Spiral Re-Opens Doors this October

The pandemic has brought upon tremendous pressure in establishments especially the hospitality industry in Manila. Tourists have stopped coming in because of health restrictions which is understandable. At this time, even at limited capacity, all health protocols should be in place and I'm glad to hear Sofitel is opening the iconic Spiral again. 

Accor, the world leading hotel group which Sofital Manila belongs to has launched the ALLSAFE Cleanliness and Prevention Label. It is a signature set of global cleanliness and prevention criteria developed with and vetted by Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspections, and certification. This has also been integrated with national and local government guidelines, all in all to make you safe. 

Dining in on Spiral will be a little different. Seating capacity is currently limited and there will be one-meter spacing between guests. Transparent dividers are installed in reception desks and culinary ateliers. The private dining rooms are available for more exclusivity. Staff, chefs and  reception are equipped with safety gears, face shields and masks. Floors have signs for demarcation and a one way route. Each single plate will be served by the chefs from their respective ateliers putting in a one-dish-per-plate policy to prevent cross-contamination. 

For those with special orders or arrangements,  order numbers will be provided for guests to claim later on.  Beverage orders will be done via QR code on each table too. They currently have contactless payment in place including GCash, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and GrabPay too. This is in accordance with government protocols. Guests below the age of 21 years old and above 60 years old though are not permitted to dine in on any restaurant during General Community Quarantine (GCQ) which is still in place in Metro Manila. 

Spiral is starting this arrangement during the first three weekends of October. Please do reserve on Thursday dinner, Friday lunch and dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner, and Sunday brunch. Their rates are set at Php 2,850 for lunch, Php 3,500 for dinner and Php 4,350 for brunch. Call them at (+632) 8832-6988 or email H6308-FB12@sofitel.com.

Are you hungry? I am, but I'm glad to see Spiral is open with these protocols in place. 

That's reassuring!

Accor Hotels Push For Sustainable Seafood in the Philippines

Sunsets at Sofitel Manila

Set at the spectacular sunset of Manila Bay, Accor Hotels which includes Sofitel Manila, Raffles and Fairmont Hotel in Ayala, Novotel in Araneta Center, Joy Nostalg and the Mercure Hotel at the Ortigas business district joined hands in promoting sustainable seafood week at the Sofitel Seawall Garden together with Meliomar, the premier supplier for seafood in the country.

The GM’s of the Accor Hotel properties in the Philippines

AccorHotels Philippines Area General Manager Mr. Adam Laker says "Welcome to Sofitel. Accor being a large chain, we have a very big responsibility to sustainable seafood. Being an island country, we know how important it is to preserve the environment."

Atty. Benjamin Tabios from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources says "Celebrating sustainable seafood is under the law and it is good that the chain of hotels are spearheading this movement. It is the right thing to do."

Vince Cinches the representative from Greenpeace adds "Greenpeace is elated that they are in the right direction for our oceans to recover. Fish and sharks, sharks in particular should not be served. It is important for our oceans to recover."

Meliomar Inc. General Manager Christian Schmidradner says "Welcome to sustainable seafood week. We started small but now look at us caring for seafood sourcing, we continue today with a large government support and even NGO’s to welcome reporting of illegal fishing, to know where your seafood comes from, thank you for being here. Although it’s a small percent right now, this is a long process, not enough yet but with your help we can get there."

The Chef’s of different Accor Hotel properties in the Philippines

During the event, Chef's from these hotels whipped up the best of the best seafood dishes so they could showcase how good it would be to only source seafood without compromising the environment from overfishing and illegal ways. We got impressed by Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s Master French Chef Julien Cosse, Raffles and Fairmont Makati's  Executive Chef Anne-Cecile Degenne, Raffles Makati and Fairmont Executive Sous Chef Ric Ramos, Novotel Manila Araneta Center Executive Chef Michael Schauss, Mercure Manila Ortigas Executive Chef Patricia Mesina and Joy~Nostalg Hotel and Suites Managed by Accor Executive Chef Edgar Alejandria.

Here it is on video, enjoy!

I personally like the risotto, the rolls, and the fried salmon balls which was so exquisite! But most of all, the cause they are doing which I feel should be replicated in ALL hotels in the Philippines. It's the right thing to do so we could have seafood reach the future generations, our children's children.

KUMAGCOW

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Sofitel Wants You to Experience "Tout a la Français"

Just got off the afternoon press conference of Sofitel as they celebrate French Month with their theme "Tout a la Français" or "Everything French" this July. They have invited French Master Chef Patrick Terrien to hold classes of Traditional French Cuisine from July 17-23 including an experience of the Chef's Table and the firing up of the French Stove on the said dates. He will also be doing wine pairing sessions, so if you're interested contact Sofitel Manila via 551-5555 or email them at h6308-fb12@sofitel.com. You can also do it via www.sofitelmanila.com.

Multicolor Sea Bream, Fennel Panna Cotta and Beet Root.

They will also feature French wines on Sunday brunch like the Cotes du Rhone on July 23 and my favorite Burgundy on July 30. So don't hesitate to grab a bottle while you're there. 

Greek vegetable, Coriander and Lemon Confit. 

