See you at Cicou

I have known chef Cyrille Soenen since his days at Prince Albert at the InterCon. I almost always got excited with what new food concoction he’d whip up for me whenever I dropped by there. What he prepared was always innovative, simple, mouthwatering and tasty.

Now, the amiable French man and his wife Anna Ascalon Soenen have put up their own restaurant called Cicou (pronounced “see-sou”). My foodie friends dragged me there one night, wondering why I had never tried what one friend described as “the best French restaurant in Manila.” So my friends and I — we all adore food and would eat non-stop if we could (and sometimes we do) — headed to Cicou for dinner.

Anna and Cyrille welcomed us with open arms and not one but two amuse bouche (a small appetizer to tickle your palate). We had this thing where we’d order different stuff and try from each other’s plates for variety. In the menu were the typical French fare such as onion soup and foie gras... typical but authentic and simply divine!

An interesting dish was the soft boiled egg of free-range chicken with a creamy chicken and mushroom broth served with squash. Mixing all the flavors was something new to me. The serving was quite heavy so I really had to share it with someone even if the dish seems small. The roasted kurobuta pork tenderloin was one of my favorites; in this particular dish, the pork didn’t have to be cooked well done and its flavor was enhanced by mushroom and parsley foam. Another winner was the flavorful braised oxtail on mashed potatoes with just the right amount of herbs and wine. I could go non-stop with what was good about the food in this restaurant but to sum it up, everything was really good!

I ate like I never did before so when dessert time came, I already begged off. The great thing about Cicou is it has several new items in the menu every day, sometimes a special truffle and chanterelle festival, and the variety of desserts is quite awesome.

I am certainly looking forward to my next visit to this wonderful place. Try it for yourself, it certainly is worth the visit.

(Cicou is located at the ground floor of Hotel Celeste, 2 San Lorenzo Drive corner A. Arnaiz Avenue, Makati City. For reservations, please call 889-6728, 889-6733 or 0917-8858841.)

Eco-fashion at Ayala Malls

Greenology is Ayala Malls’ campaign to promote the love for our planet with a series of eco-conscious events and activities. Bringing together retailers and fashion designers, Ayala Malls, in partnership with Banco De Oro, presented the Limited Edition Green Line — an exclusive line of clothes and accessories made from eco-friendly materials.

The fashion event Earth Designs held at the Greenbelt 5 Zone showcased Bayo, Folded & Hung, Jurlique, Ana Rocha, Aranaz, Arnel Papa, Atelier Avatar, Barba, Michi Calica-Sotto and Emi Jorge of Bonne Bouche, Gaupo, Kate Torralba, Jun Escario, Randy Ortiz and Joel Escober of Myth, Paradi, Religioso and Victoria Marin’s trend-setting eco-friendly pieces which saw organic material transformed into outfits, bags, accessories and shoes.

Fusing innovative and rewarding experiences with an atmosphere fit for the green lifestyle, Ayala Malls have always been at the forefront of sustainable living as seen in their programs and their mall designs. One innovative green solution is the use of an Ice Thermal Storage air-conditioning system that makes ice at night while demand is low and uses the ice to cool the building the next day when demand is high. Complementing this is the green roof, which reduces the “heat gain” inside the building reducing the cooling load and saving on air-conditioning costs. The Ayala Malls’ Market! Market! has a vegetable garden using recycled materials at its rooftop. Another effort is the solid waste management program where garden waste is converted into compost through vermi composting. Shredded and pulverized dried residual wastes are converted into brick after mixed with cement, sand and water then these are used as paving blocks in the Ayala Center.

Certain proceeds from the eco-friendly bag sale went to the World Wildlife Fund.

Roll out the barrel for Oktoberfest 2009

Mandarin Oriental, Manila, in cooperation with the German Club of Manila, rolls out the barrel for the ninth year at the NBC Tent in Fort Bonifacio Global City for three grand days of Oktoberfest 2009. With the support of Lufthansa German Airlines, Lufthansa Technik, Swiss International Airlines, San Miguel, Lifestyle Network, The Philippine Star and the NBC Tent, the celebration lives up to the 199-year-old tradition of the world’s biggest outdoor festival staged in the Bavarian capital city of Munich.

The annual Oktoberfest in Munich unfolds over a two-week long merrymaking, where men and women from all walks of life converge in outdoor parks and massive tents whilst consuming copious amounts of beer, singing and cheering to the beat of the famous “oompapa” music played live by Bavarian bands. The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on Oct. 12, 1810 and ended on Oct. 17 with a horse race. In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and later the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September, allowing better weather conditions. But in Manila, we celebrate in October.

On Oct. 16 and 17, from 6 p.m. onwards, revel all night in the most authentic Oktoberfest celebration in the Philippines, featuring the world-famous German folk music of the Günther Friedmann Band, a German brass band flying in for the event. Go to the “beer tent” to indulge in free-flowing beer and a lavish buffet of delectable Bavarian specialties. A show of beer drinking feats awaits the men while yodeling competitions beckon the ladies. To raise funds for its various charities, the German Club will raffle off prizes such as two roundtrip Business Class tickets to Munich courtesy of Lufthansa German Airlines and Swiss International Airlines and various hotel and resort accommodations.

Because Oktoberfest is not only for beer lovers, the organizers also stage a fun and light-hearted family festivity on Oct. 18. Fun and games await the entire family at the beer tent with a hefty “freuhschoppen” brunch starting off the carnival-themed day that starts at 10:30 a.m. Adults and children alike can look forward to being entertained by balloon twisters, caricature artists, a puppet show, a magician and a yoyo artist, while sports enthusiasts can head straight to the Puma football games area.

Other sponsors include LR Health and Beauty Systems, Puma, M/Y Hans Christian Andersen, Asia Management Systems and Bosch.

(For more information, call 750-8888 extension 2401.)