My Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts Makati Experience

Last Friday, I was invited together with a group of bloggers to spend a day at Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (MIHCA) Makati.  According to the brochure "MIHCA is the leading institution of hospitality and culinary arts which has successfully launched careers for promising professionals."  They offer several certificate courses in culinary arts, baking and pastry, housekeeping and more.  Although the institution is still young, they have already won a number of competitions.

As I arrived at the venue, I was surprised to be welcomed by a lot of MIHCA students.  I was immediately guided to our seat at their restaurant area.  Once everyone has arrived, we were informed that we will be having a short tour.

For the first part of the tour, we were taken to a room which looked exactly like a hotel room.  I was impressed that everything even the Holy bible by the bed stand, the towels in the bathroom or the pillows inside the drawers are accurately set out.  We were taught how to fix a hotel bed.  We were given tips on how to purchase and checks bed sheets, how to do the costing and we were also oriented on the modern way of hotel bedding.  They were very open to our questions and even gave us a gift as a token for our participation.

Cucumber with Smoked Salmon w/ Cream Cheese and Capers

Mushroom Duxelle Volauvant

Lettuce Bundles with Spicy Peanut Noodles 

(Best finger food for the day!)

We were taken to the kitchen.  Graduating students welcomed us with a tray of finger foods.  They were delicious!  We proceeded deeper into the kitchen where students were busy preparing for the dishes that they will serve us for lunch.

Chef Carbonell's Pastry Class

Bitter Sweet Brownie Yum!

The best part of the tour was the pastry area. (because I love dessert!)  We were informed that their pastry area was so good that many companies even lease the area for their baking activities.  We were given delicious bitter sweet brownies.  We also saw the creme brulee that will be served for our lunch dessert.  There was one student who came all the way from the Carribeans just to enroll at MIHCA.

Fun class with Chef Medrano

Chef Medrano teaching us about deboned chicken

Our next stop was an air-conditioned room where the students were taught on how to thrust and debone a chicken.  We were informed that in ships, a kitchen staff has to thrust a chicken in 8 seconds.  So they were competing with their classmates who could thrust the chicken first.

They gave us refreshments and were shown some cool barista moves.  It was definitely heart-thumping.  I could feel my heart beat with mixture of fear and amazement while watching.  Check the video below.

end product of all those bottle tossing

Our last stop was for a coffee break.  Chef Docusin and his assistant served us espresso, cappuccino and mocha latte.  We were shown coffee arts.  It was fascinating.  All of us were impressed.  

Chef Medrano Demonstrating Trussing

While some of us went ahead to have their lunch buffet.  I was with 5 other contestants randomly picked to participate in speedy chicken trussing contest.  To be honest, I don't know how to cook nor have I ever touched a raw chicken before.  It took some time before I got accustomed to its cold slippery yet rough texture.  I'm lucky that the Justin, the student who was assigned to teach me, was a good teacher.  He taught me really well.  I couldn't believe that during a short period, I was capable of learning chicken trussing.  Moreover, I won third place.

Apple Strudel 

After being impressed with their facilities, they showed us the outcome of their training through their lunch buffet.  The students were attentive servers.  It was indeed a high class fine dining service.  The food was good. I loved the Apple Strudel.=)

During lunch, there was also a baking demonstration by Chef Napoleon Carbonell on how to make creme brulee.

classroom (4 types of floors to familiarize students)

I'm so glad I attended.  I came there knowing nothing about household and yet just for a day, I learned bed fixing and chicken trussing. Thank you MIHCA Makati for the hospitality.


MIHCA Makati
5/f Waltermart mall
Chino Roces Ave. Cor Arnaiz Ave
Makati
(+632) 889 1707

La Tienda at Polaris St. Bel Air Makati City

My family had been wanting to eat at La Tienda after noticing it as we passed by the area.  They texted me to go there and I arrived really late.  They have already ordered and eaten their food when I arrived.


The place had a cozy spanish ambiance.  Glancing at the other tables, I noticed that there were all foreigners.  A group of Japanese on one table and the other table was a group of Spanish men.  There were musicians roaming around the table to play their instruments and sing.  Just beside the dining area, they also have a deli store.  


