Shoot First Eat Later

Club InterContinental Hong Kong Breakfast Buffet

You’ve heard it over and over again, “Do not skip breakfast! It’s the most important meal of the day.” I believe it and after almost 1 year of eating low fat yogurt with fruit I was ready for more.

Whenever I stay in a hotel I never get lounge access since I want to eat outside the hotel and try the local cuisine. But since our junior suite at the InterContinental hotel came with lounge access I decided to wake up early and take advantage of the free breakfast buffet.

The Club InterContinental lounge overlooked the lobby lounge of the hotel.

For only a few seats in the lounge the breakfast choices was vast. Click on the pictures for a bigger view.

salad, cheese and cold cuts

congee

cereal, fresh fruit juices, yogurt

smoothies, fresh fruit and hard boiled eggs

bread

pastries and more bread

dim sum

hot food

It’s unbelievable but with all the food in the buffet there is still a menu for food cooked to order. I guess it’s for diners who have willpower and just want a plate of food.

Club InterContinental breakfast menu

So what did I eat? With much self-control I managed to limit my selection to ALL these.

coffee

I always have to have my favorite bircher muesli. This time I loaded it up with fresh blueberries, raspberries and toasted almond slices. Normally this would be more than enough for my breakfast.

bircher muesli with blueberries & raspberries

I hate eggs but the poached egg with mushroom sauce looked really nice. It was good! I love sausage more than bacon or other breakfast food. This was beef sausage and it was just so-so and I didn’t finish it.

poached egg & dim sum

I just took a bite of the bagel sandwich. I ate the ham and cheese without the rest of the bagel. It’s nowhere near my favorite New York bagels so it wasn’t worth the carb calories.

ham & cheese bagel

The almond croissant was excellent and that I finished. Crisp, flaky with a good amount of almond cream inside.
almond croissant

Elizabeth told me I MUST try the corned beef hash. She forgot to tell me which kind to try- the British or American style. Since I had no idea what was the British style that’s what I ordered. It was wet and mushy and filled with lots of potatoes so I only ate a couple of bites. I wish I ordered the more familiar American style.

British style corned beef hash

Elizabeth asked me if I tried the steak. I said, “what steak?” I didn’t see the back page of the menu. So on my second day I ordered it.

The food choices was basically the same except for these new hot dishes.

The super tempting almond brioche was new too.

almond brioche

I had this delicious strawberry yogurt with fruit in the bottom. I’m sure it wasn’t low fat that’s why it was so good.

strawberry yogurt

It was good as it looked.

almond french toast & croissant

I liked this pork sausage better.

sausage & sauteed mushrooms

This was the famous steak. It was supposed to come with an egg but I told them to skip that. It was just ok to me. A couple of bites and I was too full to eat more.

petit 4 oz. sirloin steak

fruits & cheese

Wasn’t that just over the top crazy and good? This is just another reason to stay at InterContinental Hotel in Hong Kong. It was a wonderful way to start my day although it did spoil my appetite for lunch. Who needs lunch with such wonderful breakfast?

From their website:
Club InterContinental provides an exclusive retreat for conducting business or simply relaxing. Located on the Second Floor with stunning views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong skyline, the Club Lounge serves buffet breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails with premium wines and spirits and tempting hors d’oeuvres.

Enjoy this private haven for relaxing or conducting business for an additional HK$980 (single occupancy) or HK$1,280 (double occupancy) per day per room, plus 10% service charge. Simply request Club InterContinental when making your room reservation.

Buffet Breakfast 6:30 to 10:30 am
Club InterContinental, 2nd Floor
InterContinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
telephone: +852 2721 1211
email: hongkong@ihg.com
website

Sunday Lunch Buffet at Spoon by Alain Ducasse, Hong Kong

One of the best things about Hong Kong is you can eat your heart out from the cheapest street food to popular restaurants from France and around the world.

One of my favorite places to eat Sunday lunch aside from Grissini’s is at 2-Michelin Star Spoon at the InterContinental Hotel Hong Kong where we stayed for a couple of nights.

Spoons on their ceiling.

