Holiday Bulletin board

Make Christmas wickedly good!

 MANILA, Philippines - Wicked’s array of sugary and chocolatey confections are sure to put the ones on your gift list on a sugar high this Yuletide season. Choose from different mainstay barks: nutty dark chocolate mallows and pecan, milk chocolate mallows pecan, and the gooey smores in dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. 

For a touch of whimsy, there’s dark chocolate with crushed candy cane and almond cranberry in white chocolate, which come in a 450g glass jar.

Other sweet options include trail mix cookies, peppermint bark, chocolate almond potato chips, chocolate almond pretzels. 

Wicked is at the 5th level, East Wing, Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong City. For information, like the Facebook page wickedbycravings.

Festival of colors in Pan de Manila paper bags

This year, Pan de Manila Christmas bags will feature a lively tapestry by Filipina artist Jovan Benito. Her work, “Makulay, Makabuluhan at Makasaysayan ang Pasko sa Pan de Manila” depicts vibrant rural holiday scenes and quaint glimpses from the artist’s childhood memories.  

Pan de Manila’s yearly holiday campaign promotes and supports homegrown talents. Encouraging art appreciation at a more contemporary and unconventional approach, Pan de Manila is proud to spread awareness of fine Filipino artistry.    

Visit your neighborhood Pan de Manila in convenient locations outside shopping malls all over Metro Manila, Luzon, Cebu and Iloilo. For inquiries, call 636-0468.

Celebrate the holidays with Cravings 

 Ideal for lunch, dinner and large catering functions, My Holiday Cravings is guaranteed to fit whatever Christmas bash you have in mind. Whether looking for best-tasting, value-for-money party food or planning a sumptuous feast, pampering taste buds is made enticing and hassle-free with the holiday menu’s variety of dishes and set meal packages, starting with the savory bundles good for 10-12 persons, which include salads; main courses like roast beef, chicken cordon bleu, and lengua estofado; mashed potatoes and season vegetables; pasta; dessert, and more.

Cater trays, good for 10-12, are also available for take away or delivery. Specialties include roast beef with mushroom sauce, roast turkey stuffed with chorizo and chestnut filling, and more. 

A bevy of holiday desserts such as cakes, cookies, and barks are also available at the Cravings Bakeshop. Cravings has also prepared a lot of fantastic food gifts like bottled deli Items and hampers.

For inquiries visit or call any of the following Cravings branches: Cravings Center in Katipunan (441-6529); Shangri-La Plaza Mall (635-6087); Fraser Place Hotel, Makati (815-4269); and Molito Lifestyle Bldg. in Alabang (556-0927).

Have a merry feast at Lucia Ristorante

 This year, gather everyone at Lucia Ristorante, as it brings cheer to all with its elegant Italian-inspired menu offerings, the Festa Di Natale (Christmas Feast), a selection of Lucia’s best-sellers, available until Jan. 15. 

For couples looking to enjoy an intimate Christmas Eve dinner date, Lucia offers “perfect for two” choices available for dine in and take out. Give a modern Italian twist to the traditional noche buena with a spread of superb set dishes good for 10 to 15 persons.

Lucia Ristorante also has a range of well-crafted cocktails as well as an extensive selection of fine Italian wines.

Lucia Ristorante is located at Hotel Celeste, 02 San Lorenzo Drive corner A. Arnaiz Avenue, San Lorenzo Village, Makati City. Call 887-8080 and 836-0023 for reservations.

Christmas combo magnifico at Gumbo

No time to prepare for your get-together with family and loved ones?  Relax, just go out and dine in at any Gumbo restaurants located at the 2nd level, Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia; 2nd level, The Block, SM City North Edsa; 3rd level, Robinsons Place Manila Midtown; 2nd level, Atrium Bldg., SM Megamall; Gateway Mall Araneta Center; and Robinsons Magnolia. 

You should not miss Gumbo Christmas offering  “Combo Magnifico” which includes chicken and cheese melt fries, shrimp aglio olio and cajun fried chicken, plus 1 liter of Coke, good for five persons. Also available for take out, complete with cutlery and napkins for fuss-free parties.

For inquiries, call 556-0238 or 635-3015.

