‘The Sensational Painter’

A collection of limited edition designer toys called The Sensational Painter done by artist Jason Montinola was recently released by Secret Fresh, the leading artist vinyl toy shop in the Philippines. The artwork was based on Montinola’s painting titled Number 49: The Sensational Painter. It is the 49th portrait in a series he calls Numerals, an interpretation of his life, visions, beliefs and the observations he has in the environment he is in.

Number 49: The Sensational Painter is an unknown portrait inside an armor, wearing a broken mask used from an old theater play. The meaning of the painting eludes even Montinola himself for he says that it is enshrouded in the portrait itself —  a mystery that refuses to share its innermost secrets, and yet looks squarely upon those who admire the artwork.

Montinola had 35 limited edition designer toys and 10 custom-made toys displayed for this event. He also had four paintings on display and every single piece was sold. This event proved that there is quite a cult following of designer toy collections made by Filipino artists. 

Bigboy Cheng of Secret Fresh plans to release more limited edition and custom-made designer toys following the success (and all sold-out editions) of Montinola and other toys by Filipino artists including Mark Justiniani, Elmer Borlongan, Joy Mallari, Lynyrd Paras, Christian Tamondong, Paulo Vinluan, Gene Paul Martin and Luis Lorenzana.

(Secret Fresh is located at the ground floor of Ronac Art Center, Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills, San Juan City. For inquiries, call 570-9815 local 7.

Visit www.freshmanila.blogspot.com or follow @freshmanila on Twitter.)

A night of vintage wines

There’s nothing better than having a sumptuous dinner served with an exquisite bottle of wine.

Wine Story, a specialty store that carries premium and rare vintages from major wine-producing countries, recently organized a special dinner event at its store in Serendra, Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City. The dinner gave wine-loving guests the opportunity to taste six vintages of Château Cos d’Estournel’s finest Second Grand Cru Classé along with Les Pagodes de Cos made with younger vine.

Charles Thomas, director of business development and brand ambassador for Château d’Estournel, highlighted how unique and dramatic each Cos vintage can be — a perfect match to the cocktails and four-course dinner by chef Cyrille Soenen. 

Guests sampled Goulée by Cos d’Estournel 2009, a claret made from a blend of 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 percent Merlot. Goulee was made by Cos d’Estournel’s Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier. The wines complemented food like tartine of sardines and vegetables; ragout of pork head paté and mushroom en bonbon; and cheese gougère, a baked savory pastry.

The amuse-bouche was shredded crab, parfait of guacamole and seaweed bread matched with the 2009 Les Pagodes de Cos 2009, a classic Cos that has a very sexy nose of Asian spices from the 50 percent new oak and huge density of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. The wine is made from 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 percent Merlot.

The 2003 Cos d’Estournel, characterized by a compelling perfume of black fruits, subtle smoke, pain grille, incense and flowers and an extraordinary richness, freshness, and elegance, was paired with marinated smoked salmon in red wine, goat cheese and pan-seared duck liver.  The 2002 Cos d’Estournel with a nose of graphite intermixed with black currant, spice box, licorice, and red and black fruits was served with crispy soft boiled egg with brioche, purée of assorted mushrooms, foam of lardons cream sauce and red wine sauce. The 1996 Cos d’Estournel was served with ravioli of Mayura Wagyu shank, roasted bone marrow, parsley garlic butter cream sauce, and beef broth; while the 1986 Cos d’Estournel was paired with the roasted duck breast, cabbage stuffed with duck leg cooked civet-style, beetroot marmalade and civet sauce.

 For a sweet ending, vanilla macarons, chocolate cannéles, berry tartelettes, and my all-time favorite Breton cake kouign-amann in original, chocolate and cinnamon flavors were served.

Thomas also shared some historical highlights of Château d’Estournel, a Grand Cru vineyard located in Saint-Estèphe. Cos d’Estournel wine, known for its lasting aging potential, got its name from its 19th-century owner, Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel.

Cos d’Estournel is typically a blend of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 38 percent Merlot and two percent Cabernet Franc. The full-bodied, tannic wines can develop a complexity and intensity that can rival many top growths from Pauillac. It is classified as a Second Growth, but powerful wine critic Robert Parker has rated it at par with the First Growths of Bordeaux.

(Wine Story stores are located at G/F Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City (633-3556);  Serendra, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City (846-6310); and  G/F One Rockwell West, Makati City

(869-0932). For more information, visit www.winestory.com.ph.) Snacktacular!

Long-time fans and snack lovers enjoyed the unique and fun-filled Oishi’s 40th anniversary celebration.

The two-day event, held at the Glorietta 2 Activity Center, gave guests the opportunity to snack in the most unique way through a series of activities. Fans were also able to meet their favorite “Team O” ambassadors like Slater Young, Ramon Bautista, Elmo Magalona, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.

Oishi lovers had the chance to be snack creators, choosing between various chip bases and flavors and designing their own packaging in the Make Your Own Snack booth. Guests had a selection of six different snack bases (like White Cheddar Prawn Crackers and Wasabi and Ketchup Veggie Chicharon) and up to 12 types of flavors to choose from.

Those in attendance were also introduced to the Oishi Oaties Milk drink, prepared as soft-serve ice cream at the O-Twirl booth. The soft-serve Oaties are even more enticing when topped with sweet Oishi snacks like Sponge Crunch and Pillows. Another popular activity done at the celebration was the SnackAttack, where guests were able to fill an oversized Oishi bag with Oishi snacks.

The event also highlighted surprise performances by “Team O.” Elmo Magalona engaged the guests with his energetic performance, which was followed by a duet by Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo.

David Blaine in Manila

Magician, illusionist and endurance artist David Blaine is set to cast a spell on Philippine audiences in a 90-minute live show on Sept. 12 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Blaine’s first ever show in the Philippines, dubbed Real or Magic, will feature tricks that have blown the minds of those who have seen videos of his “street magic” performances.

Blaine had a  TV special last year where he performed inexplicable tricks to the reported bewilderment of celebrities like Will Smith, Kanye West, Ricky Gervais, Katy Perry, and “a very freaked out” Harrison Ford.

Born in New York to Puerto Rican-Italian and Russian parents, Blaine became an overnight success at 24 with his street magic debut in 1997. He expanded his magical repertoire by featuring himself in a series of spectacularly staged death-defying endurance performances, some of which were inspired by his idol Harry Houdini. These endurance performances have seen Blaine sealed in a coffin-like box at the bottom of a three-ton tank of water for a week and standing unsecured on top of a 30-meter-high narrow pillar for 53 hours.

David Blaine Real or Magic Live in Manila is presented by Ovation Productions in cooperation with AXN, Air21, Makati Shangri-La, The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin, BusinessWorld, Philstar.com, Inquirer.net, Manila Concert Scene, Philippine Concerts, Wheninmanila, Rappler.com, SoundcheckManila, MYX, Crossover 105.1, 96.3 EasyRock, Retro 105.9, Monster Radio RX 93.1 and Mellow 94.7.

(For ticket information, visit www.ticketnet.com.ph or call 911-5555.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)