I normally avoid buffets since I can’t eat much anymore and I feel it’s not worth the price but I just couldn’t resist the food at Spoon. I love the high quality offerings they have every Sunday. I can’t say the same for their a la carte menu. We really had a very disappointing dinner there once.

The price for the buffet was HK$748 + 10%sc. To make this worth every dollar you obviously must come hungry and love wine. If you drink 3-4 glasses of wine you’re almost halfway there. I chose to drink a glass of fresh orange juice instead and a glass of champagne.

The place was so full so I suggest getting a reservation if you wish to dine here.

Spoon’s Sunday Lunch Menu

jamon iberico

The salad bar included chunks of fresh lobster meat.

lobster Caesar salad

melon roses

This bad boy was my favorite!

home made foie gras terrine

This was my favorite bread, flaky like a croissant but more dense and topped with sea salt.

knot bread

I’m not really a butter lover but Echire butter is a really popular butter from France.

Echire French butter

pain au chocolat

apple turnover

French cheese

ferme de peupliers yougurt

wine selection

There were a variety of hot dishes that came in small tasting portions right out of the kitchen.

buffet campagnard

I really liked the quiche made with really strong cheese. It’s one of the best quiches I’ve ever eaten. Elizabeth loved the potato salad with smoked duck.

beef tartare

My favorite part was the dessert spread inside the kitchen. You go in the kitchen and load up your plate.

Spoon’s pastry kitchen

I deliberately took the pictures while everyone was still eating their main course.

The choices were dizzying. Scroll down to see what I chose.

chocolate mousse

Paris brest

chocolate pops

steamed cheesecake

tiramisu

flan

panna cotta

berry tartlet

blueberry tartlet

apple banana crumble

This is what the cakes looked like when everyone was getting desserts already. This was Elizabeth’s favorite dessert. She urged me to try it but I only eat desserts that have the words cheese or chocolate in them.

mango passionfruit cake

ice cream

macaron shells from the oven

With all the food in the buffet you still get to choose one main course. I wanted the fried cod but it was already out of stock.

Spoon’s Sunday Lunch menu

These were my plates. Yes, diet out of the door!!!

lobster Caesar salad

The best thing on this plate was the thick slab of home made foie gras terrine the chef gave me. It literally melted in my mouth. Sooooooo good!!

foie gras terrine

Some were good, some were too stinky even for me.

French cheese plate

I didn’t like the steak. I just ate a little piece. Maybe I was just too full by the time this came out.

roasted beef

I tried a little potato gratin and it was heavenly. I wish I could eaten it all but I’ve developed a fear of potatoes. Strange carb fear.

potato gratin “Dauphinois” style

I loved their steamed cheesecake. It was ultra smooth and had the perfect balance of cheese and cream. Not too heavy and not too light.

steamed cheesecake

I wasn’t too impressed with the macarons. I liked the 3 other chocolate desserts more. The chocolate fondant on the bottom right was a rich flourless decadent cake.

my dessert plate

The chocolate pop was a surprise filled with a light mousse and a caramel center. Delicious except the caramel was a tad too sweet for me.

Spoon by Alain Ducasse

Lobby Level

Intercontinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

telephone: +852 2313 2323
email: spoonbyalainducasse.hk@interconti.com

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday
Dinner – 6:00pm to 11:00pm

Sunday
Lunch – 12:00 noon to 2:30pm

SPOON Bar:
Tuesday to Sunday
6:00pm to 12:00 midnight

Attire:
Lunch
Smart casual, no sleeveless shirt, short pants, slippers and opened shoes for gentlemen
Dinner
Dinner-smart and elegant, no sleeveless shirts, no athletic wear, and for gentlemen no tank top, shorts and sandal

InterContinental Hong Kong

If you are a regular reader of this blog you may have noticed that I’ve never featured a hotel in Hong Kong. It’s because we stay in a flat or apartment whenever we go to Hong Kong.

Last February after my wonderful 2 night stay at Disney’s Hollywood hotel I extended my trip and moved to the InterContinental Hong Kong hotel c/o my friend Elizabeth.

