Flavors of Morocco at Kasbah

Those craving for Moroccan fare will surely be delighted when they dine and party at Kasbah.

Kasbah had its grand opening at the Fort Strip in Taguig City recently. It was actually already open a few weeks before, and I had the chance to check it out and have a drink with one of the owners, Martin English. The restaurant and bar, famous for adding exotic luxury to the Boracay dining scene, now showcases the best of Morocco’s flavors in its souk-inspired two-level Manila home.

Managing director Madonna English (Martin’s wife) welcomed guests to the very well-attended affair. The interiors were designed by Martin English and Robin da Roza, who captured the North African décor in plush cushions and vibrant colors.

A dinner spread by chef Fadi Zaidan featured tabbouleh, tangier calamares, Moroccan cigar spring rolls, lamb tagine, seafood tagine, and for dessert, baklava and panna cotta. Drinks from Don Papa rum (made from Negros sugar) and Moët & Chandon Hennessy VS kept guests happy while they enjoyed music from Moroccan sitar and table musicians, guitar players and the vocal rock performances of Kasbah regular Noli Aurillo and Kevin Roy. There was a surprise appearance of a belly dancer, who danced her way through the crowd.

That the merrymakers partied until the wee hours of the morning wasn’t surprising at all given the great atmosphere, great food, great company and an insane amount of booze at Kasbah. I definitely will be hanging around this place a lot!

Others seen were Chiqui Mabanta, Irene Laviña, Christian Schmidradner, Gary Davies, Milton Adamson, Rudi Haak and Maurice Arcache.

Saltimbanco in Manila

Saltimbanco is one of the numerous (and equally thrilling) shows of Cirque du Soleil. I saw Saltimbanco with some friends years ago in Hong Kong. I was quite happy to know that Hoopla Inc., the same company that brought Varekai last year, was also responsible for the recent Saltimbanco shows in Manila. I was also glad that my parents got to see the circus here.

Bringing a show as grand as Saltimbanco to different cities across continents is not easy. Two 747 cargo planes filled with technical materials, thousands of costumes and more than 90 cast and crew members landed at the Manila airport to get the show ready on time. It took them two days to set up more than 180,000 pounds (or more than 80 tons) of equipment for the Manila run at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Saltimbanco comes from the Italian saltare in banco, which literally means “to jump on a bench” and is set to amaze audiences with its eclectic cast of characters and colorful acrobatics. Fifty performers from 21 different countries comprise the cast that tours the world, rehearsing many hours each day to showcase astonishing acrobatics and athleticism. Saltimbanco is the longest running Cirque du Soleil touring show, a unique performance that has been seen by more than 13 million people around the world.

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil evolved into a major Québec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries.

Saltimbanco had a great run in Manila. At the opening night, guests enjoyed cocktails before the show. Here’s hoping that Hoopla will bring the numerous other shows offered by Cirque du Soleil to Manila in the future!

(For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.)