Ahead of her flight to London, Isabel Sicat joined friends and collaborators for an intimate dinner at Restaurant Aurora to celebrate her Lifestyle Asia cover.
The next day, Isabel Sicat would be flying to London for the BFI London Film Festival, where Filipiñana, in which she appears, was set to screen. The film brings a new dimension to her career as an artist and designer, though, as her October 2026 cover story reminds us, performance has always been part of her artistry. Before leaving, she joined friends and collaborators at Restaurant Aurora for RSVP LA, taking an evening to relax and celebrate ahead of her Lifestyle Asia cover release.
READ ALSO: Cover Story: Isabel Sicat On Crafting Worlds Of Her Own
Our cover gatherings give us a chance to gather some of the people behind the stories we publish. For Isabel, it was an opportunity to spend time with familiar faces before another stop on the film’s festival journey. Nice Print Photo documented the evening and printed photographs on the spot, giving guests a keepsake to take home.
Located in Makati’s Pacific Star Building, Restaurant Aurora takes its cues from regional Asian cooking and the comfort of meals made at home. Its emphasis on gathering made it a welcoming setting for the evening. The team prepared a special menu for the occasion, with dishes such as Angus short ribs with green curry sauce and burnt eggplant, followed by toasted rice ice cream for dessert.
As the main course was served, Isabel shared a few words about her experience shooting the cover and thanked the team. The occasion gave her a chance to acknowledge the hands behind the images, with some collaborators seated around the table.
Guests also received an early taste of the holiday season with Auro Chocolate’s Merry Mix Box Advent Calendar, part of its 2026 Holiday Collection. Inspired by the warmth of a Filipino home at Christmas, the nine-window box reveals chocolate surprises including calamansiCalamansiA small, tart Philippine citrus fruit with a flavor between lime and mandarin, used in dipping sauces, marinades, drinks, and desserts. Calamansi brings bright acidity to Filipino cooking, and bartendersGo to Calamansi Glossary cheesecake and ube coconut with puffed rice. Its illustrated packaging doubles as game of finding hidden holiday icons, a playful take on Filipino gift-giving traditions.
RSVP LA takes Lifestyle Asia’s covers beyond publishing, creating a second editorial moment around the personalities and ideas within each issue. For this edition, a cover celebration doubled as a send-off. Before the images were published and Isabel’s work took her overseas again, there was time for dinner with the people who’d been part of this cover.
Check out the latest edition of RSVP LA, where we bring our community together and make room for conversation to continue around the table.
Photography by Nice Print Photo
Frequently Asked Questions
RSVP LA is Lifestyle Asia’s cover gathering series. This edition celebrated October 2026 cover star Isabel Sicat at Restaurant Aurora.
The dinner celebrated Isabel Sicat’s Lifestyle Asia October 2026 cover and served as a send-off before her BFI London Film Festival screening of Filipiñana.
It was held at Restaurant Aurora in Makati’s Pacific Star Building, which takes its cues from regional Asian cooking and home-style meals.
Dinner included milk bread with curry butter, Wagyu dumplings, salmon donburi, Angus short ribs with green curry sauce, and toasted rice ice cream for dessert.
Guests received Auro Chocolate’s Merry Mix Box Advent Calendar, a nine-window box from its 2026 Holiday Collection with chocolate surprises like calamansi cheesecake.
