Diana Velasco Wins as First Lakambini ng Las Casas (Filipinas de Acuzar)

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Congratulations to the very first Lakambini ng Las Casas - Candidate No. 2 - Diana Velasco of Balanga.

While many were cheering for Candidate No. 18 mostly throughout the grand coronation night, Candidate No. 2 shined out the most in the eyes of the judges. 

It may have something to do also with how she answered during the Question and Answer portion - the most dreaded part of every beauty pageant because it could make or break a candidate's chance for the top awards.

However, I could also say it's the overall beauty and brains that made Candidate No. 2 win. Her charming aura spelled the difference only among any of the top placers, but many of the candidates are indeed vibrant on their own.

Maybe many were rooting for somebody else, but still the judges have the last and final word on the decision of who they are going to crown as the very first Lakambini ng Las Casas. 

Who would want to question the decision of the prestigious judges like fashion designers Edwin Uy and Cary Santiago. There was also Mario Dumaual from ABS-CBN, and beauty queens like Janela Joy Cuaton.

Lunch with the Fambam at Red Ginger of City of Dreams Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It was a pleasant Sunday morning when my family visited the luxurious City of Dreams Manila to have lunch at one of its restaurants. An eye-catching and glimmering entrance welcomed us as we made our way into the opulent and marvelous casino and hotel complex.

We couldn’t help but utter “Wow” and wonder when we set our sights on the equally astonishing Red Ginger restaurant which was located on the second floor of the resort. As my brothers and I went in, the first thing we noticed were the sumptuous desserts elegantly lined up near the entrance of the restaurant, much to our eyes’ liking.

The atmosphere and service gave an elegant mien, and the crew were also very hospitable and tried their best to quickly establish rapport with their customers. There was even one who was very eager to chat with us, learn about our family, and even join our group photo. I couldn't recall her name but she definitely made our lunch time a lot more interesting.

We were seated on comfy chairs and presented with a menu which was already mouthwatering by means of words alone. My dad wanted a menu with pictures of the dishes but he instead asked a crew for her recommendations. We took our time to finalize our orders because of the variety of cuisines, and after a good wait, we got to admire the effort put into the presentation of the dishes. 

As an appetizer, we had the Vietnamese Caesar Salad. Nothing like the classics, as they say. The salad consists of Romaine lettuce, garlic croutons, parmesan cheese and a soft, poached egg. The first thing we noticed was that there was a poached egg in the salad, which was unusual compared to the salads we’ve tried in the past. My brother liked this menu item and found it very appetizing, as proven by the fact that he ate most of it. The salad costs an affordable 270 Pesos. 

Vietnamese Caesar Salad

Another starter was the Baby Squid in Lemongrass and Lime Soy. It was bathing in its pickled chili and served with soft-boiled egg, mustard greens and cherry tomatoes. The first for my palate to detect were the spices marinated into the squid. Coupled with rice, they made a delectable dish. This menu item costs 350 Pesos.

Baby Squid in Lemongrass and Lime Soy

Baby Squid in Lemongrass and Lime Soy

Topping my list of appetizers was the Popiah, a spring roll or something akin to our native Lumpia but stuffed with barbecued duck and eaten with iceberg lettuce, for us to dip into a vibrant and complementary chili garlic sauce. We were served four spring rolls and ate them by wrapping the spring roll with the lettuce, dipping both into the sauce and biting into their balancing flavors. The item costs 370 Pesos. 

Popiah

This is how you eat Popiah

As for the main, what I can recall first is the Singaporean Crispy Grouper. Southeast Asia is no stranger to seafood, and our Philippine palate just loved this menu item. We were served a whole fish was tender, well-seasoned with garlic peppercorns, brimming with flavor and spice from the chili. Most of us can say that this was one of their best especially when paired with rice. The grouper dish costs 990 Pesos. 

Singaporean Crispy Grouper

Next item for main was the Grilled King Prawns with Roasted Chili and Lemongrass. They were served with three sauces and presented us shelled prawns with soft flesh. The service mentioned that they base it on the weight of the catch of the day – always amounting 250g. It costs 960 Pesos.

Grilled King Prawns with Roasted Chili and Lemongrass

One of the most delectable items was a Double Rack of the Pork Baby Ribs with Sticky Palm Sugar Glaze. It was certainly a mouthwatering item on the menu because the meat was spot on. It was also flavorful and the meat just falls off the bone, ready for us to taste the time dedicated into preparing the ribs. Ribs plus the rice was a match made in heaven. A single rack costs 840 Pesos whereas a Double Rack costs 1600 Pesos.

