I received an email from Elian about his new resto serving brisket!!! Immediately I told the hubby and he said he wanted to go ASAP! As in ASAP! 🙂 He has been researching for brisket in the states and here!!
Previous entry: In Search of the Best Brisket September 20 2015
And finally someone is serving brisket!!! Woody as in Woody’s Texas Bar-B-Q, the city’s newest restaurant and its only Texas barbecue joint.
Ines Cabarrus-Habayeb and her Houston-raised husband Elian Habayeb have converted their original Chihuahua Mexican Grillbranch on Makati Avenue into a cozy dive serving ribs, brisket, and smoked sausage like none you’ve ever tasted.Executive Chef Christian Vecin (a.k.a. The Pit Boss) mans the kitchen. After working at restaurants all over the United States (including Virginia, DC, and California), Vecin returned to Manila taking the position of Chef de Partie at Vask in BGC. He also happens to be the reigning champ of the Chihuahua Chili Throwdown, last held in 2013, and every Thursday he cooks up a batch of his “Champ’s Chili” for Woody’s guests. #woodystexasbbq #brisket
It was good but the hubby wants to come back when it’s fresh from the grill and that’s at 6pm !! We will be back!!!
The hubby talking to Chef Christian

Slush!!!! YUM!! My favourite is the Long Island Iced Tea
Lunch with James my hubby and his sister, Dina 🙂 
Since it’s our first time to try Woody’s Texas BBQ, we ordered a Three Peat for P295.00 It’s great because you can choose 3 kinds of meat and try them. We got the hot link sausage, bbq ribs and pulled pork which we liked the best!!! So tender and tasty! Chef Chris also recommended it!! A MUST TRY!
Pulled Pork. So tender and juicy, it’s pulled right off the bone by hand–hence the name. 
My favourite side is the Bacon Mac and Cheese
Woody’s Texas Bar-B-Q
7838 Makati Avenue (parking at A-Venue Mall)
891-3192 and 0916-373-7308
Open 11am to 2am daily
Delivery: Food Panda
Click below to go to their website
F&F returns to retro with its Womenswear and Menswear collections to capture this season’s nostalgic wander back to the Seventies, blurring the line with late 1960’s fashion styles.
WOMENSWEAR
This season, signature styles of the 1970’s era are given an exquisite feel. Textures are nostalgic with the resurgence of suede, shearling and patchwork. Tailored culottes, jackets and a trench arrive in real suede leather with the look of crushed velvet. There is further focus on contrasting textures with chiffon dresses worn with lightweight knitted roll necks throughout.
The colors of the season are unconventional; clashing pinks, berry’s, rust and buttery camels with pops of orange and teal. Furnished prints add a retro identity to draped jersey tops.
Ladies outerwear sees a maximalist aesthetic; a bohemian shearling jacket offers an enhanced, boxy silhouette in clashing camel hues, a real investment piece this season. Faux fur accents are a strong accessory trend whilst looks are accented with a fur cropped hooded cape or striking stole.
Layering is key to the silhouette – high waisted trousers, shrunken jackets, pussy bow blouses and fun shift dresses create a vintage-inspired look.
Silhouettes are enhanced with the addition of a clean leg boot in rich wintery tones or a paired down fringe loafer. The top handle shoulder bag in statement teal or the classic tan saddle bag further anchor the 70’s inspiration. Bold buckle belts and brassy button detail add psychedelic drama to leather tailoring.
MENSWEAR
Menswear sees the vintage aesthetic continue across key staple pieces. Fabrics and details are nostalgic with leather biker jackets embossed with a vintage polish, whilst subtle jacquard stripes decorate the sleekest of grey wool suits. Bringing depth to the look, knit jumpers in burnt amber and orange hues add warmth to charcoal tailoring.
The season heralds a combination of both rustic and contemporary revival, as oversized scarves bring a frayed edge to clean cut trench coats and smart wool trousers. Maintaining a slim and sharp silhouette, blazers are reinvigorated with tweed-like textures.
Men’s occasionwear sees black dinner jackets in soft velvet worn with jersey t-shirts splashed in artisanal prints. A sensitive play of light and dark tones bring a minimalist quality.
Richard Collins, CEO of F&F says “Our AW15 collections are particularly strong – trend, variety and wearability combine in a modern handwriting which continues to build momentum on last year’s success and on what F&F are so well known for. We decided to hold our press event this year at the prestigious Savoy ballroom to deliver a more informal yet still impactful event. The salon style show will create a more intimate experience allowing us to really showcase our AW collection”
In the Philippines, F&F is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., a member of SSI Group, Inc., and is located at Glorietta 3, Century City Mall, SM North Edsa, SM Clark, Wellworth UP Town Center, Wellworth Fairview Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu, Limketkai Mall Cagayan de Oro and Veranza Mall General Santos. It will be opening soon at Estancia Mall and Paseo de Sta. Rosa. Visit www.ssilife.com.ph for more information.
