Greenwich Opens first casual store in Trinoma

The Philippines’ favorite pizza chain Greenwich continues to be on the pulse of what’s in as it opens its newest fast-casual store in Trinoma. Located at the second floor of the popular mall’s Al Fresco area, the new store boasts of an even cozier ambience and a refreshing look, giving those in the north of the metro a great place for a fun barkada experience.



“Greenwich’s fast-casual store concept is about a great place that offers delicious pizza and pasta that are great for bonding with friends. And as part of our commitment to keep giving our barkada customers a leveled up dining experience, we are launching our new and leveled up fast-casual stores starting with Trinoma. This new store has all-new murals, more booth seats, even posh couches and chairs. Being the most innovative pizza brand, we not only pioneer unique pizza variants. We also always make it a point that friends enjoy our delicious products at our new fast-casual stores” says Greenwich marketing director Luis Velasco III.


The new branch in Trinoma, with its contemporary design, offers a very relaxing ambience. From the outside, the façade lures one in with its laid-back look. Inside, subdued lighting and plush red seats make it easy to spend hours chatting with friends and enjoying good food. Colorful photo panels and murals also adorn the walls and the order counter has a more streamlined look. Overall, the comfortably hip interiors, together with Greenwich’s unbeatable menu and warm service, easily make Greenwich Trinoma store a top option for friends looking for an awesome place to hang out in the north. Even heartthrob John Lloyd Cruz (along with the rest of the Greenwich barkada) and DJ Gelli Victor had a great time at the store when they visited it during its recent opening.



“The Greenwich branch in Trinoma is the new favorite hangout of barkadas in the north part of Metro Manila, even those who don’t live nearby come here to actually experience the place,” adds Velasco.


Greenwich’s fast-casual store concept was an innovation that began in 2007. The company’s first fast-casual branch on Ayala Ave., Makati proved to be a hit with the young crowd, prompting the development of more fast-casual stores. Diners can only expect bigger and more exciting things from Greenwich in the coming months.

Win a Shopping Spree from the Regatta Getaways Photo Contest

What was the best vacation you’ve ever been on?

Start browsing through your photo gallery because your vacation photos might help you win awesome prizes from one of the Philippines’ top clothing brands.

The country's most fashionable leisure wear clothing brand is holding a photo contest called Regatta Getaways and everyone is invited to send their best photos from their holiday getaway to regatta.getaways@gmail.com.


Only emailed photos are eligible for the contest, so you should email your submissions instead of uploading them on Facebook.

Include your full name and your Facebook account name, home address, email, and contact number with your submission. Each person may submit up to three entries, and each photo must have a title and a caption of 100 - words or less about what made your vacation memorable. You have to be part of the photo you are going to submit.

Make sure you have the most creative caption and photo for a chance to win Regatta gift certificates worth P 10,000, P 7,000, and P 3,000!

Your photos will be posted on the Regatta Fan Page on Facebook, and you have to be a fan of the Regatta page on Facebook in order to join the contest. Only your name, the title of your photo, and the caption will appear in the post with your photo submission. The top 3 entries with the most number of ŒLIKE¹s will win, so be sure to pick the most creative photo from your holiday! Whether it¹s a photo of a fun summer at a beach with your friends or a photo of yourself exploring the cultural attractions of other countries, send it to us and you might win a shopping spree at Regatta!

And there¹s more: voters also get a chance to win prizes! Those who voted for the winning entries will be eligible to join the raffle for Regatta gift certificates worth P 2,000.


Any Filipino resident can join the contest, and it doesn¹t matter what kind of camera you have. Whether it¹s a point and shoot or a DSLR, as long as it¹s a fantastic photo of your vacation, you have a chance to win!


The Regatta Getaways Photo Contest is open until December 31, 2010. Terms and conditions apply. For more information, please refer to the Regatta Facebook Fan Page.

