Mother’s Day Out
My martyr of a mom was about to turn 70, and I had to think of something quick and grand for her birthday. What could I give someone who’s responsible for my very existence? If not for her I’d be nothing, not even half of none. My mother Elena is a woman who’s always beautiful in both bliss and struggle. Sad, sinister events have snaked through our relationship, but there were happier times. We listened to the Beatles on an apple-green transistor radio; she bought me stickers, chocolate pretzels and Funny Comics; and when she heard other moms bragging about their kids’ excellent grades (while yours truly got lots of blood-red marks), my mom retorted, “But my son makes the best Dracula drawings in class.” Laughter from the other mouths.
Come to think of it, I still am that same kid sketching the damned and the undead, but my mother has found more calm and comfort these days. Free from the salt mines, more days in the garden. Happy with the way her orchids and daisies are growing, but happier with how her children turned out — her more demanding plants. And nowadays, we have family gatherings with lots of karaoke; late-night talks at the condo with coffee and donuts; and humble feasts featuring my mom’s favorite Filipino dishes.
So for her birthday, I thought of throwing a party somewhere where she enjoys the food. I was prepared to sell my stereo (well, if anyone at all was interested in an analog anachronism). I wouldn’t think twice about it — or even once. Good thing I didn’t need to resort to that. I found out that by using my Citibank card I could get discounts on different merchants and restaurants such as Dencio’s, which is one of my mom’s favorites. A great credit card surely comes in handy during a time like this.
Jeanette Ng Lim, Citibank public relations and communications vice president, said the company offers Citibank World Privileges. “It is a discount program which is not just about getting discounts every time our cardholders pay the bill. We find out where they like to go and where they can get the biggest value,” she explained.
The Citibank list of mechants is all-encompassing as it is constantly evolving. Lim added, “Mayroong pang-families, pang-couples and pang-singles.”
At Dencio’s, Citibank offers more than just the usual 10-percent discount. Citibank cardholders get a free platter of bangus sisig for a minimum purchase of P500. Lim said, “The Citibank card is like a credit card and a privilege card rolled into one.”
For my mother’s birthday bash for 10 people at Dencio’s Greenhills, we ordered pinakbet, sari-saring sinugba (a must-try barbecue platter), kare-kare, crispy pata, talong chips (so damn good), baked tahong and bangus sisig, among other popular Pinoy dishes.
Dencio’s marketing services coordinator Katrina Ann Cruz said, “We want to promote Dencio’s as an all-around place for families and friends.”
The restaurant serves beef adobo flakes, daing na bangus, beef tapa tips, Lukban longganisa, and Vigan longganisa — with garlic rice and sunny-side-up eggs. After having a night out with friends, you could go back to Dencio’s to have breakfast before going to work. I guess you could call it “from cocktails to coffee.”
Oh, when the vocalists of the band playing at Dencio’s that night greeted my mother a happy birthday, she gave a smile I haven’t seen in years. An expression that could light up the whole world for all eternity.
Despite my waywardly wasted ways, I think I finally did something good.
Ice Vodka Bar
For my girlfriend Becca’s birthday, we watched The Cure in a three-hour gig (more of that in a future article), had dinners and drinks at Knutsford Terraces, tested guitars and basses at Tom Lee’s, and purchased CDs and DVDs (Black Books, Extras, Scanners, etc.) at HMV with our Citibank cards. When we got back to Manila, we invited our close friends — artist Rom Villaseran, sculptor Nina Laurel and guitarist Hans Gutierrez — for dinner and drinks at Ice Vodka Bar in Greenbelt.
Ice Vodka Bar was put up in October 2002 by golfers and vodka lovers Choy Cojuangco, Ding Martinez, Benjie Cabrera, and couple Raffy and Gia Suarez. The bar carries around 30 different vodka brands: from Absolut, Artic and Stolichnaya, to the premium ones which may be a bit pricey, but worth every peso since you can only find them in Manila at Ice Vodka Bar.
“The premium vodkas have been distilled so many times to make all the impurities disappear, that’s why they’re colorless — like water for Russians,” explained managing partner Gia Suarez. “And it’s not just the drink that makes vodka special, it’s also the bottle.”
She proudly showed us her cache of vodka bottles by Russian, Dutch, Swedish and French brands such as Grey Goose (one of Ice Vodka Bar’s bestsellers), Cîroc, Krolewska, Chopin, Belvedere, Van Gogh (with Vincent’s paintings adorning the vodka bottles), Mezzaluna (designed by the same guy who designs Ferrari cars) and — easily the fairest of them all — Red Army (designed to look like a bullet).
“When people order premium vodka, we put it in a bucket made of ice complete with shot glasses also made of ice,” Suarez said. Even the bar has an ice strip where you can stick your beer or alcopop bottle so that it remains ice cold. Beer, Smirnoff Ice, Vodka Ice are also served in pewter mugs. Ice-cold drinks with a kick at this joint always.
“That’s the best way to drink it,” enthused Suarez, whose favorite is a vodkatini called Absolut Ecstacy, an original Ice Vodka Bar concoction. “We also have a cool vodka shooter with tomato juice and oysters, as well as chocolate-flavored vodka”
What dish goes well with vodka? According to Suarez, it’s a pizza with almonds and caviar for a totally Russian experience. There are also must-haves, like the Italian sausage cooked in white wine (yum!), the four-cheese pizza (Ma’am Millet and Kathy would love it), and the salpicao with just the right spiciness — the best I’ve ever tasted in my life. Citibank cardholders get a free beef salpicao dish for a minimum purchase of P1,000. The promo lasts until December of this year.
The good people at Ice Vodka Bar headed by Suarez made sure we had great drinks and equally great food. Rom and Nina loved the Tricky Trecks Flirtini, seafood pasta, the fish ‘n’ chips, and the shrimp cocktail that comes in a bowl made of ice. Hans loved the female customers dancing on ledges (naughty, naughty), and of course the premium vodkas, as well as the Guinness, Corona and originals by Ice Vodka Bar named after former managers and bartenders. Becca loved the Absolut Ecstacy with a sprinkling of apples and Midori melon liqueur, as well as the Magic chicken wings — well, everything about Ice Vodka Bar.
I pestered STAR photographer Ber Bayot into trying the Flaming Sambuca, which is part of an interesting ritual: the waitress sets the drink with aromatic coffee beans on fire, douses the flame and then serves it. Ber bravely quaffed it down and sipped the lingering alcohol fumes with a plastic straw.
Now, that was cool.
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Citibank World Privileges offers a wealth of exclusive offers like discounts, complimentary gifts, upgrades and a wide range of exciting rewards to Citibank cardholders. Exceptional services and superior benefits await our cardholders in over 1,000 merchants locally and in over 17,000 merchants across Asia Pacific and the world, through Citibank’s comprehensive local, regional and global knowledge and partnerships.
Ice Vodka Bar is on the third floor of Greenbelt 3. For information, call 757-4472 and 7574473, or e-mail icevodkabar@pacific.net.ph.
Special thanks to Jeanette Lim and Gia Suarez.