Aside from fine pens, Mont Blanc has fine watches 

Donnie Tantoco President of Rustan’s Comml Corp, @donnietantoco Mr Anouar Guerraroui Managing Director Mont Blanc, Maritess Tantoco Enriquez Vice President for Merchandising Rustan’s Comml Corp, Julien Miribel Master Watchmaker, Nathanael Tan Senior Sales Manager, Katharina Ultiechi Senior Mktg Manager
Nathanael Tan Senior Sales Manager and Luzanne Manlapit Brand Manager Rustan’s Comml Corp 
Beautiful speech by Donnie Tantoco
The Montblanc Villeret collection is the top of the line collection and made in house.
It takes two weeks to make the bridge. Julien the Master watchmaker said that even if the parts inside are not seen, they must be as beautiful as the outside.
MONTBLANC COLLECTION VILLERET
The prestigious Manufacture Minerva, forerunner of what has today become the Montblanc manufacture in Villeret, has always combined traditional Swiss craftsmanship with the quest for innovation. With timeless aesthetics and intricate mechanical movements crafted entirely in-house, the watches produced here still express the same core values upon which the company was founded in 1858.
It’s that time of the year again when Pierre and Ria introduce their new collection and packaging for Fruit Garden! 
We had cocktails at L’Entrecote
Previous entry: L’Entrecote October 6, 2011
Jam with Capiz Christmas balls 
New flavours using Philippine lemon – it’s a gigantic lemon 🙂 
My favourite part is having jam in different food dishes! From breakfast to dinner all in one 🙂
The 2015 festive collection has been inspired by the French region where kings have been crowned from 898 to 1825 : The Champagne region , birthplace of the most popular sparkling wine in the world
Our Christmas jams come in wave bottles with a finish of Champagne giving a unique taste.
The 2015 festive range is also complemented with new flavors inspired by the generosity of local farmers.
Beautiful yellow lemons from the Negros province have been chosen to make a Lemon marmalade, the native guava from Mindanao has been paired with a violet flower aroma for an innovative and unique Guava violet jam. And Tagaytay pineapples along with raspberries create another one of our flavours complemented with spices, Spiced pineapple raspberry jam.
The Wave set
2 wave jams of 120gr : Strawberry champagne, Peach spiced champagne
The Gift box
3 assorted jam of 120gr Lemon marmalade Guava violet Spiced pineapple raspberry
Epernay coffret
4 assorted jams of 120g and 2 capiz shell balls
Reims coffret
5 assorted jam of 120gr
The Champagne discovery set
6 assorted jam of 30gr
Champagne coffret
2 wave jam : Strawberry champagne, Peach spiced champagne and one bland de blancs champagne bottle
Smart subscribers are going to have more travel unique experiences than ever as the country’s unrivaled mobile services leader teams up with Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company. Airbnb is changing the way people travel by opening up millions of unique accommodations in more than 34,000 cities in over 190 countries – be it an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month.Airbnb’s award-winning app, downloadable for free on the App Store and Google Play Store, makes searching, communicating with hosts and booking safe, seamless and fun and brings the world at the fingertips of Filipino travelers who are in search of a home away from home.
To celebrate the partnership, all Smart Prepaid, Smart Postpaid and Smart Bro subscribers enjoy a P2500 discount for a minimum of P8,000 booking, here or abroad, on Airbnb.
Meaningful mobile innovation
“Airbnb has revolutionized the way travelers search and book a suitable place to spend their getaways wherever they are headed around the world. It shows how a meaningful mobile innovation can shake things up and enrich the lives of people – and is very much aligned with our vision of a mobile-empowered lifestyle,” said Ariel Fermin, EVP and Head of Consumer Business at Smart.
Executive Vice President and Head of Consumer Business for PLDT and Smart Ariel P. Fermin and Airbnb Regional Managing Director for Southeast Asia and India JJ Chai
“That’s why we are very thrilled to partner with Airbnb and give all Smart subscribers the first dibs on this exclusive Airbnb perk. This is one of the ways Smart continues to deliver awesome moments to our customers, allowing them to experience the Smart Life – with unparalleled entertainment, convenience and peace of mind on the go – through the world’s leading mobile innovations, no less.”
“We are excited to reach even more Filipinos through this partnership. Unforgettable travel experiences are literally just a few clicks away on Airbnb, and we can’t wait to see where the Smart customers will go first,” said JJ Chai, Regional Director for South East Asia at Airbnb.
