Treats at Tower Club

Tourism Secretary Dick Gordon loves to say just one word in his promotion of the Philippines: Wow! That same word came to me when I recently visited the Tower Club, the country’s premier, by-invitation-only business and social club.

You see, things are simply hopping and popping at the Tower Club. The club’s big-hearted general manager, Rupert Haarhoff, and membership director Cyndy Tan-Jarabata welcome and take excellent care of old and new members, while cooking up new activities to keep everybody happy.

First among Rupert’s fine ideas is a monthly wine tasting at the Baron’s Bar. Bets World Beverage Brands Inc. sponsored the first wine tasting, featuring Jacob’s Creek, Australia’s most successful wine brand, and Wyndham Estate. Premium cheeses complemented the wines.

Every night, a pianist at the bar soothes away members’ worries with light, classical music. The Tower Club also has ongoing sessions to revive one’s spirit and improve the body’s tone and flexibility. Take your pick from yoga or Pilates.

Best of all, the Tower Club’s Continental restaurant has come up with a deal that no other first-class food establishment in the metropolis can equal. Every Saturday night, a member who hosts a dinner group of at least four persons will get his own dinner for free. Come with a group and get two meals on the house, with a group of 12, you get three for free, and so on. Tonight, the Saturday Night Only Dinner Special, P795 per person, is available for any a la carte menu selection or for a set menu.

With happy hour at the Baron’s Bar from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, the club can easily be one’s venue for weekend unwinding. That deserves an even bigger wow!

* * * Chinese Art

Sylvia Tay Van Remoortele, the charming Singapore-born wife of Belgian Ambassador Ronald Van Remoortele, recently held her second exhibit in the Philippines at the Oakwood Premier in Makati. Gracing the affair were luminaries such as Ambassador designate to the United Nations in Geneva Josie Lichauco, Justice and Mrs. Quentin Doromal.

Sylvia studied traditional and modern Chinese brush painting in Beijing under a master artist. Her paintings depict simple but rich colorful images of nature.