Malaysian Restaurant: Chef’s Home, Baguio

Som’s in Algiers St. in Makati was one of the first hole-in-the-wall discoveries in the Philippine gastronomic experience, but now in Baguio we have Chef’s Home.  Found at the corner of of Outlook Drive and Romulo Drive (Just drive past the Presidential Palace till the end.), you’ll find a carinderia being managed by Alvin Emuang, a Malaysian executive chef from Sofitel.  Settled now in Baguio, Alvin can whip up Malaysian and Thai (where he worked for 15 years) dishes in his tiny but well-kept kitchen.  But book ahead, the place can only seat a few, and is open only for lunch and dinner.  (Click here for more info: http://eatsinbaguio.wordpress.com/tag/chefs-home/).  This newly discovered secret will surely become a hit like Som’s.  Their specialty is the mutabak.  It’s kind of like a beef and potato omelet.  We also had the really spicy sambal and filet of dory.

Me and Chef Alvin Emuang

Chef’s Home
13 Outlook Drive cor. Romulo Drive, Baguio City
(It is right beside Baguio Townhouse, inside a sari-sari store called Apolo (sic).)
Tel. 0916-4445756 or 0999-7746624

Hostel: 1 River Central

There are mixed dorms, too.

I always thought that that triangle bordered by EDSA, the Pasig river, and Rockwell, would be an ideal place for a hostel.  Not only is the area cheap, but it is near Power Plant Mall (my favorite), and near the Guadalupe MRT station, too.

Well it looks like I was not the only one who thought so.  By the edge of the river is now 1 River Central, a new hostel that is another good addition to our growing backpacker scene.  Walking distance from Power Plant and the MRT (I tried it), it is a great cheap and alternative place to stay from the traditional haunts of Malate and Makati Ave.

And at the price of 450 pesos, you get clean rooms, bathrooms, an open kitchen and rooftop eating area.  Being along the Pasig, might not have seemed ideal before, but with recent clean-up efforts, it is actually becoming a pleasant place to stroll along.  And it even has fish now.  (What kind, I’m not so sure, they’re just big, black, and kind of scary-looking )

One drawback of its location along a main road is that it can be a bit noisy.  But the staff have earplugs on hand to sell you at cost.

One added bonus, is the hostel is also walking distance from the Nuestra Senora de Gracia church which was built in 1629!

1 River Central

1169 JP Rizal, Guadalupe Viejo, Makati, tel. (63 927) 368 200

www.1rivercentral.com

450 pesos (9 US$) a dorm bed (boy/girl/mixed)

free safe in room, free wi-fi, includes breakfast

Spectator Activities

After talking to Ronald of Our Melting Pot Hostel, I’ve decided to make a list of spectator activites in Metro Manila.

1) Watch a Philippine TV variety show live! - for good or for ill, variety shows are a staple on Philippine television.  Walk into almost any house in the metropolis, and you will see the TV (or the household help’s TV) tuned into the next presidential candidate of the Philippines (I kid) trapaising around the screen with scantily clad girls.  What’s interesting is, according to Ronald, is that it is easy to get to watch these shows live, if you show up at the appropriate time.  ABS-CBN and GMA7 are located in Quezon City and ABC5 is found in Novaliches. 

2) Watch a PBA game – In spite of being a vertically-challenged people, we love basketball.  Fortunately due to the Philippine diaspora, we are now getting taller.  There are two conferences played out throughout the year.  One with all Filipinos and one with foreigners called imports.  You can also catch the university leagues, the most famous, and the hardest to get tickets would be the battles between Ateneo and Lasalle.  To get the lowdown on Philippine basketball read Pacific Rims by Rafe Bartholomew.  The games happen at the Araneta Colliseum and Cuneta Astrodome.

3) Watch a cockfight – PETA beware, these cockfights or sabong as they are locally called are not for animal lovers.  Two roosters duke it out, gladiator style, with a blade strapped to their leg.  Nothing can be more raucous than a sabong.  Watch the kristos take your bets, and marvel at how they can remember everybody.  I know there is a cockpit in Pasay City.

4) Watch a boxing match – You all must’ve heard about Manny Pacquiao by now, the greatest Filipino boxer ever to enter this world.  It is possible to watch the next Pacquiao at locations like Elorde’s Gym in Paranaque.

5) Watch a rockband – Saguijo in Makati would be your best bet to watch the next up and coming rockband in the Philippines. 

That’s all I can think of right now.  I’ll post some more when I think of some.

