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Inside Makati’s immersive book club

Perhaps the most compelling issue in modern Philippine literature is still the gap in representation. Although the country has a range of literary works, there’s still a need for more representation and depth in the books local publishers churn out.

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With the hustle and bustle filling the avenues of Makati, it’s not wrong to assume that the city is a concrete corporate jungle. From high-rise buildings to industrialized stores, Makati is built on corporate ladders and elevator pitches. But explore a bit more and to the east side you’ll find Poblacion, a lively and hip contrast to what’s otherwise a commercial work mill for many.

While the fun and drinks happen at night, The Astbury–a third space for creative human experiences stands in one of Poblacion’s nooks and crannies. There, an intimate and immersive book club called “The Write Side of Bookshelf” gathered to converse and breathe new ideas on how to be a Filipino author and the future of Philippine literature last June 20. This session called “The Journey of a Filipino Writer” was led by author and longtime writer Pancho Dizon, and is just the first of many book club sessions to inject creativity and build a new community at the heart of the Metro.

The gap in representation

Perhaps the most compelling issue in modern Philippine literature is still the gap in representation. Although the country has a range of literary works, there’s still a need for more representation and depth in the books local publishers churn out.

For Bookshelf PH, a digital publishing house born at the height of the pandemic, the gap was found in the lack of books that paint the Philippine business landscape and sharing local stories of business leaders. This need was only amplified when people started searching for side hustles and business ventures to cope at that time. Thus, Bookshelf PH started publishing business books like The 50, which featured 50 HR leaders around the country to share their experiences working in different industries.

“Interviewing these leaders over Zoom calls was a great opportunity for writers like myself to dig deeper into stories often overlooked,” Dizon said. “You’d be surprised how easy it is to talk to these leaders by simply asking them over an email or messaging them on social media.”

Another issue in representation is found in many Filipino readers’ patronage of Western literary works over local books, especially for teens and young adults. Fantasy, sci-fi and other young adult Western novels with fandoms and following tend to take center stage in many local bookstores and online reading platforms.

“When you see the youth reading more Western literature, it actually signals a need for more Filipino representation and local books that can narrate stories as grappling as theirs. We have no shortage of inspiring stories, but we really have to search for them and dig deeper.”, Dizon explained.

The best language for local content

When it comes to language, the Philippines has almost 200 different dialects. Filipino readers and authors alike would often postulate on which language should be used in writing modern Filipino literature. One would argue that the rising use of English in many Filipino literary pieces snatches away the Filipino-ness of these works and dilutes the essence of using our Filipino language to enrich our literature.

But for Monette Quiogue, founder and managing partner of Bookshelf PH, language is simply a tool to use in conveying what truly creates the Filipino-ness in a literary work–the message.

“I believe that the message we communicate to our readers is the essence of Philippine literature,” Quiogue explained. “Language should never be a barrier in enriching local literary works. But choosing which language to use, whether that’s English, Filipino or Ilocano, matters most depending on which audience you’d like to get your message across.”

Bookshelf PH’s wide collection of books are mostly written in English. From business books painting the Philippine business landscape to women’s books narrating stories of prominent Filipina figures, the preference for English over Filipino in writing these modern books have a much deeper purpose behind it.

“We choose to write most of our books in English simply because we want to share our local content to a global audience. From the outside looking in, we want other cultures and nationalities to appreciate Philippine literature and reach a wider audience to inspire and share our local stories with,” Quiogue added.

The deeper purpose for writing local stories

After writing so many articles and books, one would ask what’s the deeper purpose to continue honing their craft in storytelling. For Dizon, his passion for writing stems from the people he has encountered and worked with in his story developments.

Fearless Filipinas 2, an anthology featuring 24 inspiring Filipinas who made a big impact in their fields, was an avenue for Dizon to create a spotlight for the Philippine women’s football team. By interviewing and featuring international footballer Cam Rodriguez in the book, Dizon had the opportunity to sit on the bleachers of Rizal Memorial Stadium to watch the team win the AFF Championships last year.

“Moments like the women’s football team winning the championship inspire me to write stories that are often found on the sidelines,” Dizon said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but telling our own stories lets us take control of the narrative and for once, put a spotlight on us Filipinos.”

Join the next literary movement, intimate conversations, and creative exchange at the Astbury on July 12, Wednesday, 6-8 pm featuring The Write Side of Bookshelf’s latest guest speaker Merlee Jayme, author of Chairmom.

