Hop into good fortune and indulge in the abundant Chinese New Year 2023 Menu offering of Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria

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Kung Hei Fat Choy on the year of the water rabbit!!!

We got invited by Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria for their Chinese New Year Menu Tasting. It is an honor to be among the few who were there to experience their Chinese New Year Menu offering for 2023.

On January 22nd, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria will be filled with a cheerful energy brought by the Dragon and Lion Dances starting from 11AM onwards. This will be accompanied by the traditional Eye Dotting Ceremony and Exchange of Gift Ceremony!

Indulge in the abundant offerings of Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria this Chinese New Year! From January 15 to 23, celebrating this occasion with your loved ones will made even more special at Xin Tian Di.

Give them a treat of the restaurant's Nian Gao and Yu Sheng. Relish the unique flavors from the auspicious and mouthwatering selections of a la carte menu and special set menu. Toast for good luck and health as we welcome the year of the water rabbit!

Here's a literally quick overview of what transpired at the event including the ceremonial Yu Sheng toss where everyone happily participated "tossing in the good fortune and abundance".

They are offering a special menu (3 appetizers, soup, 6 main dishes, special rice, and 2 desserts) called Fortune Set Menu that's good for 5 or 10 pax and available for the Chinese New Year celebration.

One of the appetizers served are these adorable Lunar Jade Rabbit Dumplings with XO Sauce are savory shrimp bits wrapped in rice starch paper.

Another appetizer served is the Chao Chew Hometown Flavor Platter featuring 8 delightful ingredients - flavorful pork belly, smoked duck breast, rich cuttlefish, tasty chicken meat, tofu, jelly fish, century egg, topped with peanuts. It is served with ginger and hoisin sauce on the side.

The Fish Maw and Dry Scallop in Sea Cucumber Dumpling Soup is a warm bowl of seafood medley that you'll also enjoy at the Chinese New Year special menu of Xin Tian Di. The soup, from the name itself, features fish maw, dry scallop, and sea cucumber.

After all the appetizers, we did the ceremonial Yu Sheng salad toss.

Yu Sheng is a staple in celebrating Chinese New Year. This dish must not to be missed sabot symbolizes good luck, good health and good wealth!

Upon placing the Yu Sheng, say Gong Xi Fa Cai, Wan Shi Ru Yi, and Shenti Jiankang to be prosperous, that all your wishes be fulfilled, everything you do be smooth-sailing and to have good health.

Everyone got to add in an ingredient to complete the dish and say some Chinese words:

When adding the Calamansi say Da Ji Da Li to have good luck, good fortune and great prosperity..

When adding the raw Salmon say Nian Nian You Yu to enjoy abundance throughout the year

When sprinkling the minced peanut and sesame seeds say Sheng Yi Xing Long and Jin Yin Man Wu to have a flourishing business and a household filled with gold and silver.

When pouring the oil, say Yi Ben Wan Li and Cai Yuan Guang Jin to enjoy a ten thousand fold profit from your investments and to be blessed with many sources of wealth

When adding the plum sauce, say Tian Tian Mi Mi to have a sweet life and loving relationships

When scattering the crackers, say Man Di Huang Jin to signify the floorbbeing covered with gold, and for you to obtain abundant wealth

When tossing the You Sheng, say Lo Hei then ramble any auspicious phrase that comes to your mind.

Plus every other ingredient of the Yu Sheng symbolizes something, and the higher you toss, the better fortune for the year.

Carrots is for blessing and good luck, Pomelo is for luck and smooth journey throughout the year, cabbage is for hundred years of good wealth, abalone is for guaranteed good fortune, green cucumber is for wealth and fertility, melon and coriander is for family unity, jellyfish is for wealth, taro is for rising fortune and property, ginger is for good health and longevity, red beet root is for luck and happiness, and radish is for prosperity in business and promotion at work.

Among the main dishes served is the Wok Fried Prawns in Shanghai Spicy Style featuring delectable stir-fried prawns in rich flavors of Shanghai Spicyand garnished with breathtaking flying, or is it floating, noodles.

This will surely be a conversation piece...and would be another favorite dish for photo ops.

The Stewed Stuffed Grouper with Beijing Style Sauce is boneless Lapu-Lapu with minced siomai filling flavored with savory Beijing sauce. This is among my favorites.

The desserts served at the Chinese New Year special menu of Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria

The traditional Pan Fried Sweet Tikoy that's soft, chewy and sticky rice cake that will surely usher in continuous success as we welcome the 2023 Chinese New Year

And there's also the Shanghai Hot Massachi which is sweet sticky rice balls made with glutinous rice, ground pants and black sesame cream filling.

I took some photos and videos (many are uploaded on our official Facebook page) of the restaurant while waiting for others to arrive for our Chinese New Year Menu Tasting for content creators.

With this preview, I could already say that celebrating #CNY2023 at CPMG would be more than satisfying.

Let's hop into good fortune this 2023! Make your reservation today! Contact them now at 02 98790 3100, fandb.reservations@ihg, or +63 927 163 0128.