This hotel has been home to Elizabeth and her family for more than 10 years. This is where they always stay whenever they visit Hong Kong. I’ve been to this hotel numerous time to eat and to visit them but this is my first time to actually experience the hotel’s fantastic room and hospitality.

The hotel is located in Tsim Sha Tsui and is just a stone’s throw away from the Star Ferry, Harbour City and is next to Nathan Road.

lobby lounge

When we arrived Elizabeth’s room wasn’t ready yet so they put our things in this regular guestroom. I just had enough time to take some pictures before we went to Spoon for lunch. (blog entry to follow)

Nice bathroom.

For the regular rooms the toiletries were Elemis.

This room had a view of Salisbury road. That’s Sheraton hotel on the left.

From another window you can see the hotel grounds.

After lunch we went to Elizabeth’s usual room which was a junior suite. This is the exact and specific room she always stays in. It has the best view.

The bed was king size.

Bose sound system, speakers and an iPod dock. There was even a subwoofer in the cabinet.

These chocolates were sooooooooooo good!!! I brought home the whole box.

The bathroom was spectacular. And yes I tried out the jacuzzi tub.

The fully enclosed steam shower was so indulgent. Imagine hot steam then taking a cold shower right after. I felt like I stayed in my own spa.

To turn on the steam just wind the timer. 5 minutes was good enough for me.

I liked the lighted storage below the sink.

Toothbrush, razor, and other amenities.

I almost freaked out when I saw the bathrobe, towels and pillow cases embroidered with Elizabeth’s initials. I wish there was L.C. too. They really know how to take care of their regular guests.

For junior suites the toiletries were L’Occitane’s verbena line.

Even the hair dryer was sosyal!

This is the view I woke up to. The curtains can be opened and closed with a switch beside the bed. The flat I stay in has no-zero-zilch-nada view.

iPhone Camera+

You can understand why Elizabeth chooses this particular room. She has the best view of the Hong Kong harbour, the convention center and Central’s skyline.

At night this is the view while I work on my blog. This trip I barely went out to shop. I was so happy to stay in the fantabulous hotel room and soak up the dynamic view outside.

They used super sweet Philippine mangoes!

To Elizabeth’s amusement I went crazy choosing several pillows from the pillow menu. I chose the latex, magnetic health pillow and contour pressure relieving pillow.

You can tell which side was mine.

Housekeeping noticed I drank a lot of water since they saw my bottles of Bonaqua so they loaded me up with lots of Fiji bottled water without my saying anything. How’s that for excellent service?

This was our view at night.

The hotel, lighted up.

I loved my short two night stay at the InterContinental Hong Kong. But I don’t think Elizabeth will invite me to stay with her again since I didn’t want to leave the room or the hotel to eat out. Wait til you see what I ate their club lounge!! Thanks again Elizabeth for sharing your room with me. This is truly the best hotel to stay in Hong Kong if budget is no object.

InterContinental Hong Kong’s restaurants
Spoon
Nobu
Harbourside (buffet)
Lobby Lounge

InterContinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
telephone: +852 2721 1211
email: hongkong@ihg.com
website

Lunch at Yung Kee Restaurant

Last February I was lucky to be sent to Hong Kong to enjoy Disneyland for the first time. In between all the happy rides and scrumptious food my friend Elizabeth and I were able to sneak away for a couple of hours just to eat at Yung Kee.

I can’t remember the last time I ate at Yung Kee since I’m too lazy to cross the harbour just to eat there. Yung Kee is I think the most popular restaurant for Filipinos who go there for the best roast goose and that’s what I was yearning for too.

We got there around 3:30 pm and there were still a lot of people eating. It took us that long to get hungry because of the super duper delicious breakfast buffet we had at Enchanted Garden at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.

We were on the second floor waiting for our number to be called and be seated when they announced that the roast goose was sold out. I exclaimed loudly, “NO!!” and the other people around us chuckled at my dismay.