Executive Vice President and Head of Consumer Business for PLDT and Smart Ariel P. Fermin; Airbnb Regional Managing Director for Southeast Asia and India JJ Chai; and Executive Vice President and Head of Enterprise Business at PLDT and Smart Eric R. Alberto
Airbnb Head of Partnerships & Field Marketing Yu Hsiang Wong; Airbnb Head of APAC Comms Lena Sönnichsen; Avril Tan of Aribnb Partnership & Field Marketing; Executive Vice President and Head of Consumer Businees for PLDT and Smart Ariel P. Fermin; PLDT and Smart CEO and President Napoleon L. Nazareno; Airbnb Regional Managin Director for Southeast Asia and India JJ Chai; Smart Co-Founder and Voyager Inoovations President and CEO Orlando B. Vea; Executive Vice President and Head of Enterprise Business at PLDT and Smart Eric R. Alberto; and Voyager Innovations Head for Business Development and International Partnerships Stephen Misa
Text SMARTAIRBNB to 2855
From today until January 2016, Smart subscribers will receive a P2500 Airbnb discount for any Airbnb booking with a minimum spend of P8,000. The discount is limited to one booking per subscriber, valid until December 2016. The booking has to be made by March 31, 2016 and the date of travel must be between today and December 2016. More information about the terms and conditions at Airbnb.com/smart.
Smart’s expansive mobile coverage across the country, coupled with the most innovative data packages such as Big Bytes 50 – which offers 350MB of data plus 600MB FREE access to iflix, FOX via Viewstream, and SPINNR valid for three days – will allow travelers to enjoy the Airbnb app and book their accommodations anytime, and wherever they may be in the country.
A string of groundbreaking partnerships
Smart’s team-up with Airbnb is the latest in a string of exclusive partnerships by the telco with the world’s leading names in digital services – including the biggest names in entertainment such as iflix, FOX, MCA Music, Sony Music, and more recently, Uber, the world’s most popular ride-sharing service. For more on the partnership between Smart and Airbnb, visit smart.com.ph/airbnb.
About Smart
Smart Communications, Inc. is the Philippine leader in mobile with 69 million subscribers on its GSM network as of end-June 2015, under the brands Smart and TNT. The company has built a reputation for innovation, having introduced world-first wireless offerings such as Smart Money, Smart Load, Smart Padala, and the Netphone. Smart offers 3G, HSPA+, and LTE services, while its satellite service Smart Link provides communications to the global maritime industry. Smart’s wireless broadband subscribers number 3.7 million under the brands Smart Bro and Sun Wireless Broadband.
Smart is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Philippines’ leading telecommunications carrier, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. For more information, please visit http://www.smart.com.ph.
About Airbnb
Founded in August of 2008, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodation around the world – online or from a mobile phone. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and more than 190 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions. www.airbnb.com.
Footwear Specialty Retailers, Inc. and franchise partner Payless ShoeSource are celebrating 5 years in the Philippines.
The chain opened its first store in Manila in 2010 in Festival Mall, Alabang, and has grown to 65 stores located in different regions throughout the country to cater to a broader audience.
The expansion of the Payless chain in the Philippines marked a milestone in expanding the retailer’s global footprint. Commenting on Payless’ 5th anniversary in the Philippines, Anthony Huang, Executive Vice President of SSI Group, Inc., says “The overwhelming response of the Filipino consumers to Payless in the past five years has been truly encouraging! Five years ago, we introduced a brand that would combine fashion and affordability in one package, as well as a novel kind of self-service shopping experience. This was rapidly embraced by the market, as evidenced by the 65 stores opening in just those few short years. Payless has now become a recognized brand, a go-to store for budget conscious customers in need of fashionable footwear. This fills us with optimism and we are confident of Payless’ continued success in the years to come.”
Payless stores are positioned as the first choice for budget-conscious consumers in the shoes and accessories segment. The offerings comprise a comprehensive range of shoes and accessories including fashionable sandals, wedges, flats, canvas sneakers, boots and handbags, all at great value prices. Two unique features of Payless stores are their extended and wide-width sizing for women and their right-sizing service for children, Measuring Kids’ Feet.
Payless’ collection includes shoes for every need – dress, casual and athletic styles for women, men and kids, as well as special footwear like water socks and slip-resistant footwear, among others. Payless stores also carry an array of accessories such as socks, scarves, and sunglasses, all intended to help everyone complete their looks.
Payless stores feature a well-known portfolio of brands including Christian Siriano for Payless, Montego Bay Club, Lower East Side, Fioni, Dexter, Champion, and Disney.
About Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource is the largest specialty family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere, offering a wide range of shoes and accessory items at affordable prices for every member of the family. The company’s mission is simple: Be the Go To, Get More, Pay Less shoe store for our target customers. Payless has more than 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries and was founded in 1956 in Topeka, Kansas where its global headquarters remains today. Payless is a portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital and Blum Capital.
