For those craving noodle soups, tambak ang options natin, truth be told. From David’s to Noodle Park to Wann Mann to Tim Ho Wan… the options are now endless. But – let this be said – the olden ones continue to charm. And among these is Charlie Wanton Special in Mandaluyong City.

When driving from Sta. Ana in the City of Manila to Greenhills in San Juan City, we always pass by this resto in Mandaluyong City that was established in 1958, though the original location was in Florentino Torres Street in Santa Cruz, Manila. That it is widely known is an understatement – e.g. good luck getting a table if you go there during rush hour (usually during lunch, or early dinner).

Anyway, we headed there when an opportunity presented itself. And… how was Charlie for us?

@outragemag #Wanton with nostalgia at #charliewantonspecial in #Mandaluyong during this #LGBT ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is in the middle of nowhere… in a manner of speaking. It is one of an extremely small number of restos in a long road that’s mostly residential, and there’s no public transportation there. But – exactly because the resto is known – it isn’t hard to find, as it’s very Google-able and Waze-able.

Ikalawa, the place is – in a word – unpretentious. Don’t expect fancy when there. The place is “divided” into sections – i.e. the glass-enclosed kitchen where the noodles are being made (you can watch the making, by the way); the dining area (which can accommodate over 70 pax); and the small events place. You get old wooden furniture, old cutlery, aged plates, and so on.

Ikatlo, the workers looked haggard when we were there… though this may be because they’re overwhelmed with the number of customers. I’d say don’t expect to be given special attention; this place is an order-eat-pay-go venue.

Ika-apat, how’s the food?

As served, the Chicken Mami (₱235) and the Beef Wanton Mami (₱305) looked abundant. We received extra bowls of sabaw, which were necessary because the noodles per bowl were a lot. Oh… the chicken sabaw was thicker, while the beef sabaw tasted like humba, complete with that star anise taste.

We had concerns taste-wise:

1. the beef strips were soft, yes, but the mami with the beef didn’t taste beefy at all;
2. the wanton in the same mami was okay-tasting, but didn’t taste fresh; and
3. the chicken strips weren’t malansa, but the mami with the chicken was tasteless.

The Bola-bola Siopao (₱130 for special) was aesthetically nice to look at, mainly because of its size. Sadly, that’s that. Taste-wise, it was weird. The dough was dry, and the meat was, aside from also being dry, had a malansa taste. It was hard to finish, sorry.

For the Siomai (₱120), we got three gigantic pieces. It was forgettable, but – after the siopao – at least the meat used here didn’t taste malansa.

Many people come, and will continue to head to Charlie. No surprise there since this can be a comfort zone for some. Kami, however, we don’t believe nostalgia alone makes any place deserving of being blindly supported. And so off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

Charlie Wanton Special is located at 265 Haig St. Daang Bakal, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. For more information, contact (02) 7718 1880.

As a tourist, there are two ways to look at the Pililla Wind Farm. On one hand, you head there to see how we’re making use of nature to propel progress. But on the other hand, you go there because… there’s nothing else worth checking out in the area; we are so tourist site-deprived that we end up glorifying not-even-pretty gigantic turbines.

Anyway, we headed there, yes, and here are some observations.

@outragemag Municipality of #Pililla promotes #pilillawindfarm #windturbines as #tourism… and nothing else, becoming a #touristtrap as checked during this #LGBT ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is really only accessible for those with private vehicles. If you’re commuting, you can take a tricycle to and from the nearby Tanay Public Market. But don’t expect to be able to just hail sasakyan while there.

Ikalawa, open from 7AM to 6PM every day, you’d see 27 wind turbines operated by Alternergy Philippine Holdings Corporation there.

Standing atop hills at 300 meters above sea level, overlooking Laguna de Bay, each turbine can produce 2MW, with the entire farm generating almost 150 Gigawatt hours of electricity per year. To put this in perspective lang, ha, it could provide power for approximately 90,000 to 100,000 households… assuming, of course, na what’s produced is provided cheaply to the people.

But yes, you’d see “science in action” here… in a very, VERY limited way, of course.

Ikatlo, even if the Pililla Wind Farm doesn’t charge fees, everything is still for profit here – e.g. parking, stuff you can use while walking (like umbrellas), access to some viewing areas, and so on. The greed is most apparent in the access to toilets; here, all the shops have “PAY CR” since Pililla Wind Farm itself doesn’t have similar publicly-available facilities.

So… should you visit? If you have a car, daan lang siguro, quickly drop by. Or just enjoy those windmills from afar siguro. Because either/or, there’s not much to gain while at the Pililla Wind Farm – e.g. no people to discuss with you how farming the wind works, no glimpses of how this particular wind farm actually works, no picnic areas to stay at while enjoying the views, and so on.

Of course, if you really just want to take pics din, then yeah… head there. Pero kami, off we go for more LGBTQIA+ discoveries…

The Pililla Wind Farm is located at F8CX+VJW, Manila E Rd., Pililla, Rizal Province.

Antipolo has, particularly lately, been trying to make a name as a must-check place for foodies. If most places in Metro Manila close at night, Antipolo has 24-hour venues that boast not just not-bad food, but views of cities of Metro Manila as they succumb to darkness.

So one morning, after a night shift, we decided to grab something at any of their breakfast nooks… which was how we ended up at Yellow Bird Café X Kitchen.

@outragemag #Breakfast-hunting in #Antipolo led us to #YellowBird #restaurant that offers #Filipinofood, Italian dishes, #cafe ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place isn’t hard to find for those with private vehicles; Google Maps or Waze will lead you there easily. But noticeably, we didn’t notice public transportation during our visit.

Ikalawa, the actual place was… airy, thanks to the glass walls/windows. But while this may also be a steakhouse/Filipino restaurant/Italian-ish restaurant/and so on, look-wise, it’s more a café that happens to serve some food. Rustic also came to mind, thanks to those dried flowers everywhere…

Ikatlo, the staff’s deadma; no one was friendly enough to stick to mind. They just tell you where to sit, take your order, deliver your food or drinks, then… kebs na. No small chitchats on what’s good or not, or whatever.

Ika-apat, how was the food?

• The ₱140 Americano was… forgettable. Mag-tubig ka na lang while waiting for your food.
• The Sinigang na Baka (₱525) was actually a surprise – that is, this isn’t your typical sinigang, Using kamatis (tomato) instead of bayabas (guava) or sampalok (tamarind) or miso, the broth was tasty without being overpowering. Yes, the meat could have been softer/more tender, but at least it wasn’t chewy. And the serving could have been bigger, considering the asking price. But yes, this one’s worth checking out.
• The Munggo & Chicharon (₱295) wasn’t bad at all… but there’s nothing special about this as it’s no different from the munggo (beans) that you’d get from some carinderia.

That sinigang may have been a pleasant surprise (and this is even if the meat needed more time to boil), but I doubt that’s enough to lure us to head back anytime soon. This isn’t a bad place at all, but when in Antipolo, a place that has more food venues to discover, we – or you – may as well check others…

So off we go, as we search for more lafangan venues.

Yellow Bird Café X Kitchen is located at Blk 2, Mission Hills Blvd, Antipolo, 1870 Rizal Province.