I have some friends who are big fans of Yung Kee’s century egg. I must confess I’ve never tried century egg before. Yes I must be a fake Chinese but the smell and appearance of the black egg really turns me off. I toughened up and tried a small piece. My first bite of the egg white part wasn’t bad at all. It had a jelly like consistency. I almost puked when I ate the yolk part. It tasted rotten and had a putrid smell. I guess it’s really an acquired taste. And it will take me at least a dozen years to have the guts to try it again.

century egg

I liked the sweet and hot ginger better. I put a piece of pickled ginger in my tea for a change.

Elizabeth loves jellyfish so we had it for our starter. It was cold and crunchy and had a strong flavor from sesame oil.

jellyfish HK$88

The seasonal qing chao dou miao or pea shoots topped with slivers of smoked ham was exquisite. It was really tender and fresh.

sauteed pea shoots HK$125

The smoked silken tofu was quite interesting. The smokey flavor can be tasted all throughout the soft tofu. I specially liked the fried bean curd skin.

deep fried smoked bean curd with special sauce HK$90

The shrimp was tasteless and made me think it was of the frozen variety. The lemon sauce was overpoweringly sweet.

deep fried shrimp with sesame in lemon sauce HK$210

I was quite disappointed not getting to eat roast goose. I wasn’t too impressed with the food we ordered specially with the high price tag. I guess the roast goose is really the main attraction in Yung Kee. I will be back! Watch out for me you sneaky goose.

Yung Kee Restaurant
32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

telephone: (852) 2522 1624

email: info@yungkee.com.hk

website

Lunch at Cafe De Bonifacio

When my balikbayan aunt called me and invited me for lunch I knew exactly where I wanted to take her. I wanted to try the Filipino restaurant Cafe de Bonifacio at The Podium mall.

Chef Ojie who created a memorable meal for me at the Herb’s Best dinner party is also the man behind Cafe de Bonifacio’s food. That’s why I was so excited to try more of his creations.

The choices in the menu were the usual Filipino food but presented in very creative ways. Take for instance this “naked lumpia” in fried pastry cups instead of the usual rolled lumpia. This way you get to enjoy more of the veggies than the wrapper. Everyone loved this.

lumpiang hubad in pastry cups P110

My favorite, well one of, was this totally unique salad made with finely shaved daikon radish, sweet pomelo chunks, crunchy dried fish and lightly dressed with the Chef’s special vinaigrette. This salad was sheer genius. I’ve never had a combination of these ingredients before and it totally worked. It was refreshing, intriguing and just plain awesome. The crunchy dried fish gave the salad just the right amount of saltiness and texture.

spicy daikon & pomelo salad P210

I’m currently on an oyster love fest so when I saw them on the menu I immediately ordered it. Alas I wasn’t too fond of it. I found it too oily and more wrapper than oyster.

herbed oyster in crispy egg wrapper with special chef sauce P225

The fish was nicely fried and crisp. I just found the tamarind sauce lacking in flavor. I would have preferred a sharper and more aggressive tamarind flavor and I told Chef Ojie that when I saw him at the restaurant. He said he will fix the sauce. Thanks Chef!!

butterflied tilapia in tamarind sauce P299

The crispy pata wasn’t as crisp as I like it but the meat was juicy and flavorful. It certainly didn’t affect my dining companions’ enthusiasm in demolishing the crispy pata. I should have taken a picture of the bones left on the plate. The kang kong that came with the pork was unusually sweet. Really sweet. Why???

crispy pata ni Ka Ojie P618

soy vinegar and pinakurat vinegar

Since Chef Ojie is know as the roti king of Manila and I really enjoyed the roti he made at our private dinner I wanted to eat roti again. Instead of just plain roti I tried the chicken adobo roti. Oh wow! What an inspired concoction. It was just like quesadilla but instead of using flour tortilla a more flavorful roti was used and stuffed with really tangy delicious chicken adobo filling. Yes, this was my second favorite dish. This was listed under meryenda and it would have been a good choice for a snack too.

chicken adobo roti P150

We were all too full for dessert so we just had some milk tea from the stall beside the restaurant. I did take picture of this deconstructed turn which just came out of the kitchen. It looked really good and creative.

They also had dessert roti with choices of fillings like bananas, peanut butter, macapuno, ube, mango or strawberries. I want to try any one of those next time.

turon de Gregoria P140

I’m really happy to have discovered another Filipino restaurant that was good and had really creative choices and flavor combinations.