Enjoy delicious pasta recipes this holiday season

Christmas is fast approaching, and so are the festive holiday gatherings and Yuletide celebrations where mouthwatering dishes abound. And as the holiday rush kicks in, so does the need to whip up delicious but easy-to-prepare menus for the many expected get-togethers. Fortunately, there’s EL REAL Spaghetti and Macaroni.

With two new additions to its pasta offerings, EL REAL Pasta adds a lot of excitement to the holiday dining table. The EL REAL Flat Spaghetti and the EL REAL Curly Macaroni put a twist to the usual pasta recipes. The flat and the curly noodles will be able to retain the delicious flavor of your favorite pasta sauce. They are also very affordable and convenient to cook. The FLAT Spaghetti takes only six minutes to cook while the CURLY Macaroni cooks for five minutes only. EL REAL is first in the market to offer these quick-cook pastas in FLAT Spaghetti and Curly Macaroni. From appetizer and main course to dessert, these two new variants are perfect for a dynamic range of dishes, making it easier to satisfy cravings. Make the most of EL REAL Pasta perfection with the following sumptuous recipes that are easy and affordable to prepare.

Crazy over Classic Carbonara

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup onions, minced
1/4 cup sweet ham, chopped
1/4 cup bacon, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup corn kernels
3 cups EL REAL Flat Spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions
1/4 cup all-purpose cream
4 egg yolks
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Saute onions over low fire for five minutes, then add sweet ham, bacon, carrots, green peas and corn kernels. Cook for five minutes and toss in cooked EL REAL Flat Noodles. In a bowl, combine all-purpose cream and egg yolks. While the pasta is still hot, toss in the cream and egg mixture. Season with salt and pepper as desired, and serve.

Delightful Tuna Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup canned tuna in brine, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1/4 cup onions, minced
1/4 cup carrots, minced
1/4 cup bell peppers, minced
3 cups EL REAL Curly Macaroni, cooked according to package instructions
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
In a bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, oyster sauce, onions, carrots and bell pepper to make a dressing. Toss in cooked EL REAL Curly Macaroni, coating the pasta evenly with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, then chill in the ref before serving.

Discover 7,107 islands through fun and memorable budget trips

Filipinos love traveling, especially now that top budget airline Cebu Pacific Air has made travel destinations accessible and more practical to visit. Joining Cebu Pacific in promoting travel and tourism are innovative individuals who simply love to plan creative budget trips and create itineraries perfect for group travel.


Team Urban Break founder Ian Martinez and WOW Trippers organizer Janine Manaig are just two avid wanderers. They turned their passion for trooping to beautiful local destinations all over the country and enjoying a great time with friends into something even more worthwhile.


An industrial designer by profession, 29-year-old Ian started organizing trips for fun: “I wanted to help my stressed out friends unwind by doing something that’s affordable, exciting and uncommon even just for the weekend.”


In 2008, he started planning out-of-town trips for friends who wanted to learn how to surf. Luckily, most of them found the trips fun and relaxing, and in no time Ian organized more trips to different locations as he formed Team Urban Break (teamurbanbreak.multiply.com).

Janine, who’s into backpacking, trekking and mountaineering, started organizing trip with her adventurous barkada in 2007. WOW Trippers (wowtrippers.com), as Janine’s group is called, decided to start focusing on unknown but must-see destinations in Luzon. Eventually, their leisure trips expanded to other beautiful but remote destinations.

The initial tasks for both Ian and Janine were at first daunting, but the passionate travelers carried on.

“As travel organizers, we first do an ocular of the place we plan to visit before we invite participants to join our travel program,” explains Janine. “The challenge is that we have to travel with different types of people and make the whole experience work for everyone. There are also weather and time constraints to worry about.” As for Ian, implementing his fixed itinerary for a big group is the hardest part, but is the most rewarding, too. “Usually, I bring a staff member along with me or I assign someone from the group to be my main contact person. The best part of organizing group trips is meeting new people. Nothing beats the fun of sharing experiences,” he explains. “It’s one of the best ways to forget about work and to simply relax.”