To reserve a spot and learn more about this creative get-together and future events, sign up here – limited slots only!

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Dining Out

Still trying to find the promise of Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña

#Pizza, #lasagna, #babybackribs aren’t Pinoy staples, and so – as we look for a venue where they’re properly offered – we ended up in Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña in Quezon City.

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Truth: Pizza isn’t a Pinoy staple food. So even if we know that – when properly done – pizza can be really, really good, it can be challenging to find a local venue that knows how to properly make one. Heck, even the supposedly “award-winning” venues in Makati City aren’t that good, truth be told!

@outragemag Looking for #pizza #lasagna, #babybackribs in #QuezonCity? We #LGBTQ ♬ original sound – outragemag

The search for a good slice (or slices, preferably) of pizza led us to Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña, which – seemingly belying its name – is making a name not just because of its lasagna, but also because of its pizzas (with some of them looking mouth-watering in socmed reels, yeah).

So… how did we find Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña?

Una, the place reminded me of small eating venues in non-touristy streets in Paris – e.g. turned picturesque thanks to hundreds of fake flowers that added character to multi-colored decors. So when there, you can’t help but think they have a very specific market in mind – i.e. socmed people.

Ikalawa, the staff were actually nice – e.g. they even provided us (and the guests in another table) with a phone stand for the selfies. And when you make inquiries online, they respond fast, ha.

Now – ikatlo (and lastly) – how was the food?

  • The Famous Beef Lasagna (₱289) was hefty… for its price. Di tinipid. It was yummy, said Arthur, though a bit sweet for me. But we both agreed that the accompanying garlic bread was really good.
  • Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña has various 12” types of pizzas to choose from, with the prices ranging from ₱520 to ₱590. To be on the safe side, we just ordered the Primo Pizza (₱590), which paired half of the 4 Cheese Artisan Pizza with half of Pizza de Barcelona (pepperoni and cheese with meat sauce and three kinds of cheese). And that proved to be – this has to be stressed – an intelligent decision. Because while the pizzas looked IG-worthy, and appeared to have lots of sahog, the very first bite wasn’t pizza-like. That’s because the dough used can be likened to pan de sal and not what’s usually used for pizza. It was more similar to the garlic bread served with the lasagna, actually. And for me, that it didn’t even seem well done was also an issue.
  • The baby back ribs with shrimp aglio olio pasta (₱490) was… okay. Admittedly, the ribs were somewhat dry even if the flesh was soft enough to seemingly peel off the bones. At least the pasta (cooked al dente) was quite good.

Considering the many offerings of Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña, you are bound to find something that will please you if you decide to pay it a visit. That’s good for you… and for this business.

Admittedly, we have misgivings… like those pizza slices that left us with not-too-great memories. But that’s all good, as we continue discovering good lafang places.

Reach Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña HERE.

There are three branches.

Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña P. Noval Manila Branch is right beside UST, and is open from 10:30am to 10pm; parking is available along P. Noval St.

Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña Sta. Mesa Branch is in front of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, and is open from 9:30am to 10pm; parking is available in front of the restaurant.

Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña QC Branch is located at 27 Roosevelt Ave. corner Gen. Lim St., right beside Fisher Mall, and is open from 11am to 11pm. Parking is available in front of the resto.

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Dining Out

A taste of Thai in Pasay

We checked Soi Chicken in Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This is one of a handful of Thai restos in MOA, including Jatujak and Soi.

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Okay… let’s be honest: Thai cuisine is among the best in the world. Particularly – this has to be stressed – those that were not sanitized to please foreigners’ palates. But this is also why it’s tricky when you look for Thai food outside of Thailand since you’re bound to get something that claims to be Thai, and yet not taste Thai at all.

@outragemag

#thaifood craving in #MetroManila? We checked out #SoiChicken in #Pasay for this #LGBTQ #foodtrip

♬ original sound – outragemag

And so we checked Soi Chicken in Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This is one of a handful of Thai restos in MOA, including Jatujak and Soi.

So… how was it for us?

Una, the place itself was not bad – e.g. it was clean, walang sirang furniture, Thai-inspired decoration, et cetera. Yeah, the music playing wasn’t Thai or even Thai-inspired, but at least the overall vibe was.

Ikalawa, the place was not THAT busy. At least when we went there, past lunch time, it was more empty than full.

Ikatlo, even if there weren’t a lot of customers, service was still slow. Don’t get me wrong: the staff was nice. They were chatty. They provided you what you needed. Et cetera. But… they weren’t always there. As example: I had to stand to ask for the bill.