Where2Next Manila Hostel

beside Bedrock

The newest kid on the block (or blog) is the Where2Next Manila Hostel.  One can not get more central than this in the Malate backpacker area.  Founded by two Italian-Filipina sisters who grew up in Australia, the hostel has a real Australian backpacker vibe.  Spacious dorm rooms, big communal area, and huge lockers, it’s not surprising that this place has become a contender since it opened in September of this year.

spacious dorm rooms

big communal area

large lockers

 Where2Next Manila Hostel

1776 Adriatico St., Malate, Manila, Philippines, 1004 (It’s right beside Bedrock Bar.)  tel. (632)354-3533

www.where2nexthostel.com

700 pesos (14 US$) for a dorm; 1750 pesos (35 US$) for a private room for 2

150 pesos (3 US$) for bag storage; free wi-fi and open kitchen

Our Melting Pot Hostel

There is a new wave of backpacker hostels hitting Metro Manila.  The first is the first hostel I ever reviewed for this site, Our Melting Pot Hostel.  OMP  is now more centrally located.  It is right in front of the A. Venue Mall, on Makati Ave., with it’s slew of bars, shops and brand new grocery store. 

view of A. Venue Mall from Our Melting Pot's rooftop bar (still under construction)

OMP now boasts of two floors of private rooms and dorm rooms, an open kitchen, communal area, lockers and two roofdecks.

Ronald, one of the ever gracious owners of the place, has a menu of suggestions to offer you like how to take a boat to Intramuros or where to volunteer for different NGO activities throughout the city.  OMP also hosts Philippine cultural nights, gives free travel advisories to different parts of the country, and can even get you into the shoots of Philippine TV variety shows and watch it live!

Ronald’s mission is to show to backpackers, that Manila isn’t just a place to pass through, it’s a place to stay in for awhile. 

His staff (or even he!) will bring you personally on private tours of the Intramuros, Quiapo, and Binondo areas or bar nights at B-Side and Blackbird in Makati.  They can also teach you how to eat balut or prepare a proper adobo.  Ronald actually copyrighted the catchphrase “friendship included” and they mean it.

With Ronald, you can see, it’s not just a business, it’s a vision.  They plan to open branches in Tagaytay, Boracay, and Cebu by 2012 bringing the Our Melting Pot goodness to different parts of the country.

Our Melting Pot

4th floor, Mavenue Bldg., Guererro St. corner Makati Ave., Makati City.  It is right in front of A. Venue Mall.   Tel. (63)932-950-0255 or (632)659-5443

http://www.ourmeltingpot.hostel.com/

600-750 pesos (12-15 US$) for a dorm bed, 1000 pesos (20 US$) for a single private room, 1700 pesos (34 US$) for a double private room

50 pesos (1 US$) for bag storage, 30 pesos (50 US cents) per kilo for laundry, free wi-fi, breakfast included

Bookstore: La Solidaridad

the bookstore with gravitas

In the heart of the Malate backpacking area on Padre Faura St. beside  Robinson’s Place Manila is the most historic bookstore the Philippines has.  Founded by the National Artist for Literature, F. Sionil Jose, you will find all kinds of international classics and local heavyweights of Philippine literature here.  Not quite the place where you will find Twilight, nevertheless, it’s a great place to stock up on books for the long bus rides around the country.  You can also find F. Sionil Jose’s books here, of course, his most famous one is My Brother, My Executioner, the third book in his Rosales Saga.

La Solidaridad Bookstore

531 Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila, Tel. (632) 523-0870

My Book Ordering Experiment

September 18

Inspired by a story from one of my friends on Facebook and my generally good experiences in National Bookstore Power Plant, I decided to conduct a little experiment.

Yesterday I went to the customer service counter in National in Rockwell and ordered a book, Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny by Robert Wright. I was already emboldened to ask for this book because the PUBLIC COMPUTER in the store said they had it in stock once. So Cristy, the girl behind the counter said they had to special order it. She tried to access the Internet but couldn’t get on. She asked me to leave my cellphone number and I walked around the mall. Eventually she texted me and so I went back to the store. She said she could order it for me and I paid my down payment of 50%. By the way the book would cost 890 pesos. Which is not bad because the book had a sticker price of 17$ or 735 pesos. Now I have to wait around 3 to 4 weeks to see the results of my experiment.

As a a comparison study, I’m going to approach Fully Booked next and see if I can order Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky. Let’s see if the Fully Booked staff is as helpful with special ordering.

September 26

So I went to the other bookstore.

I had gone to the Fully Booked in Rockwell on Sept. 24 and looked for Clay Shirky’s book. The lady behind the counter began to rattle off other branches where the book “might” be. I then asked if she could have one of them delivered to Rockwell She said she could, and wrote my name down on a sheet of paper.