Hop On to the Year of the Water Rabbit with Xin Tian Di, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria!

Sheraton Manila Bay Hops to the Year of the Rabbit with Auspicious Offerings

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Celebrate good fortune and good food this Chinese New Year as Sheraton Manila Bay ushers the Year of the Water Rabbit with opulent Chinese New Year festivities, delightfully crafted hampers, bountiful goodies and more.

Bring luck, wealth, and prosperity to your homes with Sheraton Manila Bay’s Auspicious Chinese Hamper priced at Php 3,200 net per set inclusive of chocolate rabbit, dried fruits, peanut sesame brittle, pineapple bun, Mung Bean Cake, and a lucky rabbit stuffed toy.

Elevate your Chinese New Year celebration with homemade goodies meticulously prepared by our culinary team. Take a pick from a festive selection at the Lobby Kiosk including Chocolate Rabbit Box, Peanut Sesame Brittle, Pineapple Bun, Moon Cake, Mung Bean Cake, Set of Dried Fruits & Chinese Chocolate Coins, and Tikoy Box Set.

On January 21, the hotel will hold auspicious activities as guests are treated to a Chinese Dragon and Lion dance and traditional dotting of the eye ceremony to be performed at the hotel lobby from 10am to 12nn. Complete the tradition with a celebratory drink with family and friends at &More by Sheraton where you can enjoy our special Coffee of the Month “Shanghai Lungo” for only Php 250++ per order available until January 31, 2023.

Sheraton Manila Bay is located at M. Adriatico cor. Gen. Malvar Streets, Malate, Manila. For reservation please call +632 5318 0788 or email reservations.manilabay@sheraton.com. Like us on Facebook and Instagram @sheratonmanilabay and Twitter at @sheratonmnlbay.

PBA basketball player Robert Bolick and his wife Cassandra are the franchisee of the 60th Kurimi Milk Tea Bar

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Milk teas have not gone down in popularity, thus the demand for the cold and refreshing drink with sinkers continues to rise, and even the pandemic was no threat to the milk tea business since the drinks could easily be delivered via riders to our homes.

Since the pandemic is now manageable, businesses, not just travel and tourism, are now bouncing back for "revenge" including franchising opportunities....of which Kurimi Milk Tea Enterprises Corporation handles. The company is led by its President and CEO, Richie Cuna.

It's no wonder why we got an invitation to another milk tea cafe. The milk tea business will never die because we could conveniently customize our drink preference by choosing among the various flavors, sugar percentage and even among several choices of sinkers from your quintessential and most popular boba pearls to fruits, creams, jellies and lots more. 

We got invited to the grand opening of Kurimi Milk Tea Bar Ayala Malls Feliz branch yesterday. Ayala Mall Feliz, which is along Marcos Highway, is somewhat at the border of Marikina and Pasig but its address is still within Pasig. The branch is located at the 5th level near the cinema of the Mall.

The Ayala Malls Feliz branch has PBA Basketball player Robert Bolick and his lovely wife Cassandra as franchisee of the 60th branch. Kurimi Milk Tea Bar has branches nationwide, not just within Metro Manila. They're opening more soon so watch out for them at the areas neatest you.

Before the grand opening program and ribbon cutting ceremonies started, I was able to talk with Cassandra, who could very well be also Kurimi's celebrity endorser, since she has the looks fitting for a celebrity. She talks and smiles confidently like a star with a very pleasing personality and friendly to her fans (who I am now one). Robert is a very lucky guy to have her!

Cassandra said her favorite milk tea flavor is the Brown Sugar while her husband's is the Oreo Cheesecake so I did tried the two as per her recommendation...and true enough, both flavors did not fail to please me my taste buds.

Kurimi uses instagrammable 2D designs by way of combining white interiors with black outlines to mimic that of a black and white comic book or cartoon on their cafes, with different themes like the basketball peg on the Ayala Malls Feliz branch since the franchisee, Robert Bolick, is a basketball player. If you'll Google for the other branches, you'll see that each branch has a unique theme based on the franchisees preference.

Aside from the various milk tea drinks, Kurimi also offers some snacks like oven-cooked pizzas, gyozas and chicken pops (which are better called flats because of their shape). The snacks are obviously just there as add-on choices that you could eat while enjoying your drinks at the branch but you could also have them for take-out and eat anywhere you prefer. They're not salty and tastes just right to match their milk teas.

Richie Cuna, President and CEO of Kurimi Milk Tea Enterprises Corporation, personally welcomed and toured us at the grand opening. 

Kurimi Milk Tea Bar Ayala Malls Feliz is the 60th and latest addition to the continuously growing branches of the creamiest and "pinakamasarap" milk tea in the country.

Congratulations again to Robert and Cassandra.

If there are no Kurimi Milk Tea Bar yet at your area, you too could become a franchisee. Just contact Kurimi Milk Tea Enterprises Corporation or inquire at any branch to be guided accordingly. For less than a million as investment, it will be the best choice you'll do as ROI is fast and definite.

You'll never go wrong with a milk tea business, unless they invent a better alternative.