C2 Classic Cuisine salo-salo sets

C2 Classic Cuisine has created three different set meals fit for every type of budget and can be shared between 4 to 5 people. Dubbed “Pamaskong Hapag”, these will surely delight long-time diners who know of the restaurant’s classic Filipino dishes with a twist and those who have yet to experience the unique dining experience that C2 Classic Cuisine can offer.

Salo Salo 1 is a festive sight on the dining table with the sumpia (C2’s lumpiang hubad), beef mechado, binusog na bangus, fiesta rice and leche flan. Diners can enjoy a medley of robust flavors with Salo Salo 2: C2’s crispy kare-kare, seared tilapia with coconut emulsion, pansit puti, garlic rice and sesame palitaw. Meanwhile, Salo Salo 3 features the sumpia and classic favorites seafood inasal, crispy pata and bam-i served with garlic rice and leche flan.

Visit C2 Classic Cuisine’s branches at 6/F Shangri-La Mall, Robinsons Place Manila, Greenhills and Lakefront Wharf.

Marvelous Christmas

at Burgoo

Burgoo is now offering free delivery at its Tomas Morato and Rockwell outlets. Just call 927-7396 or 898-1815 and you can have your favorite Burgoo dishes, supreme pizzas and pastas and luscious desserts, among others in an instant and without the fuss. You can also order them for take out in other branches.

This Christmas season, “Burgoo Marvelous Combo” is highly recommended with extra supreme nachos; country-style fried chicken with rice pilaf and potato wedges or any two side dishes of your choice; tomato-basil spaghetti with special garlic bread; and 1 liter of Coca-Cola. 

For reservations, call 6875565 or 7264663.

Home for the holidays at Pancake House 

 For the holiday season, Pancake House is bringing back your favorite Classic Medley – a combination of two classic pancakes, a side serving of three country sausages and a cup of freshly brewed coffee, available until Jan. 11.

While at Pancake House, be sure not to miss out on other all-time favorites, such as melt-in-your-mouth pancakes in different delicious flavors, crispy waffles, fresh salads, creamy milkshakes, floats and other delectable desserts like jumbo banana split and waffle foldover.

For deliveries, call 588-2468 from 5:30 am to 9 pm.

A noche buena deserves nothing but King Sue, the “star of all hams”

The recipe for King Sue’s Chinese bone-in ham was developed by Cu Un Kay. With perseverance and continuous innovation, he was able to perfect his recipe which has since become King Sue’s trademark product. 

King Sue’s Chinese ham bone-in uses the leg part of the pork that has more lean meat-to-fat ratio. The ham is cured in a mixture of seasonings for a full month and goes into the smoker several days before it is slow-cooked in special brine that remains to be a family secret to this day. This lengthy process is what gives the ham a robust and distinct flavors.

Other products include sweet ham, piña ham, Hawaiian ham Christmas loaf, and pear-shaped ham, as well as products that can be enjoyed any time of the year like all-American sliced bacon, Hangarian sausage, luncheon meat, chicken nuggets, spiced ham and pepperoni.

Filipino favorites include chicken and pork tocino, sisig, chicken relleno, and garlic longaniza.

With a rich heritage spanning over 80 years, King Sue has become one of the stars of  the Christmas tables of Filipino families. 

King Sue products are available at leading supermarkets and groceries nationwide.  For orders, call 881-0530.

Filipiniana books for this holiday

For a change, why not give books this holiday season? Brown Movement for Cultural Advancement, Inc. a non-profit organization of professionals that aims to preserve, promote and enhance the Filipino cultural genius, offers some Filipiniana coffee table book titles at discounted prices.

These include: Lipa: a Jewel of a City (a historical, cultural book on Lipa City, Batangas); The Ilocos Heritage (on the original provinces of Ilocos, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra); The Barong Tagalog: the Millennium Edition, (traces the history of the Barong Tagalog); Cultural Icons of the Philppines; Outstanding Filipino Achievers; Churches of Pangasinan; More Grace and More Magic (a collection of historical, cultural and inspirational essays), among others, all written by Visitacion “Chit” dela Torre.

For inquiries, call 815-4938 or email [email protected].