I didn’t feel secure about this, so I went to Fully Booked High Street today. I asked the man behind the counter if they had the Clay Shirky book. He sent someone to look for it. It took awhile, but eventually the person came back and said it wasn’t there. So I asked if I could order it. He said he could but it would take two months. One could not help but feel that he was deliberately trying to be discouraging even though he was polite. He made me sign a paper.

Okay, so this is how I feel. National made me pay a downpayment, and gave me a receipt. They said I would get the book after three to four weeks. Fully Booked made me put my name on a piece of paper but did not asked for any money in advance. They said it would take two months. The girl in National was clearly talking to a supplier on the phone when I ordered there. The people Fully Booked just told me to put my name on a piece of paper and made no phone calls. Who do you think would feel more obligated to fulfill their promises? Well, we will find out in two weeks or two months…

Sept. 27

First point goes to Fully Booked.  Due to their deeper collection of books already available in the Philippines, they were able to get the Clay Shirky’s book from one of their branches.  Turn around time, four days.  I still have the paperback version on order from their High Street branch, but this will do for now.

Sept. 30

First book landed.  I am starting to come to certain conclusions, but I’ll wait till the experiment is done.

Oct. 9

I could’ve gotten Cognitive Surplus at Fully Booked but they only had the hard cover.  National had it in paperback, so next point goes to National Bookstore.

Oct. 13

A point to Powerbooks for using brown paper bags.  Though the only plastic bag I would accept is the medium-sized Fully Booked one.  Perfect size and shape for slippers or wet clothes

Oct. 14

National called me today to tell me my book arrived.  I went there this afternoon and got it.  Experiment over.

So here are my conclusions,

Fully Booked has a deeper selection on hand, and so it is possible you could get your book right away or within four days.  Some suggestions I have for Fully Booked is to have an in-store computer that your customers can use to see what’s in stock.  Also, if a customer makes a special order, take a downpayment.  Because this assures the customer that you will indeed import the book, and assures you that the customer will actually buy the book when you bring it in.

National Bookstore’s ordering system works well.  It would be a good idea to expand your stock of books to make it even quicker to find something if your customer needs it.  I can’t complain that you were able to deliver to me the book of my choice within a month, but it would even be more awesome if you were able to deliver it within four days if you had a larger selection at hand.

An excerpt from Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

Well here is an excerpt I just took from a Filipino writer that describes Boracay perfectly.

* * *

You can tell a lot about a place by how it feels between your toes.

Shelley’s ten digits took great pride in their astute ability to judge an area’s character. Her left big toe was an especially thoughtful observer. By instict, it could tell within seconds of touching the ground if a place was rough, slippery, or soft. Now it decided, as Shelley waded to the shore, that this particular island required a whole different category of praise. Paradise came close, but that rang a bit trite. A happy accident, it thought – a string of mishaps, to be precise – suited it much better. If it had, it would be forced to accuse God of favoritism – something that the Catholic in it refused to let it do.

Shelley, however, was less reverent than her appendage. God, she decided, as she waded away from the outrigger that had ferried them to the island was selfish, and this was where He hoarded beauty like a secret stash of chocolate. Boracay was His kitchen drawer.

Shopping: Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati

Well I finally figured out how to get to Power Plant Mall in the Rockwell area of Makati. Take the MRT to the Guadalupe station. Then walk down to the riverbank and catch a jeepney on J.P. Rizal Ave. Make sure the jeepney is going westwards and get off near the front of Power Plant Mall.

So what’s so great about this mall? It’s probably the best mall we’ve got. The people in the movie theaters aren’t too unruly. It has a big Rustan’s supermarket, Fully Booked, and National Bookstore. You can get t-shirts at C2 and Team Manila. You can get a haircut at Basement Salon. They also have a store that sells North Face gear.

There is an awesome slew of restaurants at the bottom: Chili’s, Myron’s (my cousin’s), Elbert’s Cheesesteak, Isshin, etc. They have a Sango Japanese hamburger shop and delicious Japanese food at Kuretake. They just opened a Mamou Steakhouse. They have a Lulu Belle yogurt shop. You can even get taho (a ubiquitous Filipino street snack), in the food area at exorbitant but reliable prices

If you are willing to walk a bit, it’s also near the famous Soms Thai restaurant on Algiers St.

The easiest way to get here would still be to take a taxi though.

It’s just my favorite mall, so I can’t stop gushing about it

Film Festival: Cinemalaya: Gayuma

A good yarn. This is what this movie is. Imagine a story built around a dancing Sto. Nino. The premise is very magical realist. In fact so is the whole movie, but based in a Bikolano setting. But it’s not like this movie was unoriginal. It had the beautiful pacing and humor of the earlier Alvin Yapan movie, I just wrote about in an earlier post.

There’s not much more to write about this film. Except that it is good entertainment. Now I want to watch the whole oeuvre of Alvin Yapan’s work.