Double Rack of the Pork Baby Ribs with Sticky Palm Sugar Glaze

Pork Baby Ribs with Sticky Palm Sugar Glaze

During the transition between main and dessert, we got to experience how accommodating the ambience and service were. We took pictures and established rapport with them by means of chatting and conversing about blogging, food and other relatable stuff like sharing experiences. 

All in all we ordered six (6) dishes. That's just like one dish for every member of our family composed of five. Which is the best dish among the six? I have to say the best for the main dishes are the Pork Baby Ribs and Singaporean Crispy Grouper, while for the starters, the Popiah. The Baby Squid is also good but is a bit of a runner-up to the Popiah. I would have picked the Grilled King Prawn as seafood dishes are my favorite, but the serving was just too little to appreciate because for a group of 5, there were only three pieces of prawn to share. 

Desserts for everyone

Finally, every member of the family had their own dessert. Mom had the Green Tea Chocolate Cake, Kyle had the Blackberry Vanilla Praline, I had Jar Mango Triffle, Kyro had the Crunch Caramel, and Dad had Jar Dark Choco Mousse. My youngest brother reckoned his dessert tasted too mature for his liking, since we three children all agreed that his had a strong coffee taste. My mango dessert was very sweet and had a jam-like texture to it, whereas dad’s chocolate dessert presented what it advertised: sumptuous dark chocolate. 

Green Tea Chocolate Cake

Crunch Caramel

Vanilla Praline

Jar Dark Choco Mousse

Jar Mango Triffle

While Kyle’s praline was nice, I barely got to comment on the rest of his dessert, for he had already finished it up before I could get a second taste. All of them were very delectable – Kyle was never too full to finish up what we couldn’t – but the dessert that won my taste buds over was mom’s Matcha Cake, which was not too bitter nor too sweet for my liking. I expected it to be bitter like how the Japanese prefer it, but of all the Matcha-themed food we’ve tasted during our family days out, I deem it the most enjoyable so far. All desserts were priced at 265 Pesos.

Lemongrass Iced Tea

The only negative I could say about the restaurant is that they don't serve fresh juices so we all ended up drinking Lemongrass Iced Tea. I try my best not to encourage the drinking of softdrinks or any sugary drinks which most of the ingredients are artificial or full of sugar that are unhealthy for everyone.

The Happy Fambam at Red Ginger of City of Dreams Manila

All in all, our trip to Red Ginger was fun, relaxing, and palatable. It brightened our mood and painted a glimpse of the luxuriant life in our minds. We reckon that it is of great quality and would love a second trip.

Michelle Tachiangco of Red Ginger at City of Dreams Manila

Be sure to watch our video interview with Michelle Tachiangco of Red Ginger. She explained what Red Ginger is all about and the recommended dishes to try when dining at their restaurant. Though I should have talked with her before ordering as she gave out suggestions from the menu that we have not tried during our visit.

I'll be sure to take down notes so I will be ready on our next visit to Red Ginger of City of Dreams Manila.

Written by Hannah Krystelle Del Rosario

Wazzup Pilipinas Radio Tackles KPop Fandom and Hataw Padyak

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Sharing with you our script fro last Sunday's episode featuring KPop Fandom and Hataw Padyak biking association. 

Just in case you missed last week's episode of Wazzup Pilipinas Radio, we talked about the ever popular and still growing strong KPop sensation, and also the Hataw Padyak organization and their events. Two different but interesting topics.

Marlon Feliciano of Hataw Padyak contacted me for guesting and my co-host had KPop in mind, but no worries, the more the merrier. At least we now know that there are ,any people who are able to wake up early to be able to amke it to a 6 am radio show whose radio station is located in New Manila, Quezon city.

Too bad I was not there because I joined a community outreach cum travel event at Bontoc, Mountain Province for several days going to two hard to reach schools up in the mountains. However, my co-host David D'Angelo did a fine job hosting by himself. Bravo!!!

This Sunday's (June 4) episode will be all about MWF - Can you guess what the acronym means? I jus hope they make it as I think they thought our show is in the evening and not early in the morning. I hope they make it.

Below is our script mutually prepared by me and my co-host. It's fun to read as this guides us on how we should proceed with the show. Totoo yung ma-mental block ka paminsan-minsan or you lose track of time when you are on the console especially when you find the topics interesting. Kulang talaga ang isang oras para sa Wazzup Pilipinas Radio.