Menu
appetizer, salad, chef original pasta, meryenda
main course (our chef’s choices)
roti, supremo sorbetes, healthy beverages, pampagana drinks

Cafe De Bonifacio
Level 5 (cinema-level)
The Podium
18 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
telephone: 636-1407

website
Facebook

Zubuchon at Mactan Cebu International Airport

Who doesn’t know Marketman’s Zubuchon? Anthony Bourdain declared his lechon “the best pig ever.”

I didn’t have enough time to go to their store to try the lechon so I did the next best thing. I bought 1 kilo of frozen lechon at their small space in Mactan Cebu airport.

Zubuchon’s price list

1 kilo frozen lechon P490

My friend told me to heat up the lechon in the turbo broiler or oven toaster so the skin will be crisp and the fat will drip off.

This lechon tasted more like lechon kawali because the skin wasn’t smooth and crispy like your regular lechon. The skin was blistered and super crispy as if it were deep fried. What I liked best was the succulent and evenly flavorful meat. I’m not a fan of lechon because the meat is usually bland. I only sometimes eat the skin if it’s crisp. This lechon I ate all the meat. The meat reminded me more lechon de leche with it’s tender and almost milky flavor.

It really is the best pig ever!! Anyone going to Cebu? Can you buy me 1 kilo of Zubuchon? I miss it already. This is the perfect last minute buy when you are at the airport so make sure to bring an empty bag.

Facebook

Sunday Lunch at Laguna Garden Cafe

For our last meal in Cebu, Tes insisted that I try the food at Laguna Garden Café at the Ayala Center.

Right across was Café Laguna which was managed by other relatives. This group also had another restaurant in the mall called Lemon Grass. All restaurants were quite popular with diners.

Having tried all three restaurants Tes said she preferred the food at Laguna Garden Cafe.

We met up with Tes’ only brother, Manoling who was based in Cebu.

The siblings had their favorite drink/dessert, Guinomis. I tried a little of it and not so sweet but the coconut milk tasted a bit oily to me. They were happy with it though and that’s the important thing. Tes even asked for extra pinipig on the side.

guinomis P75

I liked the tokwa’t baby which was nice and sour.

tokwa’t baboy P85

For a healthier alternative we ordered the seafood kare kare. It was quite good. Our only complaint was the ultra slow service. It took almost an hour for the food to come out despite our frequent reminder to our waiter. The people on the next table who arrived after us were already eating while we stared their food longingly.

seafood kare kare P295

The bagoong was so good and not too salty.

bagoong

I wish the laing had more coconut flavor. It was not as spicy either unless you crush the small chili.

laing (pinangat) P170

My favorite was the bibingka which was light yet so creamy and moist in the middle. I would go back just to eat this bibingka.

bibingka P85

The prices were surprisingly reasonable. If not for the slow service I would highly recommend this place.

Laguna Garden Cafe Menu

Laguna Garden Café
The Terraces
Ayala Center Cebu
Cebu City, Philippines
telephone: (+63 32) 233-8600
fax: (+63 32) 233-8602
email: lgc@cafelaguna.com

Lifehouse Live in Manila 2012

I still can’t believe I watched two concerts in one week. The first was Lady Gaga because I was invited to watch for free. This time I gladly and willingly paid to watch one of my favorite bands, Lifehouse.

Among my friends only Elisa and I listen to ‘this’ kind of music and we are not ashamed to admit we still love alternative rock to this day. We both regretted not watching Lifehouse when they first performed in Manila in 2008. When they tickets went on sale Elisa quickly bought our tickets long before we knew we were going to watch Lady Gaga.

I couldn’t help but compare the 52 year old Smart Araneta Coliseum to the brand new MOA Arena. But for it’s age it’s not bad at all.

No escalators here. Good old stairs!!

There’s a reminder that Lady Gaga’s first concert in Manila in 2009 was at the Araneta Coliseum.

They do have a lot of dining options on all levels. Everything just costs more here.

Our ticket was for the upper box.

