Thursday, July 28, 2005
Magsaysay: A razzle-dazzle opening
By Jo Magsaysay
Whatever
A full moon, a noon hour auguring well…good feng shui…Sto. Niño never fails to shower his blessings…Father Ernesto Javier intones the ritual prayer …Gov. Gwen Garcia cuts the ribbon…Teddy bears and roosters for mascots…Pyrotechnics, razzle-dazzle display of fireworks. Nothing left to chance; this was, after all, the grand opening of Banilad Town Center.
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Reluctant to push my way through the huge crowd gathered at the main entrance, to shove past the throng up and down the escalator for the opening of Robinsons, I veered towards Gloria Jeans. Thought of backtracking homeward; no way would I gobble and guzzle along with the herd. Ordered a refreshing glass of green tea latte and a BLT, both delish; watched the passing traffic. To comply with etiquette, a pro-forma appearance, the Koksengs after all, are my very dear friends. I decided to join the assemblage. There they were: Raymond and Daisy, Earl and Jojo, Sonny and Mildred, so dear, so sweet, so warm I needed no persuasion to stay and join Connie Uytengsu Kokseng, Millie Sembrano, Ching Dychangco, Zelia Borromeo and Chinggay U. at their table.
Mildred, such a darling girl, brought a “little of everything” on a plate from the buffet, where an ordinary queue of guests helped themselves to limitless luncheon fare. Mildred must want to fatten me up some more!
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Unique, according to Raymond Kokseng (top honcho, top banana, top man on the totem pole, president, CEO, spokesperson and all-around great and wonderful guy to know) which means different: shade trees and flowering shrubs creating a green and refreshing ambiance, the U-shaped building, designed by well-known architect Manuel Guanzon, like a horseshoe magnet attracting all comers with open arms; wide storefronts with clusters of tables and chairs invite people-watching Parisian sidewalk-café style; diversity in the shops for dining, fashion, science, education, health, electronics.
Congratulations! I told Ray and Earl who disclaimed the honor. This is Sonny’s baby. True to form, my favorite wag had a witty repartee. This baby actually has many fathers, or should I say, this father has many babies! Whoever and whatever, the Banilad Town Center is another one of the Kokseng family’s entrepreneurial achievements and we raised a toast (excellent red wine guys!) to Connie Kokseng, the mother of them all! (Sonny, sweetie, you have a parking problem which, knowing how your quick mind works, you will soon find a solution to, a sky space park maybe?). Nothing succeeds like success. Knock on wood!
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Chains, linking one another in an amazing integration of consumerism. A maze of 33 shops peddling goods that dazzle the eye, boggle the mind: auto parts, gewgaws, bling-bling, shoes, bags, garments…branded, unbranded, vintage, avant-garde. Name it, they have it in counters, shelves, hangers. Fascinating come-ons from Ting Things, Teelicious, Aliaz, Basta Blush, Chi Chi, Rica, Fashionality Cell Zone, Remixx, Party Central, Simply Chic, Garlan’s Lily’s, Meg’s, Gwapita Ego, Articoli Regalo, Leonardo Zoe, MisFitting Room, Jonam’s, Male Atraxxion.
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Weaving in and out the chain of shops, Msgr. Roberto “Boy” Alesna officiated at the formal store opening. A venturesome threesome, Joseph Kimsing, Claire Acebu and Philip Khan Lim pooled resources and entrepreneurial talents to form the Cebu Link Management Inc., connecting the chains together on the main floor of the BTC. Cocktails and canapés. Noted Maida Veloso, Zeny Deen, Nita Chiongbian lending grace and moral support to Tita Durano, whose Ting’s Things glittered with beaded bags. Mike Rama to cut the ribbon (he is guapo, isn’t he?) along with a smiling young woman he introduced to me later as Joy Pesquera (is she the significant other?). A delightful palabas with an animated song and dance number performed by an exuberant pair of Balikbayan twins, Maureen and Marni Pearson, children of Joseph’s sister Marian, married to an Elvis Presley impersonator in Las Vegas. The twins’ brother Brandon, with a the-world-is-mine attitude, reaped whistles, cheers and raucous applause when he strutted up and down the corridor modeling in a Mix Match fashion show directed by Roger Acebu. Ella Kimseng, who has a lively imagination, had teenage models dressed up with a skirt from one shop, a blouse from another, a necklace of glass beads, chandelier earrings here, a scarf, a belt and a bag from there and any number of accessories from the 33 stores in Chains. Very clever!
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Rai-Rai Ken actually should be Lai-Lai Ken but we’re told the letter “L” is a Japanese tongue-twister, so we’ll have to settle for “Rai” instead of “Lai,” which still means “c’mon my house c’mon!” Tim Capellan, a genial publicist-cum-businessman, took pains to translate the meaning of the Japanese restaurant, the seventh in Cebu in seven years. Must be lucky seven or how else would we have met its owner, Benjamin Garcia who rarely makes an appearance. Rai-Rai Ken has made its presence felt in the country for 20 years and Manilans believe in the authenticity of its cuisine. One would think it is a Japanese-owned restaurant but Benjie is as Pinoy as balut, a baby-faced honest-to-gosh chef who does the marketing himself to ensure the freshness of the ingredients. Fresh as in raw slices of tuna, raw salmon, raw squid and raw octopus for the sashimi, which the uninitiated, like Cookie Newman, cringe at the sight of but to such aficionados as Nelia Neri and Jimmy Picornel and me, slurpingly delicious!
Ramen, the Japanese noodle soup, took on an exciting taste when chef Benjie disappeared into the kitchen to concoct the garlic and chili sauce so spicy that Honey Loop looked like she swallowed a whole chili pepper when the ramen bowls were brought out for the media to sample. The gyoza is the Japanese replication of the Chinese hakaw, transparent gelatinous rice wrapped around minced meat and vegetables, dumpling style. Benjie’s sister Angel was heaven-sent, supervising with a keen eye and quick smile the service of sushi, bento, tempura and shredded beef. I had discovered Rai-Rai Ken several years ago in Ayala and found their dishes so good, so affordable, I had been a frequent customer since.
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“Coffee and dessert at my place,” invited Tim Capellan who is managing director of InAsia. “My place” turned out to be the Coffee Beanery on A.S. Fortuna st. Large, spacious and neat, the Beanery joins the mushrooming coffee bars sprouting all over town. A franchise of the 10-year-old coffee bar in Manila, this one bids fair to become a popular hangout for those who want to chill-out. Tim recommended that the media try the coffee latte which was prepared by an espresso chef right before our eyes: hot coffee poured into a cup and then cold milk poured with a twist of the wrist over the coffee and voila! A pattern of a leaf so pretty it was criminal to stir it! Pura Kintanar and Chinggay U. opted for a tall glass of steaming frothy milk sprinkled with macadamia nuts. The dessert counter was practically stripped of the goodies for us to sample and a slice of tiramisu, a spoonful of chocolate mouse, a helping of sponge cake and other creations from Ligaya Quisumbing’s kitchen. Glen Ortiz is the new resident manager of the Coffee Beanery while Capillan attends to his many businesses of image-making, meeting interesting personalities, visiting places.
(July 28, 2005 issue)
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