Before we left for our month-long trip, Kap kept looking everywhere for the Rayban sunglass we gave him as a present a while back. Alam nyo itong si Kap, May pagka-gate keeper din yan on the side. Tago-tago kasi baka daw mawala, sayang. Kalalabasan, nawala pa rin. Mas sayang kasi hindi nya nagamit, hmp! @_@
Long story short, he was squinting under the glare of the sun the whole one month we were away coz he was too cheap to buy another pair! Pinagtyagaan nya yung knock-off shades na nabili nya sa tabi-tabi na wala pa nga yatang UV protection which he uses in his everyday routine here in Manila. Haaaayz!
His birthday is coming up, so the kids decided to look around for a special gift. As you may already know, it is SO HARD to buy Kap a gift that he will like & appreciate at hindi lalaitin o ipapasoli. Hindi sya si Mr. Suave, so if he doesn’t like something, expect to hear him say so. Even now 30 years later, it still bugs me no end! 😐
Anyway, we passed by Eye Society in SM Aura a couple of weeks ago & the girls suggested we get him another nice Rayban for when we go to Boracay (hopefully for his birthday weekend, pero mukhang malabo kasi umaandar na naman ang kabaratan nya!). I balked at the idea coz knowing him, he won’t wanna wear it around the beach lalo at mawawala talaga! But since we are getting kinda desperate as the day draws closer, we went in to browse. And this is what we found, and liked! Yaaaay! <3
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Classic Rayban Aviator Outdoors Sunglass for my Kap. Sana magustuhan nya! @_@
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Best thing is, for a limited time only, a complimentary dinner for 2 is included with every purchase at Eye Society worth 10k & up. The 3-course dinner for 2 at CRU Steakhouse in Marriott Hotel Manila is supposedly worth 9,600.00 php. Mukhang win-win, and so, I flashed my credit card. Masaya na naman ang MasterCard nyan, lol! 😛
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Eye Society ’s Dinner in the Dark is an exclusive, limited-run-only partnership between Eye Society and Cru Steakhouse. All single receipt transactions worth P10,000 and up from August 15, until September 30, 2016 at any Eye Society boutique nationwide will be entitled to two (2) slots of Dinner in the Dark worth Php 9,600.00.
Great deal, dontcha think? Valid for ANY eyewear, not just limited to sunnies! \m/
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I’ve seen Cristalle Belo (yes I stalk her on Instagram) do this Dinner in the Dark thing with her fiancé on social media so syempre, echoserang frog & social climber that I am, I also wanted in!
Two Sundays ago, Kap & I went on a date to get a taste of a night without sight! Scientists say the sense of sight provides approximately 80% of all the information we receive and process about the world, and removal or restriction of the sense of sight will heighten all other senses- hearing, smelling, touch, and of course, taste, making the Dinner in the Dark dining exposure one of a kind. Here’s our fascinating experience..
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Marriott Hotel Manila
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We may have been a tad overdressed, lol! When I saw Cristalle Belo et al at the media launch of the Dinner in the Dark on Instagram, they were all dressed to the nines. We could have come in jeans & we would have been fine. What I’m tryn’a say is, huwag nyo akong gayahin – sumobra ang kaartehan. Dress comfortably! 😛
As soon as we arrived, we were given these blindfolds. Exciting!
My date. They say LOVE IS BLIND hehe. Pogi pa rin. 😉
While waiting for our dinner to start, we munched on this yummy bread which opens up to 3 parts. Tri-color representing 3 flavors. Regular, pesto, and my favorite among the 3, the taba ng talangka (far left). Ma-detalye! Off to a good start. I was worried na since complimentary dinner baka basta-basta lang ang ihanda. Not so, as you can see in the pictures below. I’m a happy camper. 🙂 Eye Society & Marriott, you have done well! :-*
Dr. Ma. Dominga “Minguita” Padilla, founding chairperson of Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines, president of Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology; and director of DARE Foundation, gave a short message before our dinner started at promptly 6:30 as advised in our ticket. Wearing the Uber exclusive KYLIE Birthday Edition lippy in Leo (True Deep Burgundy) Matte Liquid Lipstick (0.11 fl oz./oz. liq / 3.25 ml) and Leo Pencil Lip Liner (net wt./ poids net .03 oz./ 1.0g) from adorable twins, Adrielle & Adrienne. <3
Each table had a facilitator to guide us along our 4-course dinner. Yes, nadagdagan pa ng isa. Happy camper right here! 😉
Bautista Organica Farm Mushroom Espresso. With truffle espuma & garlic croutons. This course is easy peasy since it’s served in a cup kaya higop lang. Our mission, blindfolded, is to heighten other senses. I can definitely smell the truffle & taste the mushroom in our creamy soup. Yum! <3
Cheers to new & exciting experience, Honey! :-* Thank you for being my date & for dressing up kahit na mahirap sa loob mo, HAHAHAHAHA!
Sustainable Selva Shrimps. Citrus marinate, green mango slaw, spiced cashew nut, and calamansj gel. My discovery tonight: I kenat go blind. Mamamatay ako sa gutom! Tip: Take the table lay-out as a clock with the fork at 9 o’clock, knife at 3 o’clock, water at 1 o’clock, and plate in the middle. It’s so hard to eat without your sight pala. Super appreciated our facilitator as she guided us through our appetizer & taught us the basics.
What sealed the deal for me, steak from CRU woohoo! LHAV! <3
Sous vide US Certified Angus Beef Tenderloin. Potato mousseline, brown butter glazed organic vegetables, mushroom rillettes, port wine jus. This course proved to be the hardest for me to eat. First off, the meat was harder to cut. Mashed potato was easier. I learned to sweep my plate to get to the prize. Happy to report, I polished off my food lol. Mabubuhay naman pala ako kung saka-sakali! But I would never ever want to part with my eyesight!
