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Enjoy a Holiday Feast at Cocina dela Casa

With restaurateur Stephen Aznar at the helm, the newly opened dining destination offers an interesting juxtaposition of local and international flavors.

Stephen Aznar has been a name that is associated with good food, what with his now closed Café Elysa in Parian a favorite dining destination for remarkable Filipino cuisine. It was only natural, then, that his new venture Cocina de la Casa was met with much excitement, and some great expectations.

With the number of establishments that have brought different cuisines to the city, Cocina de la Casa aims to bring forth sumptuous local dishes and reimagined international favorites.

The special roasted turkey is the highlight of holiday dinners at Cocina de la Casa

Although the restaurant is decidedly more modern than its predecessor, the interiors still hark back to a certain heritage—the location is an old house, with the walls torn down to create a large flowing dining space and the rest of the space painted in white. Minimalist but cozy furnishings, and pops of color in the form of potted plants and simple pieces of artwork complete the look.

With the holidays approaching, families are coming together over food, and Stephen is offering a special roast turkey especially for the season. Taking hours to cook until it’s a beautiful golden brown, the turkey is available throughout Christmas for pre-order.

The regular menu, though, offers a variety of dishes. We recommend the Pork Belly Chicharon with Asian Dip, and the Oriental Spring Rolls with Sweet and Spicy Sauce to start the meal. The crispy deep-fried pork is hard to resist, an elevated version of the famous Cebuano delicacy, while the latter features ground pork with noodles, peanuts and shitake mushrooms in a crisp-crackly wrap. Stephen shows us how to best enjoy the rolls—tucked into a piece of lettuce with parsley, mint and a good serving of the sauce, for an interesting mix of flavors in one bite.

Tropical Salad

Soups and salads are a must-try as well. We enjoyed the flavors of the sea with the New England Seafood Chowder, which featured large chunks of fish, squid and shrimp, and the Tropical Salad—which featured pomelo alongside the vegetables, topped with tiger prawns, and drizzled with the in-house original Asian dressing. Continue on the seafood trail with the Tomato, Basil and Anchovy Pasta, which gives the traditional tomato pasta pops of saltiness in the form of anchovies.

Moroccan Braised Lamb Shank

Meatiness is next to goodness at Cocina de la Casa—from chicken to lamb, there’s so much flavors to choose from. We recommend the Moroccan Braised Lamb Shank, which has the meat served in a mix of spices, and over a generous serving of couscous. What really raised excitement, though, is the return of Café Elysa’s Lomo de Bacalo, which is made of imported Bacalao loin doused in potatoes and tomato sauce.

With the Christmas season soon to be in full swing, make sure you book a few get-togethers at Cocina de la Casa. Perhaps Stephen Aznar bringing his culinary creations back to the city is the best gift the season has to offer.

Related Topics:Cocina dela Casa Stephen Aznar

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Events

A Feast for the Senses

Crimson Chefs - Masahiro Kinoshita, Naoki Eguchi, Daniel Johnston, Javier Garcia, Allan Barios, Andrew Simpson

By Joanna Cuenco

June 8 – Mactan, Cebu | For one of its biggest dining events of the year as part of the highly anticipated Cebu Food and Wine Festival, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan curated an epicurean journey that brought guests on gastronomic flights of fancy, fine cuisine. A Feast for the Senses showcased the creativity and excellence of the resort’s culinary team through a dine-around event at its four dining destinations that invited guests to sample the best that each restaurant had to offer: international cuisine at Saffron, Spanish at Enye by Chele Gonzalez, Japanese at Aka by Naoki Eguchi, and desserts and more drinks at Azure Beach Club.

Maria Paz Perdices, Ambra Anzani, Ema Onda,Kate Anzani, Kumiko Onda, Daisy Barns

Tamsin Booth, Didier Belmonte, Frances Siao, Celeste Miranda, Bert Miranda, Bob Booth

Spirits were high and beverages flowed freely the whole evening, thanks to Philippine Wine Merchant, A Wine Company, The Wine Club, Don Revy, Sommelier Selection, Engkanto Brewery, M. Lhuillier Food Product Inc., Future Trade International, Happy Living Philippines, Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, and Bauhinia Brewery.

Allan Barios at Saffron dessert station

Ulysse Jouanneaud

Margarette Lhuiller and Perl Jacalan

For the after-party and entertainment at Azure Beach Club, renowned mixologist Ulysse Jouanneaud took over the bar, crafting cocktails with Bacardi, Don Papa, Cointreau, and Sula Brands. Chef Allan Barrios presented a dessert spread that included key lime pralines, vanilla bourbon truffles, honey coconut cryos, and tiny flower-potted bamboo shoots that turned out to be made of pistachio. These little works of art were planted alongside vibrant green foliage, smooth stones, and a faux fog effect that created a tropical rainforest diorama out of the dessert table.

