Gastronomic delights in the Citi

It was a culinary journey through the world in Singapore and one card — Citi — brought them all at the center of culinary action.

A celebration of gourmet pleasures for food lovers, the World Gourmet Summit held in Singapore saw the gathering of some of the world’s top chefs and Citi cardholders.

With the theme Constellation of Stars, this year’s World Gourmet Summit was truly a star-studded gathering of over a dozen master chefs from all over the world joined by Singapore’s very own culinary stars. For two weeks, Singapore’s top restaurants also prepared special menus for this event, with major discounts offered to Citi cardholders.

Through the Citibank World Privileges program, Citi provides its cardholders a borderless program with the best deals in the Asia Pacific Region, with over 5,000 offers in more than five countries. The privileges span from shopping, health and wellness, and travel and entertainment.

Cardholders also enjoy exclusive access to the best dining deals in the region. Citi cards issued in the Philippines get the same preferential treatment in Singapore through its Gourmet Pleasures program as well as in all the other participating countries in the region. As the presenting partner of the World Gourmet Summit, Citibank welcomed a constellation of culinary stars and cardholders enjoyed up to 15 percent off on event bookings.

Citi brought journalists from the Philippines, hosted by Citibank Philippines cards business director Bea Teh-Tan, Citi vice president Alma Gruenberg and customer franchise director Cecille Fonacier.

With a lineup of palate-pleasing delights plus a host of exclusive treats, Singapore definitely became the destination to be for regional journalists and Citi cardholders alike.

Teh-Tan says, “This highly exclusive event is just the kind of experience we want to offer to our clients. As the world’s most preferred credit card, Citi is committed to providing only the best products and services that would absolutely delight our cardholders. We are never content unless we can raise the bar and open new rewarding possibilities for our customers.”

Fonacier adds, “At Citi, our global footprint presents us with the unique advantage to leverage on our scale and deliver real value to our customers. We have an unrivaled product suite that lets them experience the most exclusive privileges that fit their lifestyle and growing sophisticated tastes. One great example is the Citi Gourmet Pleasures Program, which lets our cardholders enjoy exclusive access to the best dining deals in the region plus exclusive entry to prestigious culinary events like the World Gourmet Summit.”

Our first dinner was at the Jumbo Seafood @ Dempsey. Its signature dishes, the Chili Crab and Black Pepper King Crab, were a delectable experience indeed. I couldn’t pass off getting the prawns with salted egg, which was simply delightful. Citi cardholders who dine at the restaurant got special treatment as they get to avail a 10-percent discount on their total food bill using their Citi card.

At the Miele Gallery, we had the chance to be up close and personal with celebrity chef Greg Doyle and his executive chef Grant King, both of Australia’s well-known and critically-acclaimed restaurant Pier. Chef Greg Doyle is one of Australia’s most talented and innovative chefs who was awarded Restaurateur of the Year in 2007. Pier was awarded with the Seafood Restaurant of the Year at the National Restaurant and Catering Awards. New Zealand-born chef Grant King has played an instrumental role in helping Pier acquire the status of Three Chefs Hats in The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide since 2006 as well as the Three Stars in The Gourmet Traveller’s 2007 Australian Restaurant Guide.

Both chefs demonstrated and served us carpaccio of coral trout, tomato consommé and lime gel for appetizer; pot-roasted lobster with chili, oyster sauce, kaffir lime and Thai basil for the main course; and passion fruit soufflé, passion fruit sauce and Tahitian vanilla bean cream for dessert. With matching wines per course, I had quite a wonderful lunch. Citi cardholders also got 10 percent off for the satisfying lunch with two of the world’s greatest chefs.

We were then taken on a champagne ride at the Singapore Flyer, where we saw Singapore’s remarkable skyline while savoring Moët & Chandon Champagne on this 30-minute ride. Capping this off was a complimentary VIP Lounge Access where guests had the chance to relax after the flight. All these were made possible for cardholders using their Citi cards, which allowed them to enjoy a 25-percent discount on the Singapore Flyer.

Another gastronomic highlight during the summit was dinner at The White Rabbit. Housed in a beautifully-restored old non-denominational church, The White Rabbit is known for incorporating a modern twist on classic European cuisine. Chef Daniel Sia’s fixed menu for the night was inspired by the four seasons. Spring was a mosaic of maine lobster, salmon and kingfish, and shaved vegetables in lime dressing; Summer offered variations of asparagus, ouefs molleux, morels and vinaigrette; Autumn presented chargrilled smoked entrecote, braised oxtail papillotte in spiced red wine sauce; and Winter brought a sweet concoction of dark chocolates, coconut and rum. Citi cardholders indeed had the time of their lives here as they were entitled to a 10-percent discount on their total food bill.

With just their Citi cards as exclusive ticket, cardholders hopped from one restaurant to the next to experience the best from the culinary world at the World Gourmet Summit. Remember, even Philippine-issued cards get the same preferential treatment and the best dining deals, presenting an irresistible spread of dine-for-free specials, complimentary treats and yearlong offers at over 1,000 locations.

The good news is that Citi cardholders in the Philippines will soon experience the same pleasurable dining experience with the upcoming launch of the Gourmet Pleasures program here. Expect all the best dining establishments in the metro offering exclusive dining deals and exciting discounts for your dining pleasure.

(For more information on Citi Gourmet Pleasures, call the 24-hour CitiPhone at 995-9999 or visit www.citibank.com.ph.)

Sax on a boat

It was exciting to see a bunch of music lovers jam together. Picture cool wind in your hair, calm waters, the backdrop is the orange sky in sunset, cruising to the music of the ‘70s... with Bongbong Marcos playing the saxophone!

Bongbong was forced to resurrect his good ol’ sax he last played more than 30 years ago. Apologizing for his performance to the professional musicians, guests, crew and waiters on the boat before and after he played, Bongbong got a thumbs up and was in fact pretty good! Other musicians on board included jazz pianist Romy Posadas, Jonathan Velasco, Arthur Manuntag, Romy San Jose, Dona Punsalan, soprano Tricia Jimenez, Paolo Peralta and Sarah Gaugler from Turbogoth and Marc Abaya of Kjwan.

Dingdong Eduque encouraged the reluctant sax player to keep jamming. Bongbong played the intro of Labuyo’s Tuloy Pa Rin Ako, now his campaign song, while the song’s original singer, Mon Espia, took the lead vocals. Dingdong and Bongbong joined in the chorus.

Everyone joined in and sang along “tuloy tuloy tuloy tuloy tuloy pa rin ako...” (You’re singing it now, aren’t you?)