Coffee & chocolates for our last course. Chocolate mascarpone, espresso caviar, chocolate crumble, mocha kahlua ice cream. Super yummy, I WANT A REPEAT!! I had better time navigating the dessert. Nandaya ako! I scooped each item & ate from my spoon, lol. Easier than hunting around in my plate hehe. For this last test, we were asked to identify the mystery fruit covered in chocolate. I could’ve sworn it was Kiwi. Turns out strawberry pala. Magkalasa! Ibang-iba talaga ang nakikita ang pagkain. Learned so much from this unique dining experience. So happy we participated!
There were 85 participants that night, with 2 more events in October. If you’re planning on getting a new pair of glasses, contact lens, or sunnies anyway, get them na from Eye Society & experience Dinner in the Dark.. for free! 🙂
Ang aking bulag-bulagan na dakilang pag-ibig. ;P
Our tablemates. Except for your plus 1, you don’t get to choose your seatmate, you get pre-assigned seats.
I’m a type 2 diabetic so this experience really scared me as I’m prone to retinopathy, also known as diabetic eye disease. This happens when damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes which can eventually lead to blindness. It is an ocular manifestation of diabetes which affects up to 80 percent of all patients who have had diabetes for 20 years or more. SCARY HUHU! I really gotta watch my sugar intake, takaw ko pa naman! @_@
Our 250 grams steak costs 2,650 php EACH. Just so you have an idea of a steak dinner at Cru. Believe me, sobrang sulit to buy an eyewear at Eye Society & avail of this wonderful, eye-opening (no pun intended) dining experience. It’s like you bought dinner & got an eyewear for free, or vice versa. Even Kap agreed! ;))
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Honestly, I would have enjoyed dinner a whole lot more if I could have seen the food in front of me. Ganda pa naman ng plating, sayang. 😉 As it was, I kept cheating & talking off my blindfold to take photos to share with you hehe. The rest kept their blindfolds on throughout dinner for an honest-to-goodness feel. But with the limited experience I had being sightless, I would never ever want to go blind. Sobrang hirap pala when you can’t see the beauty that surrounds you which we normally take for granted. Never again.
To know more about Dinner in the Dark, CLICK HERE.
15 Comments
i super love your outfit!!! 🙂
September 19, 2016 at 8:06 amchengkyu Jo. 🙂 hirap gumalaw. Sabi ni Jana mukha akong broccoli hahaha.
September 19, 2016 at 9:48 amahahahaha! chinacharot ka ni Jana…i super love it…lalo na itong naka side view ka Ms Jane.. 🙂
September 20, 2016 at 9:46 amSalamuch Jo! :-*
September 20, 2016 at 1:10 pmThe offer of free dinner is a winner! I have Marriott membership since May, at di ko pa din nagagamit hay. The only occasions I ate at Cru are when I used the member vouchers years past, and I don’t eat steak kasi. But, maybe I should get new specs. I wear glasses but it’s been 2 years na since I had new frames so…hmmm. The Dinner in the Dark is maybe an experience worth our time, and as you described it, iba talaga! Your lippie shade complements your outfit, and mabuti din you were cheating on the eye patch rule so you can share the photos with us. I will look into that promo, thanks!
September 19, 2016 at 10:53 amWaaaaw bongga ang membership. I was also comtemplating on availing BUT mapilitan to use it kasi kahinayang diba. So, pass nalang! 😛
Awwwww if you don’t eat steak wag ka na buy. The main course is steak. Or give to hubby, swap kayo ng appetizer plus shopping money lol. Winner!
September 19, 2016 at 11:23 amRe membership, napilit lang talaga ako after skipping some years (and minimal usage during membership years), because of the free overnight. We thought of using the overnight for hubby’s birthday, but we were not able to, so maybe birthday treat for me and daughter. Ms. Jane, pasok kami sa 2 week birthday period ng Goppets’ kids hehe. Dun nga ako stump with the steak hay, so wavering on this promo, but I need specs din. Good day!
September 20, 2016 at 6:27 amAng bonggels naman ng outfit mo, Mama Bear! 🙂 Ang pogi rin ni Kap, I swear. 🙂
September 19, 2016 at 11:45 pmYiiiiiiiiih kinilig naman ako hahahaha! Parang balik high school bbbeary! ;))
September 20, 2016 at 7:13 amGreat dining concept. Without the sight, you’ll hopefully be more cognizant of the flavors of the food.
OMG, pareho tayo ng hubby, Jane. My husband is too difficult to buy a present, ipapasoli nya,haha.
September 20, 2016 at 12:19 amHay. GC nalang ang iregalo natin Maria hahahaha! 😛 Yung pwede nating gamitin for ourselves pag sinoli, lol.
September 20, 2016 at 7:12 amLovely couple. Dapat talaga parati kayo nagde-date ni Kap. You look soshal. Pang cristalle belo ang dating. Yung coat ni Kap medyo malaki ang fit sa kanya (peace!). 🙂
September 20, 2016 at 1:57 amHahaha oo nga I need to have Kap’s coat repaired. :)) Thank you for the nakaka-kilig na compliment!
September 20, 2016 at 7:10 amSuper luv your OOTN!!! I also want to experience this, tamang-tama coz Lowell needs to wear contact lens again. But I don’t think it will cost 10k (*insert sad face).
September 20, 2016 at 9:20 amhuhu sana pala nagsabay nalang tayo meding!! had I known interesado ka waaaa. But Go! super interesting, promise. Buy ka ng iba for christmas gift hehe total accumulation naman.
September 20, 2016 at 9:33 am