What’s on the Menu? Firecracker display tonight at Resorts World Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Resorts World Manila (RWM) welcomes the Year of the Horse with its Imperial Festival ongoing until Feb. 15. The festival is a two-week grand variety of oriental offerings featuring the ceremonial firecracker lighting and Kun Seng Keng lion dance ceremonies, food and fortune-telling booths, a Chinese orchestra, charms, acrobats, geomancers, magic shows, rickshaw photo booths, and more. Prosperity trees can be found around RWM where members can try out their luck and pick numerous surprises, including a peek at their fate via the fortune-telling booth; a posterity shot with friends and family at the Imperial Festival photo booth; or a gift certificate to RWM food outlets courtesy of RWM and Megaworld Corporation, all for a minimum single-receipt purchase of P2,000.  RWM formally welcomes the Lunar New Year today at 11 p.m. with a firecracker display to bring forth luck to guests. Booths for Polland Hopia, fruits, Bee Cheng Hiang barbecue meat, and Double Treasure Chinese lucky charms will also be on hand at The Plaza. Firecracker displays are also slated on Jan. 31 at 3 p.m., Feb. 1 at 11 a.m., and Feb. 7 and 14 at 11 p.m.

For information, call 836-6333 or visit www.rwmanila.com.

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Milk tea and smoothies at Lemon Baby

Lemon Baby opened its first shop at Aseana Power Station, Macapagal Boulevard, Parañaque, Manila, on Dec. 22. Lemon Baby offers tea mixtures using Italy’s tea-making methods to create the freshest and highest grade of hot and cold tea drinks. Lemon Baby offers milk tea, healthy lemon, roast milk tea, coffee, fresh tea, smoothie and the special mix, which makes use of main ingredients that are all natural.

It recently opened its second store at SM City Bacoor.  As a soft-opening treat, for every purchase of any Lemon Baby beverage get a regular milk tea for free. 

Chinese-inspired dishes at Discovery Suites

Discovery Suites offers a lunch buffet at Restaurant 5, and a special selection of Chinese-inspired dishes at 22 Prime. On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, Restaurant 5 offers popular Chinese dishes like prawn noodle XO with baby shrimp scallions, crispy chicken oyster Szechuan-style over a lobster and ginger fried rice, and mussels steamed with sweet basil, dried chili and coconut juice, among others. Restaurant 5’s lunch buffet is priced at P895+ per person. 22 Prime features oriental-inspired dishes including grilled char siyu rib eye with baby bokchoy, shiitake mushrooms, potatoes and oyster sauce, lemon-glazed prawns with cilantro-scented rice, roasted peppers and toasted sesame seeds, salt and pepper spareribs with spring onion potato purée, crispy “five-spice” chicken with young baby corn, fresh snow peas and ginger rice, and steamed sea bass with Hong Kong-style noodles. The special menu is available until Feb. 1.

For information, call 719-6822, 719-8888 or e-mailfbds@discovery.com.ph.

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Ang Ku Kueh at Crowne Plaza

Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria offers room packages and lucky feasts. Book and stay at Crowne Plaza for two consecutive nights until Feb. 13, and get as much as 25 percent off your room rate and 50 percent off on buffet breakfasts at Seven Corners. On Jan. 31, welcome the Year of the Horse with a timeless tradition as the lobby comes alive with beating drums, lion and a dragon dance performance at 11 a.m.

Making the feast extra special is a Chinese delicacy called Ang Ku Kueh (Tortoise Cake), a small oval-shaped pastry with soft, sticky glutinous rice-flour skin wrapped around a sweet filling. Its shape resembles a tortoise shell, which is believed to bring longevity and success.  Chinese executive chef Sam Lee also prepares pork siomai with baby abalone, Ang Ku Kueh, prawns encased with sticky rice cake, and poh pia, crispy mixed seafood with taosi. Each item represents an ingredient that brings happiness, wealth and good fortune. There is a set menu signifying abundance — scallops with abalone and sea moss, yu sheng salad and steamed codfish fillet with taosi. New Year set menu prices start at P4,800+.

Xin Tian Di offers fish-shaped tikoy available until Jan. 31 for P 498+. Toss the yu sheng salad at home in small servings good for four to six persons at P988+ and large servings good for 10 to 12 persons at P1,888++ available until Feb. 13.

For information, call 633-7222 or e-mail cpgm.reservations@ihg.com.