Harlan + Holden hospitality

Fashion brand harlan + holden recently displayed its hospitable nature to visiting Tank (a quarterly UK magazine) chief executive and fashion director Caroline Issa and founder and editor-in-chief Masoud Golsorkhi when it hosted the two to a five-day trip to the Philippines.

Their Philippine visit began with a relaxing three-day holiday at one of the country’s most esteemed island resorts, Amanpulo in Palawan. Caroline and Masoud enjoyed the pristine beach. They also snorkeled, had massages and chilled out on a floating kawayan bar.

The highlight of their trip was the roundtable talks held at the Harlan Tent in Greenbelt 5, Makati City. The Harlan Tent was specially conceived to host discussions on branding amongst industry experts.

The panelists, divided between “traditional” and “digital,” included Pauline Juan, Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Pam Quiñones, Anna Canlas, Kim Jones, Rajo Laurel and Cecile van Straten. The audience was composed mainly of students from School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFa), De La Salle University-College of Saint Benilde, Slim’s Fashion & Arts School and the Fashion Institute of the Philippines.

Hosted by The Philippine STAR’s Tim Yap and led by guest-of-honor Caroline Issa, who is also the fashion director of the Tank Form consulting agency, the talks began with a presentation of Tank Form’s roster of services and clients such as Prada, Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood and Tod’s.

In the evening, an intimate dinner at Cirkulo in Makati City was held for harlan + holden’s partners and friends, who were warmly welcomed by host Malu Gamboa. Guests were greeted with cochinillo and champagne upon arrival, and house favorites such as slow-roasted US beef belly and varieties of paella followed.

The highlight of the evening was when Tim spontaneously hailed a jeepney on Pasay Road and Caroline and Masoud quickly hopped in. Other guests quickly joined in the fun. Rajo stepped up and gave an impromptu “cultural” tour of the metro.

Caroline and Masoud saw their last day in Manila with press interviews, followed by some cultural sightseeing, showroom visits, last-minute shopping and the signature salon visit.

Filipinos have once more come together to show Caroline and Masoud what Filipino hospitality is all about.

A night of fine wine

Wine enthusiasts came in full force for the Ornellaia wine-pairing dinner at Solaire’s Italian restaurant, Finestra.

Senior beverage manager Daniel Blais and executive chef Salvatorre de Vincentis prepared a wonderful six-course dinner for the event.

The restaurant was packed that night for the highly anticipated dinner. For starter, jet-fresh burrata cheese and 30-month-old Parma ham from Italy were served with Le Volte dell’Ornellaia 2013. A 24-hour braised lamb ravioli with Parmigiano-Reggianno cream sauce followed, paired with Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2012. Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia 2006 brought out the wonderful flavors of the brick-oven Chilean sea bass fillet served with wild mushroom risotto and truffles.

The USDA striploin with olive sauce and gorgonzola polenta was perfectly paired with Ornellaia 2012 DOC Bolgheri Superiore.  It was followed by Pecorino Romano and gorgonzola cheese with homemade grape chutney. Ornellaia 2006 DOC Bolgheri Superiore came right before the dessert, which was a chocolate and hazelnut mosaic with macerated berries and fragrant honey gelato.

Ornellaia wine produces limited quantities in Tuscany to ensure maximum quality with attention to every detail such as selective harvesting, microvinification and aging.

Ornellaia Asia-Pacific export area manager Patrick Lachapelle flew in for the dinner and gave a brief introduction of the wines served that night. It was truly an extraordinary wine-pairing dinner. (Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)