For Janine, it was simply rewarding to help interested Pinoys travel while keeping their tight budget in check. “Most Filipinos nowadays find it hard to travel because of budget constraints. We want to tell them that traveling doesn’t need to be expensive for it to be fun. By going out in groups and planning in advance, we lessen expected travel expenses.”


Traveling on a budget has truly become a possibility for most adventurous Pinoys nowadays, be it the beaches of Cebu or the sugarland province of Negros Occidental. Making it even easier for trip organizers like Ian and Janine is CEB’s trademark low fares as low as P499 for domestic and P1,499 for international travel, available through www.cebupacificair.com.


Both Ian and Janine both agree that the local travel industry has boomed these past few years, thanks to every Juan’s insatiable curiosity for travel along withthe pioneering efforts of Cebu Pacific. Filipinos should definitely watch out for

more adventures with 7,107 islands to discover and explore which are easily made

accessible by creative trip organizers and low airfares.

Enjoy the holiday rush with a twist

The holidays are just around the corner and as part of the Yuletide tradition, the season comes with people’s heightened passion for shopping. As the streets start to light up with festive decorations, so do the eyes of shoppers as they set their sights on bargains galore. To help them keep up with the Christmas rush, URC Coffee Twist shares these energizing tips.

Shop early, eat breakfast. Go to the shopping center as soon as it opens and get first dibs on all the amazing offerings. But before braving the bargain jungle, make sure that you are well-geared up by eating a healthy breakfast to keep you fueled throughout the shopping day. Smell a tree or something citrus. This helps to reinvigorate you so you can complete that Christmas list.

Take a moment to take deep breaths. Inhaling and exhaling longer increases the oxygen levels in our bloodstream, relaxing the body. This helps you to focus more, especially when you’re overwhelmed with all the wonderful Christmas deals and displays. Rest to relax. When your feet are already sore from too much mall-roaming, sit on the nearest chair and let your muscles rest and relax a bit. After a few minutes, you’ll be ready for more shopping.

Do the twist. Spread your arms wide. Exhale and turn your upper body to the right and inhale to go back to the center. Repeat this on the left side. This simple stretch will help tired back muscles—sore from supporting armfuls of purchases—feel better. Drink the twist. Giving shoppers an energized shopping experience is the delicious instant booster, Coffee Twist. It’s a refreshing ready-to-drink iced-coffee that offers drinkers a rejuvenated feeling with its delicious aroma and full-bodied coffee taste.

Coffee Twist comes in Classic, Hazelnut and Orange flavors. The Classic flavor is for those who want their coffee sweet and black with a twist, the Hazelnut flavor is for those who love their coffee sweet and nutty, and the Orange flavor is for those who want their coffee a little tangy in taste. Invigorating, convenient and affordable, it comes in 230ml sip-and-seal bottles for just P9. So complete your Christmas adventures with Coffee Twist for that amazing shopping experience with a twist. Available in leading supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations nationwide.

Perfect potluck recipes for the holidays, only from Hunts Tomato Sauce with LycoFiber

The holiday season is here again, giving us another delicious excuse to indulge and delight in the most mouthwatering dishes. Moms and cooks who wish to serve only the best fare are once more on the lookout for great-tasting Yuletide meals. With Hunt’s Tomato Sauce with Lycofiber, they can easily feel like a chef as they prepare special dishes meant for sharing with family and friends. Because it offers the combined benefits of lycopene and fiber, Hunts Tomato Sauce with Lycofiber makes it ultra convenient and cost-friendly for moms to prepare healthier, tastier dishes that will never lose their Christmas appeal.




