Last year, I was lucky enough to be invited to be part of the first year anniversary of Paire Cocktails and Pastries. Have you heard of this place? You should be coz it’s a hidden gem!
It was a weekday and the call time was 4.30pm. It was planned to start by 5pm but eventually started out late. As a person who is conscious with time, I was there early. In fact, I was the first one to arrive. Hahaha! They were still preparing for the event and I was “shy” to come in. Since I’m not familiar with QC Area, I just waited inside their cute and homey restaurant located at the ground level of the Cocoon Hotel. Good thing they have upto date magazines and the served mocktails to early guests like me. Yey!
Anyway, the event started with the blessing of the restaurant with their priest friend (I assumed). It was a nice gesture since not all restaurants make this a tradition. Without any bias, the moment I witness it, I already know that this restaurant will be blessed.
The main event was not held inside their resto since it can only hold a number of people. We went upstairs, one of the hotel’s function halls for the celebration. The setup was nice and the theme for the night was “Cheers to One“!
The hosts for the night introduced themselves and started the event at once. A little history of the restaurant that sisters Kat & Abby Nantes manages. Kat, an advertising graduate is incharge of the operations while Abby, a culinary graduate (and my officemate’s HS classmate) is incharge of the food. They are both at their mid 20’s and they’re already making a name in the food industry. Good job!
Without further adieu, we are in for a night of yummy treats from the resto. They served a sample sizes of their best sellers. The Ceasar Salad & Pumpkin Soup was the first one to be served. This was perfectly made by Abby for his dad’s meticulous taste. The salad was surprisingly different from the salads I’ve tasted. I thought Gotti’s has the best Ceasar’s salad but this is better! The next one would be the Fetuccini Carbonara followed by the Beef Salpicao. The pasta was okay, nothing special but the bread that comes with it is a must have. I know some doesn’t prefer bread with the pasta but this one’s different. Well, it all depends on one’s taste. The salpicao was also okay.
Now here’s a unique dish, the oen of a kind and a family’s best kept secret, the Ligid. It’s like a fried lechong kawali and was made into a chicharon. Something of that sort. Hahaha! It is best paired with beer. It was served with vinegar and everyone keeps on munching this little thing! =))
In between the serving of food, there were raffle draws and informations on their other products. What to watch out for and some history. I luckily won one of Paire’s certificates! Just watch out what I have in mind. (Abby, goodluck! Hahaha!)
Anyway, after the main entrees, Kat was invited to present their Perfect Paires! 🙂 To be able to appreciate the pairing, a sherbet was served to everyone to clean our palettes. The moment everyone was waiting for, the presentation of the Cocktails & Pastries! The restaurant’s brand! ^_^
They’ve presented almost all the pairings and displayed everything. Beside the pairing display, they have samples for everyone’s satisfaction to try and check what they like best. Here are some of the pairings they have:
Mad About Sugar – Midnight Espresso Cake and Vanilla-Lychee Cocktail
Black Forest – Spiked Choco Sandwich and Berry Blast Cocktail
Sweet Summer – Creme Caramel and Halo-Halo Cocktail
Fresh and Fiery – Cheese Quiche and Classic Mojito
Fruit Basket ala Mode – Fruit Basket and Coffee Crumble
Their best sellers are Class A & A Fine Paire:
Class A – Almond Slice and Amaretto Sour
A Fine Paire – Spinach and Cheese Tart and Sparkling Lemon Wine
Unfortunately, I didn’t taste everything. I might end up in the bathroom afterwards. I never thought cocktails and pastries make a good pair. They also gave us a tip on how to experience the goodness of each pair. Tip: Eat the pastry first, munch it and when you’re halfway through, sip on the cocktail and boom! Hahaha. You’ll taste a different blend of these two. A fusion between the pastry and the cocktail? Perfect! My best bet was the Class A. 100% hands down!
After the presentation, their dad gave a speech and was really funny. I admire their happy family and I hope every parent would support their children like they did. You did a pretty good job Mr & Mrs Nantes! Cheers!
I really had fun that night and was thankful I was invited. There were distinguished guests and media men who were there too. I was happy to be part of their first year anniversary! Congrats Kat & Abby! Looking forward to your unique creations.
Here’s a nice keepsake from the event:
Before I forgot, I was able to take a picture with the real life “Ben and Etta“.
Ben and Etta is one of their Pairings made for their grandparents. It is a Pistachio Biscotti paired with Rich Blend Tsokolate.
Pretty cool, right?
So what Paire are you eyeing to taste?
Paire Cocktails and Pastries
Unit 1B G/F Cocoon Boutique Hotel (Scout Tobias cor. Scout Rallos Sts.),
Sct. Tobias cor. Sct. Rallos, Quezon City 1103, Philippines
Contact Number: (02) 579-1554
Email Address: pairefoodsinc@gmail.com
Facebook Page: Paire Cocktails and Pastries
Twitter Account: @PairePH
Website: FourSquare
Their official website is still under construction but will be launched soon so wait for it. 🙂
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