Weddings are in full swing at the Makati Shang

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SHANGRI-LA.COM

SHANGRI-LA.COM

(But there are still things to do at the hotel)

THE Makati Shangri-La held a lunch on Feb. 26 to show off what they can do for their wedding crowd in matters of food.

Lunch began with a tofu pudding topped with bonito dashi jelly, then followed up by a similarly light fish soup with a green dumpling at the center. Pomfret bones were chopped up and simmered for the stock, while the fish’s flesh was supplemented with shrimp and pork to fill the dumpling. This was finished with threads of egg white and topped with kaffir lime and ginger. The main course was a bit heavier, with Australian beef cheeks marinated in Shiraz overnight then braised. Dessert swung back to lightness with a spongy Hokkaido cheesecake with a strawberry sauce.

As one would notice, this lunch menu displayed multiple cuisines spanning the globe. Nina Besacola, director of sales and marketing for the hotel, said it’s part of the experience. “It’s always customized,” she said about the wedding menus they have been presenting to clients. “It can be a mix of different cuisines.”

She also spoke about the capabilities of the hotel to host big events, opening venues like their spa, the grand staircase, and even their gardens and tennis courts for shoots and events.

These customized menus are a sign of things to come for the hotel. In 2021, they closed down during the pandemic, but reopened in 2023. “We’re getting there, although admittedly, we started slow in 2023,” said Ms. Besacola.

For example, the hotel used to have 696 rooms in total, but now, it works on a partially opened status, with about 517 rooms. No matter — they’re planning to open more rooms to accommodate the Association of Southeast Asian Nations delegates arriving this year. “We were forced to open more rooms because of the demand,” she said. 

The function rooms, she said, are all open, but they are going to mix things up at the restaurants. Its Chinese restaurant, Shang Palace, will get a new chef, while the Japanese restaurant, Inagiku will see a rebrand and a new name.

Ms. Besacola remains optimistic about their events. “We’re getting a lot of local and international events,” she said, adding that they’ve been hosting several embassies’ national days (their ballrooms are popular with the embassy crowd). That includes not just the 700-seat Rizal Ballroom, but also the junior ballrooms and other function rooms. “Our edge (still) is our facilities,” she said. — Joseph L. Garcia