Christmas Cottage Beef Stew

Ingredient:

For mashed potato topping:

3 pieces potatoes
2 ¼ cups milk
1 cup butter
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons basil, chopped

For glazing:

1 piece egg yolk mixed with
2 tablespoon milk


Beef Stew

500 grams beef, pre-softened and sliced into cubes
¼ cup onion, diced
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 tablespoons white wine (optional)
1 1-kilogram pack Hunts Tomato Sauce with LycoFiber
1 piece leek
1 cup beef stock
1/2 teaspoon liquid seasoning


Procedure

For the mashed potato: Boil the potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients when the potatoes are cooked and tender. Mash and mix well. For the stew: Sauté beef in onions until the beef is brown in color. Add the rest of the ingredients including Hunts Tomato Sauce with Lycofiber. Transfer stew in a casserole then cover with mashed potato and brush with egg yolk and milk mixture. Bake in a toaster oven over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until mash potato turns brown. This makes 10 to 12 servings and approximately costs P375.00.



Merry Sweet Chili Garlic Mussels

Ingredients

1 kilo mussels, boiled in water
1/4 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 piece onion, chopped
1 teaspoons ginger, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine or brandy (optional)
1 200g pack Hunts Tomato Sauce with LycoFiber

Procedure

Boil mussels in salted water until they open. When cooked, strain and set aside. In a wok, heat butter and sauté garlic until brown. Add onions, ginger, and half the cilantro. Pour in oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar, rice wine, and Hunts Tomato Sauce with LycoFiber. Let it simmer until sauce becomes slightly thick. Toss in mussels and the remaining cilantro. This makes 7 to 9 servings and approximately costs P130.00.


With these recipes from Hunt's Tomato Sauce with Lycofiber, moms can easily and economically whip up healthy, heartwarming dishes to surprise the whole family and make the Christmas season extraordinarily and excitingly delicious. For more recipes this Christmas season, visit www.yummyhunts.com.

Unilab Nutritionals introduces Athena, the Philippines’ first milk brand for women

Athena helps women fight their every day battles with a triad of health and beauty benefits – a first of its kind in the milk category

Unilab Nutritionals launched Athena, the country’s first and only milk brand that understands women. The event, held last November 26, 2010 in the Grand Ballroom of the New World Renaissance Hotel, introduced Athena’s triad of benefits, a first in the Philippines, and its endorser, Bianca Araneta-Elizalde.

“Beautrition” for the modern-day Filipina

Today’s Filipino woman is a multi-tasker who faces professional and personal
challenges every day.

Athena is the only milk that understands modern-day Filipino women and helps them win their daily battles. Athena promises more benefits than any other skimmed milk brand in the Philippines by offering Beautrition – a combination of beauty and nutrition that gives women a triad of benefits to help them win their everyday battles:

• Beautiful Skin. Athena provides anti-oxidants (Vitamin A, E & Zinc) to help women’s skin become healthier and more beautiful.
• Strong Bones. Athena is high in calcium to help strengthen women’s bones.
• Slim Figure. Athena is low in fat to help women maintain a slimmer figure.

Bianca Araneta-Elizalde is the Athena Woman

Bianca Araneta-Elizalde was introduced as Athena’s endorser for the way she has been able to successfully manage the different aspects of her life. Amid her various roles as model, TV host, entrepreneur, environmentalist and philanthropist, she still has time to be hands-on mother to two children and a caring wife to Juan Elizalde.

Bianca’s believes that Athena is the milk that perfectly complements her lifestyle. “The Beautrition benefit from Athena is unlike any other. I love it! Athena helps me get through my everyday challenges,” she said.

Three Women, Three Benefits

Event-host Bianca Valero also introduced three brand influencers that represent, through the active lives they lead, Athena’s triad of benefits: Lia Cruz who embodied strength through her career as a TV host, Sandra Seifert who embodied body as an
active health buff, and Rissa Mananquil who embodied beauty through her successful international modeling career and fashion icon status.

Each shared about how they were able to successfully manage their busy schedules while still finding time to do the things they love to do.

“Women were looking for a milk product that provides not only health benefits but beauty benefits as well,” said Unilab Nutritionals Division Head, Brenda Miranda. “Athena with Beautrition answers that need and we’re proud to have launched the first and only milk in the Philippines that truly understands women.”