The chairs were a far cry from the plush seats at the MOA Arena but I must admit there weren’t that uncomfortable. It was quite roomy too. Another plus was the more than adequate air-conditioning of the Coliseum. From where we were seated we could actually feel the cool breeze of air on our back. At the MOA Arena we had the whip out our fans from time to time.

The most expensive seats were just half full but their energy level was 100%.

The sides of the lower and upper box weren’t full either. Capacity was at about 80%.

There was no castle, no hydraulics, no big screens, no dancers, no fancy lighting. All there was was fantastic music, beautiful songs, damn good voice of Jason Wade and Bryce Soderberg, and lots of singing along by the audience.

I must confess. I watched Lady Gaga for her performance, the dramatic stage, the high tech lighting and sound system. I watched Lifehouse because I simply LOVE their music. The lights were low tech and a bit old fashioned. There was no front act and the show started one hour late. But the audience didn’t care. As soon as the band came out everyone including us started screaming.

I admire lead singer, Jason Wade for braving the crowd as he sang and walked all the way up to the lower box. Lucky people who got so close to him.

My favorite part of the concert was when Jason performed some of the band’s older hits alone with just his acoustic guitar. His voice was something else, so smooth, cool and even better live.

Here’s the video I shot of Jason’s solo. I missed the first few minutes though. In this video he sang crowd favorites like Blind, Breathing (which he dedicated to Ginger Cornejo), I Try and Where You Are. (You can hear me and Elisa singing in the beginning :p)

It’s just Kit, Elisa and I who watched. Even though we didn’t know all the titles of the songs or the lyrics like the other diehard fans around us we were so happy that we knew most of the songs.

If you think you don’t know who Lifehouse is watch this video of their first hit, Hanging By A Moment and say, “Oh, I know that song!”

Bryce even took a video of the audience and said the Manila was one of their favorite venues to perform at.

Goodbye Manila. Goodbye Lifehouse. Hope to see you soon.

Dinner at Arano’s

For our second dinner in Cebu we went to Arano’s for some Spanish food.

Arano’s was located in Fairlane Village in Guadalupe. From the outside it looked just like an unassuming house.

The small restaurant was very simply decorated with pictures of friends and Señor Arano when he was a young and handsome jai alai player.

I told Señor Arano he reminded me of Tom Selleck.

Angel Ibarlucea y Arano

Tes’ brother Manoling and his daughter Janina have been going to Arano’s since Janina was a little girl. Now that she’s about to get married she brought her new family to continue their tradition. They all spoke in Spanish and I just sat quietly and ate since I flunked my Spanish classes in Ateneo.

Manoling ordered the next 3 special dishes in advance. If you plan to try these be sure to call first. These dishes are meant for sharing among 4-5 people.

The black paella was just satisfactory to me. It didn’t have much flavor from the squid ink. It tasted better when eaten with the gambas and chorizo.

paella negros P500

The fish used for this was lamon-lamon (Blackspot tusk fish) which was native to Cebu. It was a light and very flavorful dish. The fish was hearty yet tender.

pescao & salsa verde P560

This was my first time to try goat meat and I didn’t like it. I found it too strong and overwhelming. The Spanish speaking people in our table liked it very much.

baked goat thigh & mushrooms P900

I loved their homemade lean chorizo. I must have eaten 1 1/2 pieces. It was so flavorful and I ate it as ‘ulam’ with the paella.

chorizo P70

My favorite dish that night was the gambas. Small succulent pieces of shrimp were bathed in spicy, garlicky tomato, pimenton and olive oil. It was the best gambas I’ve ever eaten. The spicy sauce was just perfect for dipping bread in as my friends did. I spooned the shrimp and sauce on my paella negra and swooned in happiness.

gambas al jillo P90

The beans had a strong smokey flavor from the chorizo and bacon.

alubias P240

I was astounded by how good the coffee was and it only cost P25 a cup. Señor Arano said it was a special blend from Bacolod. I should gotten more information so I can buy the coffee beans.

brewed coffee P25

crema P20

You really can’t beat these prices for a home cooked Spanish meal. For those who live in Cebu and those planning a trip I urge you to try Arano’s. Just make sure to reserve a table and order in advance. Double the order of chorizo and gambas ok? And have a cup of coffee for me.

