MANILA, Philippines—Greenbelt 5 is a modern haven for Filipino fashion artistry. It also has excellent restos.

On the second floor of the Gallery, Ayala Malls’ hard working and dedicated vice president and deputy group head Rowena Tomeldan emphasized, “The vision of Greenbelt 5 is to provide Filipinos with the proper avenue to showcase their talents. It provides a one-of-a-kind shopping and dining experience that can’t be found elsewhere in the country.”

During the opening, G5 became a haven for gourmands who dug into the fantastic buffet from the mall’s top restaurants, such as Myron’s Place, Pia y Damaso, John & Yoko, Fely J’s, Zuni, La Maison, Solihiya, Chateau 1771, Travel Café and Classic Confections.

Après the indulgence, it was time to watch excellent creations from the different Filipino designers and prestigious international brands that have made G5 their home, dahlings.

No wonder moi noticed one society gal shopping like a human dynamo—she just kept charging everything to her card.

Yes, dahlings, combining all the best under one chic, world-class establishment, the Ayala Malls bring the best of the world and the Philippines at Greenbelt 5, natch!

Thank you party

It was a night of awesome celebration when consumer giant Kraft Foods held a “thank-you” affair for scoring a breakaway series of firsts in Asia, particularly in “marketing excellence.”

The celebration was part of a fantastic campaign of reviving the gracious practice of saying “thank you” and the traditional value of gratitude among Filipinos. “Thank You Day” was met with enthusiasm from distinguished personalities, such as dynamic Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim , who has officially declared Oct. 20 as “National Thank You Day,” palanggas.

“On behalf of the Kraft Global IMC Awards Committee, I want to congratulate the Philippines for its outstanding work on the Toblerone Thank You Day program,” says Shawn Warren, hotshot vice president for marketing of Kraft Foods-Asia-Pacific. “Among some truly outstanding IMC programs around the world, the Toblerone campaign has been recognized as the ‘best-of-the-best’ IMC programs in all of Kraft Foods. This is the first time that an entry from within the Asia-Pacific Region has been recognized with this prestigious honor.”

Thank You Day was notable for being wholly conceptualized and executed in the Philippines with the assistance of GeiserMaclang Communications—a local marketing firm that introduced the concept of, “transformative marketing in the Philippines.”

“The strong work on the Toblerone Thank You Day IMC program sets a great example of what an entrepreneurial spirit can accomplish with a modest budget,” said Warren.

The awarding, held in Paris France, featured the Philippines along with the other winners—France, Norway and Brazil.

Tea party

It took Associated British Foods (ABF) Philippines, manufacturer of hot beverages like Ovaltine Choco Malt drink and renowned Twinings specialty teas, to bring to Cosmo Manille the tall and tres charmant Stephen H.B. Twining, 10th-generation member of the famed tea famille no less, dahlings.

Our town’s social elite and business community welcomed him during a special dinner hosted by British Ambassador Peter Beckingham and Jill Beckingham.

Twinings is the world-famous English tea brand with 200 awesome speciality tea blends, including the popular English Breakfast and Earl Grey.

“We are tremendously delighted to have this rare chance to appreciate the fine art of making and enjoying tea from no less than a descendant of the Twining family, Mr. Stephen Twining,” said Florence Henry, general manager of ABF.

Stephen Twining’s love affair with tea began when he was only 8 years old, when he gave his very first tea tasting to his peers.

During his visit to Manille, Twining shared his passion as a tea expert and self-confessed tea lover who drinks at least nine cups of tea a day. With much humor too, he described how teas are made.

At the elegant dinner, catered by the Mandarin Oriental, lucky raffle winners brought home two gorgeous wooden boxes with a wide selection of teas in colorful bags. Guest also enjoyed a fashion show from the British fashion house, Burberry.

It was truly a tres delightful British tea evening, dahlings.

Tea anyone? Contact Monica Meer at 8920247/50 or e-mail monica@seinc.com.ph

Toast 2008

Wine glasses will be raised high, dahlings when “Toast to Taste 2008” gets on the roll, and Hubert Trimbach, no less, arrives in Manille to participate in the country’s most awaited wine and food festival on, take note, Sept. 6, 2-8 p.m., at the NBC Tent, The Fort.

Highlight of this gathering is Wine Depot’s largest sale of the year, palanggas.

More info? Call 8894889.

Announcement

Just for your info, all my palanggas: Starting next week my column will be out every Wednesday and Friday.