Athena is available in leading supermarkets, groceries and drugstores nationwide.

ZoukOut 10th year celebration heats up Singapore nightlife

Singapore transforms into a dazzling playground this Christmas season with an enviable list of festivities and lifestyle attractions. With its recent series of dazzling developments, Filipinos can now add to their Singapore experience trips to Resorts World Sentosa and the iconic Marina Bay Sands.

But this year, Singapore’s annual end-of- the- year festivities is going to get bigger, badder, and better with the 10th year anniversary of the world-renowned ZoukOut party, the ultimate outdoor dance music festival that will set heartbeats ablaze with a stellar music line-up.

“ZoukOut has become a cornerstone of trailblazing entertainment that music lovers from around the region look forward to each year,” says Lynelle Seow, Singapore Tourism Board-Philippines Area Director. “With its 10th year anniversary, party-lovers who plan to go to ZoukOut this year can expect an unforgettable nightlife experience that’s true to Singapore’s status as the events and entertainment capital of Asia.”



This year, ZoukOut is going to mark its 10th year milestone by celebrating One World, One Music, One Tribe, One Dance with a phenomenal line-up and remarkable surprises from 8pm to 8am on December 11 at Siloso Beach, Sentosa Island. The region’s biggest outdoor party will feature an impressive DJ line-up that includes two headliners: multiplatinum-selling artist and most sought-after producer David Guetta and musical titan Tiёsto. This year’s DJs are a fitting addition to the league of legendary music masters who have been part of ZoukOut, including last year’s Armin van Buuren, Sasha, Tiga, Nouvelle Vague, and Carl Cox.

ZoukOut 2010 also features other top DJs like Booka Shade, Laidback Luke, Dubfire, Dennis Ferrer, and amazing debut acts like Afrojack, Seth Troxler, Midnight Juggernauts, DJ Cash Money, and Lindstrøm. Within its three music arenas, ZoukOut 2010 will also dish out a wide range of music offerings from the usual house, techno, trance, hip-hop, electro, and mambo jambo, with the addition of music genres like disco, boogie, and To give Filipinos a taste of what’s to come, party-goers were treated to the thrills and excitement of this year’s most eagerly anticipated outdoor music fest with official pre-ZoukOut parties in the country’s top clubs.

Singapore’s own DJ Ivan a.k.a Eclipse of Zouk Singapore’s hip-hop room phuture and DJ B of Zouk Singapore’s house music main room gave Cebu a roaring night to remember at the Penthouse last November 19 and 20. Techno prodigy DJ Ghetto also set the legendary party mood in Manila with an amazing pre-ZoukOut bash at the metro’s hippest club, Republiq, last November 24.



“Since 2000, ZoukOut has grown to become a world-class clubbing institution reaching out to over 200,000 attendees from 30 different nations. This year, ZoukOut will take the exciting club culture to a new level with unforgettable party experiences for visitors who will be part of the region’s biggest outdoor music fest,” adds Truly a fitting way to mark ten pivotal years of amazing music, this year’s ZoukOut will celebrate music and offer another best-in-class experience to an even larger audience of dance, music and party lovers.

To get tickets, go to www.sistic.com.sg. Tickets are also available through phone bookings. Call Zouk Club Singapore hotline +65 6738 2988 or fax + 65 6738 3988 (Office hours: Tues – Sat 10am – 2am). All major credit cards are accepted. Visit www.YourSingapore.com or www.zoukout.com, for more details.

About the Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism board (STB) is an economic development agency for one of Singapore’s key service sectors – tourism. The mission of the Board is to develop and champion tourism, so as to build the sector into a key driver of economic growth for Singapore. STB aims to differentiate and market Singapore as a must-visit destination offering enriching experiences through the “Your Singapore” brand. For moreinformation, please visit www.YourSingapore.com.