Entertaining With Flair
Bedecked in hues of blues, Sheila Romero ushered in the Chinese New Year with a mix of cultures, surrounded by an intimate group of friends
SHEILA AND MIKEE Romero’s home served as the venue of a small gathering of Sheila’s friends, to celebrate the Year of the Metal Rat. While not Chinese, the Lady of the House muses that half of her friends are Chinese, and any reason to celebrate and be with friends is as good a reason as any.
Being in the hospitality industry, Sheila laughingly admits that she’s a tad bit obsessive with the details of any gathering they celebrate in the house. From the table linens to the two-man live band serenading the guests, no detail was too small for her to handle. The dinner was to be held in the Amorsolo dining room, so named because it is filled with Sheila and Mikee’s stellar collection of some of Fernando Amorsolo’s most recognizable works. “I just love him so much; he’s my favorite artist,” Sheila gushes as she checks the tablescape, before her guests arrive. A mix of landscapes and portraits, Amorsolo’s works do add cheer to the room, or at the very least, make for good dinner conversation.
“My husband thinks I’m like Wonder Woman,” Sheila shares, laughing. “He tells me the night before that something like a dinner or event needs to happen in the house, and it happens!” Her husband, Mikee, is currently the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, which keeps him greatly occupied most of the time.
“I was inspired by the color of the year, and I wanted it to be a Thanksgiving of sorts—thankful for friends, for family,” Sheila says, talking about the reason behind the décor for the party. “The flowers are from Twig and Vine. It’s a mix of patches of red, those orange ones they call ‘Mickey Mouse’, just to go with the Chinese New Year. Oh and I love sunflowers, and succulents, since they last for over a week. Twig and Vine was put up by a friend of mine last year. I support my friends’ businesses through different ways,” Sheila says,
gesturing to the elaborate floral arrangement on the table. The tablecloths had gold elephants printed on them, a find from Cambodia, which complemented the silverware from Hermes.
Sheila likes entertaining at home, and she encourages her children to bring their friends over instead of going out. “It’s a way to get to know them too,” Sheila adds, smiling. She’s opened a few restaurants throughout the years, with Nara, a restaurant that specializes in Thai cuisine, as the newest addition. “We just opened in Manila Bay, and we’ll be opening our next Nara branch in Greenbelt by the summer, hopefully. A lot of friends have been asking if we cater, and we don’t really do that, except for tonight.” Sheila is proud that Nara is included in Thai Select, an award given to only a few restaurants that serve authentic Thai cuisine—with the finest ingredients imported straight from Thailand, and the authentic method or style of cooking of the chefs. “It’s my corporate chef who’s in the kitchen tonight, so we’re in good hands!” Sheila says.
In a long, blue tiered gown and a saddle belt from Christian Dior, Sheila topped the look with glittering diamonds. “I had this gown two months’ before they announced the color for 2020, and I never got to wear it because there wasn’t any occasion to bring it out. The color of the year is blue, so that’s all that I asked the guests for—be in blue!” All the guests obliged, trickling into the living room, enjoying hors d’oeuvres and glasses of champagne as they
caught up with one another. They call themselves the “Pen lobbyists.” She shrugs and laughs when asked about the name. “I don’t know; I guess it’s just because we like hanging out in the lobby a lot. We always seem to be there. Everyone who was invited, I was thinking it will be comfortable, and good conversation all around.”
Another pastime that she and her friends share is singing. “My friends love to sing, they’re very Filipino that way,” she admits, waving at the karaoke machine in the corner of the living area. “I was thinking of doing cocktails and singing before dinner. The songs we sing give away our age!” The hostess may be gracious, but she knows how to let her hair down, taking the mic for herself and belting out a song before they all settled into dinner.
Lively chatter filled the dining room as each course was brought out. Supper started out with goong chae nampia, a prawn carpaccio in fish sauce marinade. The soup, tom ka hed tao hoo, would be a delight to vegetarians, since it’s essentially tofu, mushrooms, and coconut soup. A Thai meal would not be complete without a refreshing salad, and a yum sum o, or pomelo salad, was served. For the main course, Sheila was especially happy to serve something that is not usually served in Thai restaurants: soft shell crab. Called phu nam phad pong karee, it’s a soft shell crab, stir fried with yellow curry sauce, on top of jasmine rice. There was also massaman nuea nong with roti, a braised beef massaman curry served with bread. The entire supper was finished with a delightful dessert, khanom tako sakoo, a simple Thai jelly with coconut.
It was a fete to remember because of everyone who chose to gather, catch up with friends, and give thanks for the year ahead.