P480++. Conrad Manila’s Bar Takeover featuring Jay Gray is exclusive at C Lounge on Sept. 20 to 21 (5 to 9 p.m.) and Sept. 22 (2 to 6 p.m). For more information, call 8833-9999, 0917-650-3747, or e-mail MNLMB.FB@ConradHotels.com.

Birthday cakes from Goldilocks

GOLDILOCKS’ line of premium cakes is meant for celebrating every occasion, but especially birthdays. Goldilocks suggests two cakes to give the feeling of extra love. The Mango Dream features three layers of chiffon cake filled with mango whipped cream and mango bits, topped with mango coulis. Then there is the Ube Dream, made with layers of ube (purple yam) chiffon infused with real halaya (ube jam) and ube mousse, topped with smooth ube cream icing and macapuno (coconut sport) jelly strings. Two more cakes for special days are the Coffee Layered Crunch and Choco Cherry Torte. The first has layers of brownies, whipped cream, mocha chiffon, and coffee mousse, crowned with cashew praline. The Choco Cherry Torte combines moist chocolate cake, strawberry cream, and maraschino cherries. Made especially for kids (but grown-ups can join in the fun too) is the Rainbow Magic Cake, with ube, strawberry, and vanilla flavors. It is made up of layers of vanilla and strawberry chiffon, filled with creamy ube and strawberry butter creme, then topped with vanilla icing. Order the cakes via GrabFood and Foodpanda or through www.goldilocksdelivery.ph.