For this year’s show entitled ‘Bling It On’, Cary Santiago came back for the second time with an exclusive collection called Pacifique which were worn by male and female pageant winners and title holders, including: Bb. Pilipinas Supranational 2014 Yvethe Santiago and Mr. World Philippines 2016 Sam Ajdani. A few of Cebu’s very own were also present, including Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental 2014 Kris Janson and Miss Cebu 2015 Wynonah Buot, along with the face of the campaign, Miss Cebu 2016 Raine Baljak.
The show featured local personalities including young entrepreneurs, Cebu’s most creative set, as well as social media sensations, Medyo Maldito and Snake Princess. This year, Islands Souvenirs also collaborated with ANTHILL Fabric Gallery, a social enterprise which supports Filipino weaving communities with their pieces.
Adorable 2-8 year olds also modeled shirts specially designed for the show by internationally-renowned creative studio Happy Garaje.
See highlights from the fashion show below.
[unitegallery islands2017]
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Birdseed Breakfast Club’s Eggs Benedict (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)
The cozy interiors of Birdseed. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)
It’s easy understand, then, why Birdseed Breakfast Club + Café‘s Eggs Benedict is pretty good stuff. Drizzled with a generous serving of hollandaise, the yolk is rich and thick when it breaks open, spilling over the homemade bacon, wilted spinach and toasted English muffin.
Having opened earlier this year, Birdseed has been tempting diners with its hearty breakfast favorites throughout the day, and many have been giving in. The items on Birdseed’s menus are hearty enough meals for any time of the day, and explore flavors that some dinner outlets may be afraid to tread.
Kimchi silog. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)
The Chicken Log is bacon-wrapped chicken breast, stuffed with Japanese mushrooms, cashew, red pepper and spinach—a filling but incredibly tasty combination that works well with the brown rice pilaf its served with. The Beef Brisket and Kimchi Silog brings spiciness by way of the kimchi fried rice with toasted sesame, while the US beef brisket itself is slow-cooked and is so tender that it’s easily pulled apart with a fork.
The eggs at Birdseed, of course, are masterpieces in themselves. They’re sous vide at 63 degrees, so each one spills perfectly into your rice for what seems like optimal yolk flavor. It’s even more perfect with the Mom’s Beef Tapa Silog. The restaurant’s best seller—and for good reason—the dish features tender and flavorful slices of the Filipino breakfast staple, a family recipe that Alyssa says her mom keeps strictly under wraps. “I have no idea how to make it actually,” she admits, sharing that her mother makes all the tapa herself.
Third-wave artisanal coffee. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)
For something sweet, Birdseed’s chocolate waffles is the way to go. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)
Breakfast isn’t complete without a cup of coffee, and Birdseed serves up drinks that are strictly third-wave, meaning high-quality artisanal coffee. With beans from Plain Sight Coffee for their espresso blend and EDSA Beverage Design Studio for their drops, the restaurant has all the usual coffee-based drinks but follow a strict standard for how it’s made. Their cold brew, created via a fancy-looking three-level contraption at the bar, takes 32 hours to make by steeping coffee grounds in room temperature or cold water.
Wrap up the meal with the Chocolate Waffles, where not only is the treat topped with Chantilly cream, shaved chocolate and toasted cashews—it’s also stuffed with chocolate ganache. If every day started like this, then there’d be no problem about getting up early. Birdseed Breakfast Club + Café makes me especially thankful that Alyssa Lao is such a breakfast snob.
Axis Entertainment Avenue
Escario Street, Cebu City
6332. 254 9463 | Facebook
photography Nath Ybañez
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Zee Lifestyle‘s December-January 2016 Style Issue: Jennifer Helen Weigel-Sarmiento (Photography: Mark Philip Dales/Sittings Editor: Melo Esguerra/Production Manager: Shari Quimbo/Makeup: Ramil Solis/Hair: Ariel Tatoy/Locale: UVNS)
Gracing the cover is Jennifer Helen Weigel-Sarmiento. Known as Penny to her family and close friends, this businesswoman, philantrophist, mother, and Mrs. Asia International Metropolitan titleholder proves that when it comes to style, age is but a number.
Jennifer joins a bevy of Cebu’s most stylish personalities. Abigail “Bombom” Ngo, Carla Larrazabal-del Prado, Michelle Mulet-Yu, Raquel Choa, Alyssa Lao, Ayana Jimenez, Vanessa East, Timmy Gomez, Michael Karlo Lim, Jacob Pimentel, Stuart Violanda and Allan Ong Jr. showcase their individuality in looks that are entirely their own.
THE HIT LIST: Cebu’s Most Stylish Personalities (Photography: Dan Douglas Ong/Hair and Makeup: Kimberly Lam, Hollie Damaolao, Janice Barillo and Nicko dela Peña)
Beyond its people, Cebu as a city is also known for being stylish. The visual flair of the city’s newest destinations Unos Design, The Chocolate Chamber Boutique, Pigafetta and HoliCOW proves that Cebu is home to the creative entrepreneur—well deserving of being part of the Southeast Asian Creative Cities Network.
With the opening of new malls in Cebu, new lifestyle brands such as H&M, Pull&Bear and Sfera have made their way to our shores, bringing their latest collections for the locales to go crazy over. This issue also provides a backstage pass to the Fashion Weeks in Milan, London, Paris and New York. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch and Kate Spade are just some of the well-known names that unveiled their Spring/Summer 2016 collections
Read more in Zee Lifestyle’s Style Issue, out on stands this month. Grab your copies at National Bookstore and Fully Booked. For subscriptions, click here, or download the Magzter app on your device and search for ‘Zee Lifestyle’.
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