Variety is the spice of the event

Filipino dishes range from the simple to the sybaritic dishes prepared during fiestas. Our country is home to various regional groups that produce diverse regional cuisine and specialties. Ilocos is known for its pinakbet and bagnet; Laguna is known for buko pie and panutsa; Cainta, Rizal has Filipino rice cakes and puddings; Batangas has its special coffee, Kapeng Barako; Cebu is popular for lechon, dried mangoes and caramel tarts; Iloilo is famous for its La Paz Batchoy and Pancit Molo; in Bulacan, there is chicharon; Bacolod has chicken inasal and piaya; Bicol is popular for its Bicol Express and laing; and Pampanga has longganisa, tocino and sisig. My beloved Samar has the best lechon in this side of the world. Our bulad is to die for. Our kinilaw is devilishly delicious.

But Pampanga is the culinary center of the Philippines. Kapampangans are known for their cooking skills. Kapampangan cuisine makes use of every regional produce available to the native cook like combining pork cheeks and entrails of a butchered animal (offal) to make sisig, the ultimate pulutan among Pinoys. Pampanga’s Sisig Festival was launched in 2003 as part of the city government’s effort to promote Angeles City as a favorite tourist destination and as the country’s culinary capital. The annual festival also commemorates the founding anniversary of Angeles City, once a part of San Fernando, Pampanga.

During the Fourth Sisig Festival held last month at SM City Clark in Pampanga, Congo Grille competed and proved that sisig, one of its specialties and best-sellers, was a big hit among Kapampangans. Congo Grille received the coveted first place, bagging all honors in the professional categories. Along with the grand slam victory, Congo Grille also received the remarkable distinction as Sisig King by the province of Pampanga, the Sisig Capital of the Philippines.

During the cooking festival, variety was the rule of the event. The sizzling sisig was given many tastes, looks and names in the competition as 57 contenders vied in the professional and amateur levels with 177 different recipes of Pampanga’s famous sisig.

Congo Grille’s executive chef Reynaldo Natividad bested other chefs from various participating restaurants and grilleries when he emerged the winner in the professional level. He showcased his culinary brilliance to create sisig dishes in three categories: Congo’s Pride Pork Sisig in the meat category; Sizzling Tahong (green mussels) in the seafood category; and Sizzling Page (manta ray) under the exotic category. The customers’ strong patronage gave Congo Grille the idea to join the cook fest. The demand for sisig indicated that the restaurant had a chance of winning in the competition.

Congo Grille opened in 1999 in QC. In every branch, sisig is always one of the top-sellers. The restaurant was the first to introduce sisig in pork, shrimp, chicken and tuna variants. Congo Grille serves over 30,000 servings of various kinds of sisig across all its outlets every month. Congo Grille opened its 10th branch at the SM City San Fernando bringing its delectable Filipino dishes to more customers in Pampanga.

Antonio Hairdressing now open

"Blessing ‘yan!" was what singer-actress Agot Isidro exclaimed when it started to drizzle at the opening of Antonio Hairdressing in Libis. Agot, Bea Alonzo, Miko Palanca, Victor Basa (All About Ur Luv and ASAP), Daisy Romualdez, Joem Bascon (Let’s Go), Danita Paner, Aaron Agassi (All About Ur Luv) and Erik Santos were among the celebrities present during the event. And it proved to be true as Antonio Hairdressing in Libis is enjoying a downpour of success. Since it opened late last year, Antonio Hairdressing Libis has surpassed everyone’s expectations. It already has clients who habitually go back to the salon for their hair treatments or just to relax and get a massage.

Antonio Hairdressing offers everything a full-service salon has to offer. It even has a nail spa section where you can get professional nail care and spa for your hands and feet. It also boasts of being the first Biolage Therapie Center in Asia where hair savvy clients can pamper themselves to natural hair spa treatments by Matrix Biolage.

Founder Pin Antonio is behind the team that takes care of the creative aspect of Antonio Hairdressing. She has received numerous international and local awards for her talent in hairstyling and celebrities like Jaya, Bing Loyzaga, Rica Peralejo, John Lloyd Cruz, AJ Dee, Mariel Rodriguez, Bianca Gonzalez, Side A band, K Brosas, Liz Almoro, Amy Perez, Ariel Rivera, Gelli de Belen, Carmina Villarroel, Kristine Hermosa and many more trust her for their locks. Pin trains the Antonio Hairdressing team.

Antonio Hairdressing is a franchise of entrepreneurial couples Peter and Lea Ungson, and Boy and Joyce Ramos. The two couples have long been friends even before they decided to venture into the salon and spa business. The ladies are managers in a multi-national firm where Joyce handles marketing, while Lea is into manufacturing while Pete manages a Caltex service station and a 7-11 outlet. Boy, in the meantime, is into the family business of steel framing and manufacturing.

Antonio Hairdressing Libis (tel. no. 638-4001) is the second branch of Antonio Hairdressing with the first one in QC. Another branch will open soon in Parañaque. For details, call 926-4945.