Billy King opens Alpha on the 6th

The man who revolutionized fine dining in Manila in the early ‘90s is back to where he started it all  in Makati. Alphaland Southgate Tower, the latest gleaming redefinition of the Makati skyline, celebrated the nostalgic return of renowned chef Billy King to his haute cuisine roots in a lavish culinary display of flair and style.

Chef Billy King goes back to his roots in Makati as he once again showcases his culinary genius at The Alpha on the 6th floor of Alpha Land Building.

Guests savored chef Billy’s gastronomic storm for the evening at The Tents events place of Alphaland Southgate Tower. The sumptuous menu included pass-around choices of pizza bruschetta, spring rolls, Vietnamese rolls, breaded fish fillet garlic crumbs, Tonnato style tuna or bread and mushroom spring rolls. A variety of food stations gave the guests delectable treats of oysters with red wine shallot vinegar, hot sauce and lemon wedge, sashimi, sushi, cold cuts, pates, rillete and terrine, assorted cheese with assorted bread and crackers, home cured salmon roulade with avocado cream cheese, apple, celery and horseradish, blackened salmon with special dip on skewers, braised beef star anis and roasted pork lemon, honey and chili.

Chef Billy’s trademark dishes were featured in the buffet spread of braised lamb, dry adobo with tamarind sauce and yogurt with pita bread on the side and baby back ribs. An assortment of sweets included a chocolate fountain, pralines, fresh Baguio strawberries, apple jalousie, cheese cakes, mini crème brûlée and turon with langka. Of course, the bar was open, too!

(From left) Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Apa Ongpin, Billy King and Michelle Ongpin.

The Tents is a 745-sq.-m. magnificent events place, including a 140-sq.-m. al fresco area sitting on the 6th floor of the Alphaland Southgate Tower and housed underneath a stretch of white tents in an enclosed glass structure. It is the only events area in the metro with a full-glass frontage and al fresco area offering a majestic view of Makati City as well as Manila Bay.

Also on the 6th floor are Ukiyo where Japanese cuisine is served and the Tabacalera Cigar Divan serving cigars paired with scotches.

(Alphaland Southgate Tower is strategically located at the corner of EDSA and Pasong Tamo and is a 20-story modern structure clad in glass, connected to an MRT terminal, arising from a six-story podium with ample parking and a shopping mall. Call 337-2031 for reservations.)

Harnessing the beauty within

There’s more to beauty than meets the eye.

(From left) Robert Sun, Lyle Morell, Aida Lapez, Vicki Encarnacion, Sharon Presbitero and Emil Perez.

SM Department Store’s Beauty Section is now offering an entire area for inner beauty where one can now unravel more beauty that is beyond skin deep.

The department store’s beauty section launched its new concept: Beauty Within, a plethora of supplements, vitamins and pharmaceuticals geared towards women’s well-being.

With beauty ingestives, the necessary nutrients are reaching the skin from within, making the transformation faster and more noticeable. Dermatologist Angel Cumagun says, “Ingestives are beauty supplements. By taking supplements orally, the necessary nutrients reach into the inner as well as outer skin layers from within. Thus, the expected outcomes like renewing cells, fighting free radicals as well as boosting the immune system can be felt and seen.” 

The Beauty Section now completes its role as a true beauty enabler by offering such a holistic range of solutions. Consistent with the campaign’s theme of transformation is the birth of beauty within advisors who will serve as the informed voice towards enlightened beauty choices. 

Brand ambassador of Belo Cristalle Henares.

(Beauty Within Section is in SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Fairview and SM North EDSA.)

(For best results, consult your doctor.)

Fly and shop for free

Flying or shopping for free is just a swipe away.

The first credit card that lets you use your points to fly for free and shop for free is finally here  thanks to Metrobank, Cebu Pacific and Robinsons Retail Group for recently introducing the Robinsons Cebu Pacific MasterCard.

The latest in MasterCard’s growing portfolio of value-driven cards, the new card gives cardholders one fly and buy point for every peso spent. Points can be used to shop for free at Robinsons Retail Group stores or to redeem free flights via Cebu Pacific. Cardholders also enjoy big savings via a generous eight percent rebate when used during payday weekends at any of the Robinsons Retail Group stores.

(From left) Robinsons Retail Group (RRG) president and COO Robina Gokongwei-Pe, Cebu Pacific president and CEO Lance Gokongwei, Metrobank Cards Corp. (MCC) president Riko Abdurrahman and MCC senior vice president and deputy cards head Peaches Cuenco.

At the launch were Robinsons Retail Group president and COO Robina Gokongwei-Pe and Cebu Pacific president and CEO Lance Gokongwei.