And lastly, the food was… okay. But – take note – hindi siya memorable.

  • We started with Som Tum (papaya salad with salted egg, ₱295), which tasted like it needed more palm sugar and lime. The addition of the salted egg was inspired, though, making this special.  
  • The Pad Thai Soi (₱495) was not bad, too. But it was not as flavorful, either. It was almost like the chef wanted to be safe… which sadly deprived us of the flavors we were looking for. But at least the noodles weren’t overcooked, and there was acceptable amount of sahog, considering its price.
  • The Tom Yum (₱485) was, perhaps, what disappointed Arthur most. Again, this wasn’t bad; you can tell that they didn’t use powder, but prepped this fresh. But it tasted… kulang/lacking – e.g. of lemongrass, and galangal. BTW: We ordered Jasmine Rice (₱69) but ended up not eating it.
  • For dessert, we grabbed the Black Gulaman with Gata (which sounds more Filipno than Thai, we know; ₱225) that tasted like macapuno ice cream with gulaman pieces.

But you could all try for yourself, if you want.

But for us: babalikan anytime soon? Not really.

In the end: Yep, it IS hard to look for good Thai resto in Metro Manila… or even in nearby provinces. But we continue looking anyway. So come join us look for more good lafang places.

Soi Chicken is located at the ground level of North Galleon Bldg., MOA Eats, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

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Dining Out

Checking Sky Seafoods in Caloocan

With Bongbong Marcos leading the country into never-ending price increases, more affordable places like Sky Seafoods will gain more traction, for sure. But… is cheap always better when it comes to good food?

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Thanks to the never-ending price increases at the time of Bongbong Marcos, sa panahon ngayon, ano nga ba ang halaga ng ₱1,000 kung ang kilo ng kamatis pa lang ay lampas ₱200 na? And so when we see what we think are good deals, like steaks for around ₱500, lumalaki yung mata natin.

And this is how we discovered Sky Seafoods, known for offering pretty-looking affordable steaks and seafood in Caloocan City.

So… how was our experience of it?

Una: The place is over an hour away from the City of Manila, where we came from. And this is also already using the expressways. Meaning, allocate extra time as well as extra budget for the tolls just to check this place.

Ikalawa: No, they don’t accept credit cards. And at least when we went there, GCash wasn’t working, either. Bring cash when you visit; else be troubled by searching for ATM or whatever.

Ikatlo: Some of the staff couldn’t care less if you’re there or not. As an example, we had a hard time asking for information about the nearest ATM so we could get cash. Once the orders were served, the waiters were, at least, attentive. Truth: We wanted to walk out na, yeah… but since we spent time driving there, we’re stuck into thinking that we may as well just give the place a try na lang.

Ika-apat: Located at the corner of two streets, the place itself was… not bad. High-ceilinged, the place was well-ventilated, properly laid out, and have good AC (a few tables actually requested for from air-conditioners to be turned off because it was getting too cold). Just be warned about the toilet – i.e. it’s clean, yes, but it looked like this was just added as an afterthought (complete with those blue tubo/pipes, et cetera).

Finally: How was the food? We ordered Surf & Turf (ribeye steak with creamy garlic shrimp, ₱788); Steak & Pasta (₱395); regular fries (₱65); and kilawing tuna with rice (₱229). So…

  1. At least the fries here were not bad, since they didn’t get soggy as Jollibee’s fries could get.
  2. The creamy garlic shrimp was also okay; not overcooked and so not rubbery at all.
  3. The tuna was okay for Arthur. But for me – who came from Mindanao, not too far from General Santos City, the tuna capital of the country – it needed more asim/sourness. But the rice that came with it was really good.
  4. The steaks were the big disappointment, though. We got thin slabs of meat that were not well-seasoned, and seemed like they were pounded too much. Add to that the buttery fats na natutulog so that – by the end of the meal – they made what we were eating undesirable.

Lots of people came and went to Sky Seafoods while we were there (some even reserved tables). Which should tell you of how popular this place is/has become… perhaps particularly for those in the area. I say: Good for them.

Alas, it’s always to each his/her own.

And nope… this one isn’t in our list of babalikan anytime soon.

With Marcos leading the country, more affordable places like Sky Seafoods will gain more traction, for sure. Let that not define what’s good, though.

Sky Seafoods is located at Magat Salamat corner Lapu-lapu St., Urduja Village, Barangay 172, Caloocan City. Contact 0945 182 3990 for more information.

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