Eating nothing but ice cream and raw seafood at HEAT

Prominent French cognac house Hennessy gathered some of the Philippines' bloggers and journalists to promote its drink mixing-cum-music festival on November 19 at The Fort's NBC Tent. (Read my article on abs-cbnNEWS.com here.)

The event, aptly called Hennessy Artistry, will feature 2 international DJs and bands (Pupil, Kjwan and True Faith) as well as 4 basic flavors (berry, citrus, ginger and apple) mixed with the velvety smooth cognac.

It's like an upscale version of the recently held Rockfest, where people were required to purchase a few bottles of Tanduay Rhum or Cossack Blue at selected 7-11 outlets to get tickets.

To be a part of Hennessy Artistry's guest list, you have to buy a bottle of the cognac at high-end spots such as Encore Super Club, Limbo, Amber Ultra Lounge or M Cafe.

One bottle, which costs around P5,000 (it's really pricey if you buy it from a bar or a restaurant), will give you 4 passes to this exclusive event.

Interested? Visit the Hennessy Artistry website for more details.

HEAT

The bloggers' meeting with Hennessy was held at HEAT (Healthy Eating, Amazing Tastes), a buffet restaurant at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

It's always been one of my favorite eating spots in Manila, especially after celebrating a number of special occasions there -- from birthdays to Valentine's day dinners.

Whenever I visit HEAT, I usually make it a point to eat a little of everything. This time, however, was a bit different.

Instead of going through the usual salad-sashimi-breads and cheese-main course-dessert route, I ate nothing but raw seafood and ice cream with my glass of cognac.

Everything tasted great -- from the fresh uni (sea urchin), tuna and salmon, to the green tea ice cream that was very light and delicate.

The ice cream sushi, meanwhile, is a delightful play of textures and flavors.

Marshmallows and different kinds of ice cream were wrapped in a thin slice of pound cake and topped with chocolate cereals, replacing the usual rice, nori (dried seaweed) and raw fish combination. Really good stuff.

The Hennessy event at HEAT has made me appreciate cognac even more. Next time, I'll try to pair it with foie gras (Spiral, anyone?) and some dark chocolate.

Now that is what you call heaven.

HEAT (Healthy Eating, Amazing Tastes)

EDSA Shangri-La Hotel

1 Garden Way, Ortigas Centre

Mandaluyong City

Philippines

For reservations, call (632) 633-8888 ext. 2738/2739