In the Philippines, Payless ShoeSource is exclusively distributed by Footwear Specialty Retailers, Inc., a member of SSI Group, Inc. Payless stores are located in major malls nationwide.
Blending into different landscapes and diversely interesting cultures has never been a challenge to a fashion globetrotter. With relentless thirst in discovering new styles, Rustan’s has explored horizons to bring home a roster of global brands. Experience the glamour of travel, right as you step into the world of Rustan’s fashion.
Rustan’s World Wide Wear, Wanderlust In Style inspires you to take a trip around the world and experience the international sartorial scene. The month-long celebration culminated in a fashion show featuring the ultimate fashion for every travellers destination, comprised of 68 chic ensembles walking down a runway at The Gallerie of Rustan’s Makati on September 30. Models donned pieces from the latest collections of men’s and women’s brands from Rustan’s. The glamorous night of trends and travel was hosted by model and fashion icon Sarah Meier, while beats by Sydney-based DJ Tyson Kraft filled the stylish scene.
Spending a peaceful and invigorating weekend with good company entails an effortlessly stylish ensemble. Cities like Singapore and Portofino, Italy are wonderful places to unwind and purely enjoy sceneries. For the men, F. Dot by Faconnable, Pedro Del Hierro for Men and classic denims from Armani Jeans are fit for a casual look. Pair these with Born shoes to achieve the perfect weekender style. For the ladies, the collections of Pedro Del Hierro for Women, J Brand, Tahari and Sinequanone do not disappoint the aesthetics of a laidback casual outfit. Pair these looks with a Longchamp bag, an MZ Wallace tote or a Rebecca Minkoff cross body that add a pop of color to one’s outfit. For a final touch, accessorize with a sophisticated Majorica pearl necklace and choose comfortable walking shoes from Coach and Kurt Geiger while exploring interesting sites of picturesque harbours and bay areas.
The hustle and bustle and the splendor of New York City never cease to amaze the stylish traveller. Oleg Cassini, Hackett and Thomas Pink separates would be perfect for men to look sleek and polished while enjoying the bright lights of the big city. Beautiful dresses and impressive structured jackets from Lafayette 148 and Adolfo Dominguez are the right pieces for women to wear while immersing in the architectural structures and remarkable culture of New York. A Dooney & Bourke leather tote, a Loewe Puzzle Bag or a Fendi By The Way are trendy bags that ought to be used while strutting along cosmopolitan streets. A pair of Christian Louboutin heels will definitely add a statement to one’s chic outfit in the city that never sleeps.
Faring in destinations where recreation and soul-searching are done best requires meditation and a contemplative outlook. Found in the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Ibiza is a paradise to bask under the sun and play along with prints and colors in a Seafolly bikini partnered with a cover up from Maaji and accessories by Lola Casademunt. Another place to spend relaxation and rest would be the delightful city of Marrakech. Look effortlessly fabulous in sophisticated dresses and caftans by Natori and Criselda Lontok in a city filled with souks, palaces, gardens and historical art.
For men who prefer a little action, another fascinating adventure to embark on is Cape Cod. Windsurfing and kayaking on a fine weather complement the splendid luxe swimwear, Onia. Other outdoor activities like hiking and biking on this captivating island would not be a hindrance with the proper gear from Aether and Sugoi.
Finally, an evening of glamour in Barcelona or Paris call for the right kind of fashion that embody the vast culture each city represents. Men would fit perfectly in bespoke tailored suits by Ascot Chang while the intricate details and dark hues of dresses from Tadashi Shoji, Monique Lhuillier, Sue Wong and Adrianna Papell with Christian Louboutin heels are perfect for a romantic getaway under the stars.
Spotted in attendance among the stylish audience were travel and fashion enthusiasts, Kelly Misa, Victor Basa, AJ Dee, Tricia Gosingtian, Aryanna Cowper, and Dani Barretto, among others. Avid travelers were given the chance to put together their very own Wanderlust Style Essentials in a vignette that featured choice Rustan’s items that guests could style together. Special gifts were presented to all who participated in this activity after posting a snapshot of their unique travel essentials and using the hashtag #RustansWWWear and #RustansWanderlust2015.
Take that jet-set style in your next Wanderlust adventure only at Rustan’s Department Stores.











































































































































































































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