So… Antipolo has long been promoted as a creative hub in the Province of Rizal, hosting the likes of the Pintô Art Museum, and art collectives like the ARTipolo Group, Inc. This may also explain why major Antipolo destinations are sold as art spaces that offer add-ons… such as restaurants or cafés or whatever.

@outragemag #CrescentMoon as #restaurant that wants to be an #artspace in #LGBT #Antipolo, #RizalProvince ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

And here, the Crescent Moon Cafe and Studio Pottery easily comes to mind as a Southeast Asian restaurant that’s also a pottery store and art space with creative workshops.

How was the place for us?

Una, the place isn’t easily accessible to those without private vehicles. So… from this alone, you already know the target market of this place.

Ikalawa, the actual venue is… artsy. There are various buildings here – e.g. one houses paintings that are also for sale, and another houses pottery outputs also for sale. So if you arrived early, or if the orders take too long, you can tour the area to check the art pieces on display.

Ikatlo, the staff’s okay naman, able to offer help as needed – e.g. sundo while touring another building when our food was about to be served already

Ika-apat, how was the food?

• We started with the Gado Gado (₱470, mixed spring vegetables with tempeh and peanut sauce) that may have been refreshing, but… the serving was quite small.
• The Beef Rendang (₱640) was actually good, properly blending the flavors of lemongrass, ginger, galangal, turmeric and chili for a savory, spicy and sweetish offering. Too bad the serving’s quite small considering the asking price.
• The Lemongrass Pork Belly (₱500) was delish, malasa (tasty) without the overpowering taste of any particular ingredient (not even the lemongrass).

As FYI: this is not a cheap place, seemingly emphasizing the “art is for rich people” mantra. A serving of rice, for instance, costs ₱55, which should actually already pay for one kilo of rice if bought in some marketplace. The coffee, too, was disappointing, served quite cold (not even lukewarm), making you feel you just wasted ₱135.

So…

1. Art-wise, this place is worth checking out. They may not have as big a collection as, say, Pintô Art Museum, but… what’s there is okay enough.
2. Those workshops may also be of interest to some, particularly for those interested in pottery. Plus you can buy pottery goods here, so yeah, a quick check may not be bad at all.
3. Food-wise, however, we found this place wanting. The flavors we expected weren’t there… at least for most of those served to us. Considering the asking prices (and those reviews), the expectations were high. Too high, they weren’t met.

But off we go in search of more lafang venues.

Crescent Moon Cafe and Studio Pottery is located along Sapang Buho Rd., Brgy. Dalig, Antipolo. For more information, contact +63282345724, or email crescentmooncafeantipolo@gmail.com.

Tag-init, for many Filipinos, means finding the perfect halo-halo. You can just grab one from those street vendors; almost always, they’re the best. But for those without access to those off-the-street halo-halo vendors, the next best versions would be those from supposed halo-halo specialists… such as Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice, which – like Icebergs and Razon’s – eyes to be known for giving this Pinoy dessert a twist.

@outragemag #LGBT checking a #halohalo ‘specialist’ in #Manila to compare it with #Chowking, #Razons, and those from #streetvendors ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Kumusta naman ang experience sa Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice?

Una, this biz actually has sit-down venues – e.g. the one we checked in Santa Ana in the City of Manila. But exactly because they have to pay for a dining venue, they don’t just offer halo-halo, but also so-so Mexican food. At least the space isn’t bad naman, and allows you to enjoy your halo-halo away from the humidity outside.

Ikalawa, slight maingay ang staff – e.g. when taking orders from foodpanda, or when chatting with each other. Promise, disturbing siya.

Ikatlo, kumusta ang halo-halo and the Mexican snack? More particularly, we tried the ₱150 ube halo-halo and the ₱200 taco?

1. With the halo-halo, the winning element is supposed to be the shaved ice since timplado na, so may additional lasa. However… the shaved ice used here may not be lumpy as the one in Chowking, but it not as smooth as Razon’s either.
2. If eating at Razon’s, you know there’s not a lot of sahog. But here, even if you do get more, nothing was memorable.
3. Lasa-wise, the halo-halo was quite bland… even with all the sahog and all.
4. The three pieces of tacos were so-so, tasting more like some inuman venue’s beef nachos than anything else. Overloaded with fake-tasting cheese, this appears like someone’s false idea of what Mexican food really is.

If, in the past, we craved for halo-halo during summer when the heat becomes intolerable, nowadays, that halo-halo craving is now what’s normal. Climate change is real, for real. So Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice has a captured market na. But if you can find others pa rin… like those selling halo-halo in street corners, try them as well. You’re bound to be pleased more for less the price.

So off we go for more lafang venue search…

Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice is located at 2241 Syquia St., Santa Ana, City of Manila, Metro Manila.

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus himself said a person cannot serve both God and money (or mammon). NOT that money is inherently evil; but the love of it can lead people away from God.

Alas… if you look at the way faith is practiced now, money just can’t be avoided. Take religious tourism as an example.

So it’s with trepidation that we headed to Montemaria International Pilgrimage & Conference Center in Batangas.

@outragemag Eyeing for ways to express your #LGBT faith? Head to #Montemaria in #Batangas for #religioustourism ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

There are some things worth stressing here…

Una, masalimuot ang history ng Montemaria. It used to be a project of a Roman Catholic priest, Fernando Suarez, with the land donated by local politician Hermilando Mandanas. That was around 2009. But Suarez moved to Cavite, so Montemaria was put in ice in 2014. The land was eventually donated to the Archdiocese of Lipa, managed by the Montemaria Asia Pilgrims Inc. (MAPI).

Prominent buildings include the Santo Niño Chapel, a replica of the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague, built around 2010; and yeah, the “Mother of All Asia – Tower of Peace” that was completed in 2021.

Ikalawa, Montemaria may be a pilgrimage site, and – as such – is filled by the faithful. But it is also a tourist spot, so expect lots of non-believers who are there for non-religious reasons. There are a lot of touristy attractions, like the glass bridge, accommodations facing the seas, and so on.

Ikatlo, too many of the offerings are still not functional, but yeah… sayang ang kita, so papasukin na ang tourists all the same.

Ika-apat, you will need money to fully appreciate this place. For instance, the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary, the “Montemaria, The Mother of All Asia”, is here. You can just appreciate it for free from afar… or cough up some cash to be allowed to go up.

In truth, publicly-accessible venues need to earn for their upkeep. I’d say Montemaria is no different. And yet… yeah, we can’t help but feel uneasy when money’s involved in promoting faith.

But off we go to the next rampa…

Montemaria is located in Barangay Pagkilatan, Batangas City.