I was first serve some bread and butter.  Then I ordered their Sopa de Cebolla (onion soup) (worth 210 php).  I ate it with the bread.  It was very delicious.  It was bits of cheese, onions, pepper and other ingredients in stock soup.  


Then I was passed the Ensalda la Tienda (worth 330 php).  It had lettuce, asparagus, tomatoes and shrimp in garlic vinegrette dressing.  It was good but not that special.  


For our main dish we had two types of paellas (spanish rice).  According to their menu:
"La Paella was first prepared in the 19th century in the region of La Abufera outsde Valencia, Spain. The secret of the Paella lies in the unique texture of the grain after cooking. The grain is loose, dry and soft at the same time. The next priority is the flavor from the huge range of ingredients which puts a stop to any conversation. With no specific recipe, good paella includes chicken, pork, shellfish, squid, beans, artichokes and fresh pepper and above all – saffron!"


The first paella I tried was the Paella de Mariscos (worth 645 php).  It was color yellow and was topped with seafood: Shrimp, squid, mussels, crab and clams.  I liked it it was really good.  It was very flavorful and had the familiar taste of typical paellas.  


The second paella we had was the Paella Negra con Mayonesa Al Ali-Oli (worth 708 php).  This one was color black because it had squid ink.  It is also topped with seafood.  This one tasted unique but also very good.  (Tip: Don't forget to drink water with it because the black ink really stains the teeth and the lips)


Overall, the food was a but pricey but understandable for Spanish Cuisine.  The meal was delightful and  very satisfactory.  They are only a few good Spanish dining places around and this is one place worth coming back for.  They also have a valet servince.  Their valet Mang Lito was very nice and accomodating.


The place is a bit formal so they are strict with their dress code.  No slippers and shorts allowed.    


La Tienda
43 Polaris St. Bel Air
Makati City, Philippines
(02) 890-4123

Asian Massage Swe-Shi and Indian Ear Candling 54% off

Coupon Deal: 

Relax, unwind and drift to another world with Asian Massage Swe-Shi with Aromatherapy and Indian Ear Candling (299 php instead of 650 php)

Coupon offer is until: April 30, 2011

Voucher Validity Period: May 01 to October 31, 2011

Terms:

• Need to have minimum of 20 sold coupons in order for the deal to be ON/ ACTIVE
• Will accept unlimited number of coupons.
• Unlimited coupons per person
• Price is inclusive of VAT and Service Charge
• Coupons cannot be used for home service massage.
• Coupons cannot be used in conjunction with any discount card or promotion
• Valid from Mondays to Sundays; from 12am to 12pm (24/7)
• From Mondays to Sundays; 7:00 am to 3pm; You can avail of VIP Service
• Appointment is required (first client who will set the appointment first will be prioritized)
• Cancellation of Appointment must be made at least 1 hour before the scheduled date and time.
• If you’ll not arrive on the scheduled appointment (on time), other clients will be accommodated

Highlights:

• Asian massage, the country’s largest and most trusted home massage and spa service offers Massage and Ear Candling package promo. As a way of giving back to its loyal clients and encourage more therapeutic massage enthusiasts to sample its famous, top quality service
• Asian massage offers  a 1 hour treatment of a combination of Swedish and Shiatsu Massage with Aromatherapy of your choice
• Included in the promo is an ear candling session, an alternative stress.

Company: Asian Massage

Location/s: 

4658 Cuangco St. corner South Super Highway, Goldrich Mansion Pio del Pilar, Makati View Map

573 Nakpil Corner Bocobo Streets Malate, Manila View Map

No. 1 Engineer Hills Corner Cabinet Hills Baguio City View Map

Anilao, Batangas View Map

Deal Description: 

Total Value: PHP 650 

Offer Price: PHP 299 

% Discount: 54% 

Advance Payment: PHP 99 

Balance Payment: PHP 200

Where to purchase the deal:  

Bloggers Fest Thunderbird Resort April 16, 2011

• Bus Pick-up point at Makati City to Thunderbirds Resort.

          We arrived at the pick-up location at 9:20 a.m.  By that time the first bus was already packed and ready to leave.  We waited together with other bloggers for the other buses and vans.  After 20 minutes, a tourist van arrived and we were asked to ride there.  After a couple of hours and a few curvy roads, we arrived at Thunderbirds Resort in Binangonan Rizal.  

