MANILA, Philippines — As the holiday season draws near and the year comes to an end, people are making plans to recharge and reconnect with their loved ones in more meaningful ways.
To create more priceless experiences with loved ones, Mastercard recently unveiled a suite of exclusive privileges through its World and World Elite cards, designed to provide affluent consumers everywhere, including the Philippines, with elevated experiences across well-loved merchants in travel, shopping, food, and health and wellness to complement their lifestyles at home and away.
These include complimentary one-year membership to personalized digital health and fitness program Centr: By Chris Hemsworth; complimentary unlimited Doctor Chat, Teleconsultation and medicine delivery; 12% off on hotels booked through Agoda; 5% off for tours booked through Klook; travel and concierge services such as global data roaming, airport concierge and destination limousine rides; up to 50% discount on green fees at 42 premium golf clubs all over Asia; Mastercard ID Theft Protection; purchase protection and travel insurance of up to $US20,000 and $US500,000; and annual premium e-Commerce Protection of up to $1,000, when they shop or pay online when traveling, especially during the holiday rush.
To mark the occasion, an exclusive gastronomic adventure, inspired by journeys from around the world was held at Gallery by Chele — specially curated by renowned Spanish-born chef Chele Gonzalez and wines handpicked by Kevin Charuel, sommelier and co-founder of The Tasting Club Manila.
“When you say Christmas, it’s just always the Christmas colors,” restaurateur Happy Ongpauco-Tiu shared to Philstar.com the theme behind the table setup she designed for Mastercard’s “Around the World” dinner.
“And because this is sort of (a) global inspiration as well, I used accessories from different countries, so my plate liners are from Bangkok, my lamps are from America and then my candleholders are from India.”
Instead of following trends, she advised those into beautifying their holiday tables to stick to the classics.
“My favorite Christmas décor to do for my tablescape, don’t throw away your Christmas tree décor,” she suggested.
“Because even if they have scratches, you can use them on your tablescape. If there are scratches, then just use pentel pen to cover the red scratch or the blue scratch. Then you can lay it on the center table then add flowers or some greens just to make it bountiful and you have a Christmas-themed table!”
Through the dinner, Chef Chele brought guests on an epicurean tour – from Cerviche of Peru with a surprising tomato sorbet; to Oyster Omelet of Singapore, Lobster dish of France, Mackerel and Asparagus Risotto of Italy with an uncanny mix of parmesan, squid and challots; Txuleta of Spain, and of course, to his unexpected twists to Filipino desserts – Mango MNL with coconut and lemon balm, and Bibingka Cheesecake Petit Fours.
Sweet wines, made from naturally fermented different grape varieties, go best with Filipino food, said Charuel, who paired the dishes with sweet, red and white wines and rosé from South Africa, France, Spain and Hungary.
Gothic Christmas inspiration
In celebration of the release of the movie “The School for Good and Evil,” Netflix Philippines recently held the “Ever Never Halloween Ball” by splitting the ballroom of Enderun in Taguig City into two: a light one for the “Evers” (those representing good), and a dark one for the “Nevers” (those in the evil side). Hosting the opposing sides were two Janinas: YouTube sensation Janina Vela for the Evers, and TV host Janeena Chan for the Nevers.
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