Arano
31 Fairlane Village, Guadalupe, Cebu City
telephone: +6332-256-1934
Open from Monday to Friday from 6:00-10:00 PM

Lady Gaga at the Mall of Asia Arena

A few days ago my friend sent me a message, “Do you want to watch the Lady Gaga concert? I have an extra ticket.” Let me tell you right now I’m not one of the ‘little monsters’ but I immediately replied, “YES!!!”

Even though I’m not a big Lady Gaga fan I do know all her hits. But then you would have to live in a cave not to know her songs, right? I do admire her hard work and talent to rise to where she is now.

I was also excited to see the brand new Mall of Asia Arena. We watched the concert last night, day two of the Born This Way Ball Tour in Manila.

Your ticket will tell you which entrance to go to. I was very impressed with the high level of security which made it look like an airport just with many, many doors thus there were no lines at all.

Your ticket is scanned and the shield opens.

There were snack bars on all levels.

On the second level there was Krispy Kreme and several ladies selling Chef Tony’s popcorn.

Sections were well indicated on the ceiling.

This was the view from lower box section 220 blue. I managed to take one picture of the front act, DJ Zedd before the usher led us out again. By the way, I really, really enjoyed his music.

Usher: “Ummm, ma’am your tickets are for yesterday’s show.”
Us: “Whaaaaaaat??!?!??!”

Breathe in, breathe out. After a calm and collected call to the one who gave us the tickets we were then brought to the 3rd floor where the corporate suites were. No one noticed it but I was doing an invisible dance of joy.

Each suite was leased by a company for their own use or for their vip guests.
“We have 31 for lease on a long-term basis called Premier Suites and we have 10 on a per event basis called Events Suites,” Tejerero says.
The suites can go for one- to 5-year leases depending on the company and would cost about P9 million to P12 million. source

These are just some of the companies with their own suite in the Arena. Asia Brewery has one too since I saw a friend who came from there.

I managed to get pictures of an empty suite after the concert.

This was the seats next to ours. There were glass dividers in between suites.

Three lucky, lucky concert goers.

Chef Tony, may I make a request? Can you make cheese popcorn that’s not sweet? Please?

Here’s what the corporate suites look like from where I was (rooms with yellow lighting). This was as full as it got on the mosh pit.

The view from our suite was to the upper left side of the stage. When Lady Gaga stands on the right side I don’t see her. I didn’t mind since I could watch from the big screen.

I swear I saw a horse come out on stage in the opening number.

The castle opens and closes. The musicians were actually standing on the sides of the castle.

I recorded Lady Gaga’s performance of Bad Romance.

I took a break during one of the unfamiliar songs. There was a really nice bathroom inside the suite.

I spied an Illy X7.1 Iperespresso pod espresso machine and requested a decaf espresso. The wait staff in the suite were all very friendly and well trained.

These were just some of the food available in the suite.

I wish I was able to try some of the banana cream pie.

Cool ride with a keyboard!

Lady Gaga proudly introduced her guitarist who’s a Filipino. He’s the tiny guy with black hair in the foreground.

Thank goodness she didn’t wear real meat again.

Alejandro

The encore was the popular “Edge of Glory.”

After the great concert we stayed behind and I learned a lot of trivia about the Mall of Asia Arena.

Here’s the division of seats in the Arena.

seating options in the arena

These are the retractable seats conveniently hidden.

There were approximately 12,000 seats available that night. For basketball games there will be 15,000 seats and for boxing matches there will be 17,000 seats.

When they moved the stage barrier they also swept lots of trash.

It took 12 hours to set-up the stage which was brought in via 2 747 cargo planes including all the speakers and hydraulics. It will take the hard working foreign and local crew just a few hours to disassemble the elaborate stage.

The scoreboard lowers just like in the arenas in the USA. Even the speakers were high tech!

Ample parking for 2,000 cars was just across the Arena.

Mall of Asia Arena
Sunset Avenue, Pasay City, Philippines
telephone: 831-7000 local 2939
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