• Arrival at Event Center Thunderbirds Resort (11:00 a.m)

          Upon arrival, we registered at the front desk.  We were each given 100-php worth of Casino Tickets and an environment bag with a freebies.  We entered the elegant event center with chandeliers and color changing crystal lightings and left our belongings at our chosen seats.  We had our photos taken for free at the Baicapture photobooth just outside the room.  At around 1 p.m. the program started by giving away free Thunderbirds Resort T-shirts and Kurt was one of the raffle winners.  Then we were shown an introductory video of Thunderbirds Resort.  To our surprise, the place looks big and nice but we never had the opportunity to roam around and actually see its beauty.  Afterwards, the hotel manager Mr. Williams gave the opening speech and declared the lunch buffet open.

• Lunch Buffet

Kurt's Lunch

           The long buffet offered fresh salads with 2 dressings, pasta with white sauce, cream of vegetable soup with broccoli and carrot bits, fish fillet, boiled mix vegetables, roast chicken and rice. At the end of the table, there were fresh fruits and and leche flan.  Waiters roamed around serving ice tea and water.  They were also quick and attentive that they collected our plates as soon as we finished.  

• Awarding of the Extra Ordinary Online Video Contest 

          We were shown 7 videos: 1 Favorite Video Award, 1 Grand Winner and 5 Consolation for Most-liked Video.  We really liked the inspirational idea of the Grand Winner and also commend the winner for the favorite video award.  But we only liked 2 out of 5 most-liked videos.  

• Speakers and Short Seminars (We missed some because we went to the Casino...)

1. Blogging 101 by Azreal Coladilla and Sharing your story through personal blogging by Mica

         We used to think that a blog should only have one topic and we could never decide on which to pick.  But seeing Azreal's and Mica's examples, we were convinced that if others could do it so could we.

          

      2.  Blogging and writing with SEO in mind by Jonel Uy and How to Write Awesome Blog Posts by Fitz

          When we saw Jonel on stage, we thought he looked familiar.  (Coincidentally, we rode the same jeep to the meet-up location with him)  Although his topic sounded the most intriguing among all topics, the talk was merely introductory.  Since both of us are not writers, we found Fitz tips on writing really useful.  

      3.  Domain and DNS Management for your blogs by JP and How to Secure your Blog from Hacking 

           Both talks made us aware of two areas we never cared about before.  We should allocate some of our spare time in learning more about them. 

Stacy's Losing Entry for the Food Blog Workshop

• Break Time with Dunkin Donuts and Workshop 

           During break time a variety of Dunkin Donuts were served.  Stacy mistakenly took a chocolate filled donut thinking it was mocha just like in Country Style.  Kurt picked his favorite: Strawberry-filled donut.  Then Stacy joined the Food blogging workshop while Kurt chose Photography.  Kurt tells Stacy that the problem with her entry photo is that it was too far to be enticing.  What do you think?

• The Fiesta Casino and After-Effect

Our Free Fiesta Cash Ticket

           We extended our break time by going to the Fiesta Casino just beside the event center.  It was surprisingly crowded.  Stacy chose a slot machine and lost her entire 100-php worth Casino in about 3 minutes.  On the other hand, Kurt was able to cash out 900 php.  But he felt this urge to go back and bet again because he feels that he could earn around thousands more.  So he came back entered his 100 php encashed bill and lost it in just a few clicks.  As soon as we came back to the event center, Kurt was still talking about the Casino and how he could still win more money.  He kept on talking about it even while we were in the bus.  He says I should never let him go to the casino again.

• Unlucky Raffle and Departure

           We could have sworn that there were nearly a hundred raffle prizes given during the last part of the event but unfortunately we never got picked.  At the Casino or even at the raffle, Stacy didn't win anything.  We noticed there were only a few of us who didn't win anything while others won more than 3 times.  At around 7 p.m., all the raffle prizes were disposed of and we all took a group picture.  We quickly went out, rode the bus to Makati City. 

• Remarks

          Overall, the event was a success.  Everything was well-organized despite it being free.  We scheduled a lot to be able to attend and it was worth it.  This event also marks the beginning of our blog.