|
It’s always
nice to go back to a place that evokes a happy
affair, reliving an experience that has quietly
gone by, but never really faded in one’s
treasure trove of memories. My trip down
nostalgia lane brought me to a time I first had
my taste of Indian food.
Give it to my penchant for melodrama, I went
back to Swagat Indian Cuisine, still
unassumingly tucked along Rada Street in Legaspi
Village, exactly a day before I first stepped in
the restaurant two years ago. With the
windowpanes and pink-themed walls lighted up
with colorful bulbs and colorful crepe papers
festooned on the ceiling, it was once again the
Hindu New Year festivity Diwali Festival.
In the course of two years since that first ever
assignment for What’s On & Expat, I have been
back to Swagat only three times. And in all
those times, the Samosas (deep-fried pastries
stuffed with mashed potatoes and peas), Roghan
Josh (goat meat with spices and cream) and the
Lassi (yougurt drink) never failed me. As I’ve
mentioned in my dining story before,
“Authenticity is the trademark that comes with
every serving of its home-style meals.” And the
same rings true until now.
Chef-owner 37-year-old Komal Khanchandani is
still grinding cardamom, cin |
|
|
People
enjoying their meal amid Indian
interiors |
namon,
coriander, bay leaves
and a motley of other
spices in her small kitchen to make a masala and
korma out of her exquisite dishes. And there’s
no stopping the popularity of this halal-certified
vegetarian/non-vegetarian Indian restaurant
which has attracted not just the Indian diners
but even Malaysian, Indonesians and other
expatriate crowds for a taste of the curried
flavors of India.
The foods remain deliciously the same, my new
favorites are the Spinach Pakora (deep-fried
sliced spinach and spices rolled in chickpeas
and flour), Vegetable Biryani (long-grain rice
cooked with vegetables), Mushroom Masala
(mushroom cooked with onions and tomatoes) and
Murgh Badami (chicken cooked with almonds,
yougurt and spices). |
|
French Soiree
By Ana
Kristine B. Valenzuela
|
It is
that time of year again, the time when
handpicked grapes arrive in bars and
casually resound the opening with a new
batch of wine. “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” (The Beaujolais Nouveau has
arrived).
The French Chamber of Commerce in the
Philippines Le Club celebrates this
festivity with Soiree Beaujolais. This
year’s theme, now going on its 14th
edition is “the Loire Valley Castles”,
home to the French monarchy since the
10th century.
On November 20, Sofitel Philippine Plaza
transforms the Harbor Tent into an
inspired version of Loire Valley, giving
a feel of medieval France. Hosted by
Johnny Litton and Tessa Prieto-Valdez,
the night will simply be more than
glasses half full of wine. There’s the
promise of an assortment of French
cheeses, cold cuts and delicacies, with
the Jewelmer Jazz Band and the
Bloomfields serenading the crowd
throughout the affair.
Not to be missed as well are the
PhP800,000 worth prizes to be given away
which includes a round trip business
class ticket Manila-Paris via Air France
KLM.
Soirée Beaujolais is supported by
Jewelmer, Le Cellier Quality Store,
APC-MGE, BNP Paribas, Calyon, Eurocopter,
Hilton |
|
Cebu
Resort and Spa, Marco Polo Hotel Cebu,
Nescafé Gold, Oberthur Card Systems and
Total (Philippines) Corp., SDV, ACER, M.
Lhuillier Jewellers, Pernod Ricard
Philippines, Peugeot Open Europe, Red
Coconut Beach Hotel, and Alliance
Francais de Manille. Also, the Embassy
of France, Deco Candles, and
International SOS Supply Oilfield
Services, Inc.
Tickets are available for PhP2,500. Call
(02)813-9005, 812-0433, or email le_club@globelines.com.ph
for details.
|
L-R: Jean
D’Orival, Henri Ortiz, Philippe
Gauthier, Bernard Flour,
Stephane Khaled and Bernd
Schneider at the Le Club Press
Conference |
|
|
|
|
Kamal
Khancandani with waitresses dressed in
traditional Indian garb |
|
|
Indian-inspired posters decorating the walls,
finer tableware and silverware and a flat-screen
TV playing Bollywood shows. The two waitresses,
who look familiar from way back, are now in
saris and bejeweled accessories (which the
restaurant also sells), looking more appropriate
with bindis and all than they were in suits
before.
And also, Swagat delivers to nearby areas this
time around, cutting you some waiting time. Just
a hint though: ask for utensils, it’s not
automatic for the restaurant’s service staff to
include spoons and forks in because they’re
still used to having Indians ordering and eating
by hand.
So there goes my reminiscing down the flavors of
India. A couple of years from now, who knows how
else Swagat would evolve? Well, I’d be glad to
go back and find out. |
|
Komal is very hands-on in
her cooking, her skill perfected through years
of preparing feasts for her extended family in
India. She infuses her dishes with her personal
passion for Indian food. Maybe that explains
why Swagat has a long (think half an hour)
leadtime service before your orders are served.
Some things, however, have changed. For one, the
interiors improved with more
|
|
InterContinental Manila Associate Wins Mabuhay
Award
|
It’s
another leaf added on the laurels of InterContinental Manila as its Director
of Rooms Maria Victoria Rondain Silverio
emerged as the winner of the Managerial
Category at the annual Mabuhay Awards
held at the Philippine International
Convention Center last month. She bested
nine other finalists in the category.
The Mabuhay Awards is the Philippine
Hospitality Industry’s Service
Excellence Awards Program where the best
manager, supervisor and rank and file
associates among member establishments
in the Philippines are selected by a
panel of judges composed of
distinguished men and women from the
academe, labor and tourism departments,
People Management Association of the
Philippines (PMAP), Hotel and Restaurant
Association of the Philippines (HRAP),
foreign affairs, mass media and
advertising. |
|
Silverio started out as a Guest
Relations Officer at InterContinental
Manila where her good job performance
did not go unnoticed. She went on to
become Front Office Assistant Manager
then Housekeeping Operations Manager to
Executive Housekeeper before her most
recent important job promotion as
Director of Rooms. As the latter, she
oversees and directs under the general
guidance of the General Manager all
aspects of Front Office, Housekeeping,
Laundry, Guest Services Center and Guest
Relations operations.
The other Mabuhay Awards nominees from
InterContinental Manila who likewise
stood out for their on-the-job
dedication and exemplary work were
Charlene Ong for the Front of the House
Category, Paul Michael Fajardo for the
Heart of the House Category and Mar
Roxas for the Supervisory Category. |
|
|
Beaujolais Nouveau at
Marco Polo Plaza
By Richard
A. Ramos |
|
CEBU
WELCOMES ITS first-ever Beaujolais Nouveau
at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel on the same night
and with the same theme as the Manila
celebration, “Castles of the Loire Valley” on
November 29.
The hotel’s Grand Ballroom will be transformed into a Parisian
Salon wherein guests enjoy generous amounts of
Beaujolais. This upbeat event features a
sprawling buffet from cheeses to pate and hot
dishes, introducing the world-famous French
culinary dishes to the community in the southern
|
|
part of the
Philippines.
Spearheading the event are president of the French Chamber of
Commerce and Le Club in the Philippines Bernard
Flour, business development manager Stephane
Khaledand and Henri Oritz.
Further enlivening the evening are Cancan Dancers, live
entertainment from Cebu’s very own Renaissance
Band and raffle prizes from sponsors including a
round-trip ticket to France courtesy of Qatar
Airways.
For more details, call (032) 253-1111 local 8109. |
|