F&B Manager and Sommelier Tanguy Gras will also have wine pairing classes at 4PM on July 29 so if you haven't experienced that yet, go and book one because it's all worth it. Slots run out fast and only costs Php 2,000++ so get them early. The Bienvenue en Provence Barbecue Wine dinner on the other hand happens on the 28th so if you prefer it in the evening, that is better!

Salmon Paupiettes, Champagne Sauce and Oyster Mushrooms. 

Pork Fillet, Brocolli Puree, Glazed Carrots and Poivrade Sauce. 

Red Snapper Fillet Basquaise with Bordelaise Sauce.

Spring Lamb Shank Navarin. 

Oxtail Beef Parmentier.

Eggplants Duck Terrine, Mushroom Fooe Gras and Walnut Oil.

They've got tons of wines on display, you need not worry if you can't find a bottle because they almost have everything!

I loved all the things I ate in Spiral and the Wine Appreciation sessions I had in the past, I assure you they're some of the best people to talk to for "Everything French" because they are French with a Filipino touch. Come visit them today at Sofitel Manila and enjoy it like I did by calling 551-5555 so you could reserve a table, a private room for your friends and family. Nothing beats the Best Buffet in the Philippines.  

Experiencing The World at Sofitel Manila

Sofitel has always taken the norm of fine dining into new heights every time. Case in point is the last time I was there for Flavors of the World: Wonderful Indonesia. This is a series of specials that they are doing in a span of a few months featuring dishes from different countries around the world every month. And if you say authentic, they get the Ambassador of Indonesia to actually grace the occassion. They even had a lady from the tourism board to perform for us that afternoon some really special Indonesian cultural dance.

Part of the things they served that afternoon were Gado Gado, an extravagant salad with raw vegetables and crunchy krupuk (like our local Kropek) on top.

They also had us try Cendol which is the Indonesian traditional dessert which can be also likened to our Halo Halo except that they mostly use a seaweed or rice based jelly with Pandan flavor and coconut milk.

Sofitel will be dedicating a portion of their ateliers every month to a specific country so they could showcase the dishes and make you want to travel around the world without leaving SPIRAL, Sofitel Manila's premier buffet restaurant. 

This coming month, they will be featuring Amazing Thailand and will do the same for the dining ateliers. Mind you they have 21 in the property so if you are looking for something else, Spiral is the best place to start because it's the best there is in the Philippines. You can quote me on that. Visit http://sofitelmanila.com/ if you want to know more about Flavors of the World and reserve for you and your friends a seat at Spiral today!

Spiral Does Three This First Quarter

We had our eyes glued on stage when we were treated with a great afternoon of Korean, Chinese and Valentines flair at Sofitel Manila. First up is the Korean Food Festival, a thing that they're celebrating in the hotel for the first time. It's a mix of cultural performances, experience and lovely Korean food offerings that will be done in Spiral the whole month and will remain in the offerings in one of the dining ateliers in the best buffet destination in the Philippines. Aside from that, they flew in Chef Jang Bo-Ik of Grand Ambassador Seoul to conduct a few Korean cooking demonstrations and lessons at Sofitel, just ask so you could participate with these efforts by the Korean Cultural Center and the hotel.

 They will also have legit Korean Hanbok and dresses displayed for photo ops in Spiral so if you feel like dressing up, it'll be fun in specially designed photo booths they prepared during the event. I love the small sweets they also had us try plus the beef dishes and kimchi which is probably part of their cuisine. You should ask the hotel how you would be able to experience that too and they can make arrangements.

Valentines Day at Sofitel

For those looking for the perfect venue to have those perfect dates this Valentines day, Sofitel offers their place plus Sunset plus special packages during this time. They also got all the aphrodisiacs lined up if you're a little frisky on these dates. I love the Balut so much I had to put it here!

 To lobsters, sea cucumbers, abalone, they've got that prepared if you want your dinner to be the best. They can also arrange it in Sofitel's rooftop where you can literally have a grand view of the city and Manila Bay. Just ask and they can arrange the perfect proposal venue for you within hotel grounds. I've seen it myself and it is just picturesque! You should consider popping the question this February. Spiral and Sofitel has a lot of ways to say I love you, they can help you with that too.

Lunar New Year at Spiral

Usher in the Lunar New Year in Spiral as they welcome the Monkey with prosperity plates filled with almost imperial dishes whether ala carte or part of their buffet offerings. I gasped seeing the tons of food they had us try that afternoon.

Chef Michael Tai offers 10 secrets to happiness and features dishes to interpret prosperity, faith and fortune. Aside from that, Albert Andrada will be having his La Prosperite Chinoise Collection right on Spiral's grounds so you'll have a real deal world class fashion show from the man who dressed Ms. Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach in that iconic Blue Gown she wore in the pageant.

It was majestic, and this is actually just one of them. So just imagine what Albert Andrada has up on his sleeves come Sunday lunch of the Chinese New Year Celebrations in Sofitel!

This is impressive, I can't wait to see the rest of the year with Sofitel. For reservations, please call 551-5555 and ask for the 4 course dinner with wine offers. I like that specifically.

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