Lechon belly station at Saffron

Dessert display at Azure Beach Club

Yellowfin tuna tataki

Grilled mackerel with laksa boullabaise

The night sky and the distant lights of neighboring islands were the perfect backdrop for a high-energy LED dance performance and fantastic fireworks display that left guests in awe and applause.

Rose Hudson

Chele Gonzalez

Brava potato with chorizo at Enye

LED and Tron Dance

Aka Private Room

The Cebu Food and Wine Festival is supported by the Department of Tourism – Philippines, Visit Central Visayas, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cebu Business Month, and Cebu Pacific Air.

Events

The First NUSTAR BALL

Janine Taylor, June Alegrado, Jackie Lotzof, Frances Siao, Ina Ronquillo and Christine Pelaez

The NUSTAR Ballroom, a magnificent venue at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu, sets the stage for last night’s first-ever NUSTAR Ball.

Black was the color of night at the Zee table.

Glamorous guests from Manila and Cebu converged at the NUSTAR Ballroom, an exquisite venue within the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu. The evening unfolded with a seated 5-course dinner. The opulent feast started with Beetroot Salmon Gravlax, adorned with caper berries, caviar, set with delicate edible flowers; and a main course of Compressed Pork Belly with Crackling Skin and Baby Scallops. Another highlight was the auction of coveted items like Dior and YSL handbags, a limited-edition Bulgari watch, and an exclusive 2-night stay in Nustar’s opulent 3-bedroom villa—complete with a private pool and a dedicated butler. The charity evening benefited the Cameleon Association, an NGO based in Iloilo City created in 1997 that developed a global approach to act on the causes and effects of sexual violence against children.

Nora Sol, Beth Go, Frances Siao and Marylou Ong

Ina Ronquillo, Maryanne Aboitiz and Jackie Lotzof

Designers Jun Escario and Philip Rodriguez

Philip Rodriguez with NUSTAR Malls two power ladies: May Adolfo and Joanna Salazar

Lana Osmeña with Mariquita Yeung

PJ Castillo and Kaye Abad with Cary Santiago

Drew Sarmiento with LV Manager Adrian Decuigan

Cary Santiago with Eva Gullas

Manila socialites Julie Boschi and Ching Cruz with June Alegrado

It was a night of elegance, luxury, and unforgettable memories as ladies in long gowns and gentlemen in black ties danced the night away.

Events

Flying Tiger Copenhagen Lands in Cebu

By Joanna Cuenco

June 13 – Cebu City | Danish lifestyle brand Flying Tiger Copenhagen has landed in Cebu, opening its first branch in the Philippines outside Metro Manila at the upper ground floor of SM Seaside City.

Since its first store in Copenhagen in 1995, Flying Tiger has aimed to share products that not only look good, but make people feel good too. There’s something for everyone aged one to 100: toys, art materials, homeware, party supplies, workout gear, travel essentials, fashion accessories, and more. There will be fresh drops at the store every three to four weeks, so there’s always something exciting to look forward to and share with family and friends.

Product designs range from minimalist and “aesthetic” to cute and kitschy. Find lifestyle essentials like food storage and home organizers, tea towels and toothbrush holders, to some awesome things you didn’t know you needed, like a handheld sewing machine and a beach chair for your phone.

Even though the 200+ square meter space is fully stocked with hundreds of items, the store layout and neat display make it such a joy to look at all of the things and make the shopping experience easy and enjoyable. Flying Tiger believes a richer life does not cost a fortune, so items start at only P30, or even lower with some special promos.

The store opened with a traditional Danish cake-cutting ceremony with Jet Tan, Flying Tiger Copenhagen Store Operations Manager of APAC Region; Gladhys Rodriguez, Merchandising Manager of Flying Tiger Copenhagen Philippines; Billi Jin Esguerra-Perez, Marketing Manager of Flying Tiger Copenhagen Philippines; and JB Tan, Mall Manager of SM Seaside City Cebu.

Zandra Len Salvador and Drew Sarmiento

Sarree Pimentel with Lian

Rizanne Tiongko, Joanna Cuenco and Anya Morrissey

Jen and Jas Sarmiento, Rere Dakay, Kirby Yu with Kayden

Jaja Chiongbian Rama with Sebi and Georgiana

Eleni Paray, Hazel Tirol and Mitchelle Lua

Flying Tiger is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Stores Specialists, Inc., the country’s largest specialty retailer that handles a network of 593 stores and 94 brands, including some of the most recognized names in the world.

Facebook: @FlyingTigerCopenhagenPH

Instagram: @flyingtigerph