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I just love dinner parties!  My favorite dinners are at those at my friend Tina and Rico Ocampo’s home.  They have it down to a science. Tina does the tablescapes which is a fancy word for table settings as well as the menu…. well I am not sure what Rico does but I think he is the one in charge of making sure that there is a great mixture of people and that everyone comes home with food not only for the stomach but for the mind as well.

The tableau that greeted us at the entrance

Tina's Christmas tree! This reminds me that I should be posting how our tree looks like.

Tina's personal curio cabinet: it has most of the initial prototypes of Celestina on display.

Recently they had a friend over and I was so excited when they told me that he was the person in charge of the International business for Oscar de la Renta!  HIs name is Karl Monge.  My first impression was he was so YOUNG!  I love that  he is so charming and I adore the fact that in less than 24 hours in Manila and he wants to buy a house here!  LOL!  Isn’t  that fabulous?

Nix, Leica and Karl with our gorgeous host Tina!

Karl with Mia as Tina introduces Junie.

Tessa makes her entrance! She always energizes any party!

Love at first sight!

My exercise guru Mandy with Anton

I love the setup of the veranda, so modern yet so Pinoy!

The gang is all here!

The spread was gorgeous, we started out with an series of drinks, either a coconut /lychee shake or wine, love the way that it was served in the most unusual mini tumblers really so CHICA (as in SHEEKAH!).

The tablescape with the Achuete flowers.

Tina served two appetizers: A shrimp lumpia – we were instructed to wrap it in a lettuce leaf and with a pesto relish!  It was divine, think PINOY-VIETNAMEESE!  Yummers!  Then we had the most sinful chicharon  with an achara dipping sauce!

Tina then sat us down on a table engulfed in these strange but beautiful achuete flowers with tall bamboo leaves creating an organic awning of sorts, so dramatic.  The meal officially began with a binakol which is like a chicken tinola but coked inside a young coconut.  Then we moved again to a buffer of delightful treats from Prichon, to Morcon, Kare-Kare, Bangus belly ala pobre..  These Filipino dishes were given their own spin as the buffet  table was just too beautiful!

Mia with the Binakol soup.

An inside peek at the binakol.

Desserts were from Mara de La Rama, a trio of cakes that just made your flip with joy!  A flourless chocolate cake, a calamansi cheese cake and my favorite Mille fiulle ?( translated as a thousand layers , my french spelling sucks but I eat it well!  LOL!)

The super yummy desserts of Mara de la Rama!

We had an amazing time that we ended up till the wee hours of the morning, just talking and chatting.  Karl had a magical time – it’s like in one dinner, he was given a crash course on what Manila is all about.  It’s like our food.  It’s either SWEET OR SOUR!  Just the way I love it!

TIna and NIx making kwento

HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: dinner, Fashion Insider, food, friends, rajo laurel