Salon de Ning opens in Manila

I was just in Salon de Ning in the Peninsula Hong Kong sipping its signature cocktail a few days before its scheduled opening in Manila. I thought the place was beautiful and was hoping that its branch in Manila would look the same or even nicer. Salon de Ning opened first in the Peninsula New York followed by Hong Kong and Shanghai. The branch in Manila is the fourth in the world.

The grand opening of the Manila branch extended to the Lobby of the Peninsula Manila as guests feasted on caviar, salmon roe, French oysters, foie gras terrine with port wine on brioche, mille-feuille of blue cheese in walnut bread, quick-seared tuna with watermelon, Peking duck tartlets with plum sauce and panko-crumbled pork adobo. The overflowing bar consisted of magnums of specially bottled Salon de Ning Champagne Rosé Brut, Moët & Chandon Rosé and the delicious signature “Ning Sling” cocktail.

The Lobby was transformed into a lavender- and pink-washed dance hall with show girls in white plumes, chanteuses, crooners and the usual big band on the mezzanine level. Disembodied black-gloved hands offering pink bubbly greeted me as I entered Salon de Ning, setting the tone for the expected decadent luxury that is Salon de Ning (formerly The Bar and Mi Piace). 

Salon de Ning is the Peninsula’s extravagantly unique combination of clubby lounge venue complete with a collection of travel mementoes and objets d’art reflecting the glamorous lifestyle of the fabled Madame Ning, a celebrated Shanghai socialite, world traveler and international hostess. Its entrance is reminiscent of a traditional Shanghainese stone gate house. The main lounge has a ceiling of inverted jeweled parasols. Surrounding the main lounge were four gorgeous rooms decorated with Madame Ning’s collection of objets and items displaying her various travels.

The first room is the Zeppelin Room, which is inspired by her long friendship with the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who pioneered the design of the first rigid airships in the world. The Boxing Room is a shrine to 1937 World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis, whose boxing robe is displayed in a corner, and Filipino pugilist from the same era Ceferino Garcia. The third room, the Shoe Room, which has a collection of over a hundred boots, stilettos and sandals, is her homage to shoemakers who transform ordinary footwear into wearable works of art. The Shanghai Room is a recreation of her 1930s mansion with dark wood interiors, oriental rugs, Art Deco touches and sepia photographs on the walls.

Madame Ning was said to have become a little bored with her existence so she traveled the world as she yearned for excitement. Pieces she got from her trips such as Bangkok, Marrakech, Paris, Egypt, Cambodia, Calgary, Japan, Zurich and Shanghai are now adorned in the rooms of the four Salon de Nings worldwide. Salon de Ning Manila’s eclectic and whimsical interior is indeed something to see. I was quite happy that the Salon de Ning on the ground floor of the Peninsula Manila is actually bigger than the one in the basement of the Peninsula Hong Kong. Madame Ning once said, “To live in comfort with one’s friends, one must be free to entertain and to be entertained…” 

With Salon de Ning’s opening in Manila, Madame Ning’s words have come to life anew.

Merry Christmas to everyone!