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Defining C-O-O-L in Puerto Galera at Coco Aroma

As Puerto Galera’s White Beach in Oriental Mindoro becomes even more popular, it is fast becoming more of just a party place than a tropical paradise. But Coco Aroma offers glimpses of what resort living could be.

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Visiting Coco Aroma

For those in the know, Puerto Galera’s White Beach in Oriental Mindoro is no tropical paradise – in fact, parts of it (i.e. the middle portion, where the partying happens) are reminiscent of the… dilapidation of Thailand’s Phuket and Patong.  Yes, yes, the sand is finer (and whiter/cleaner), the water clearer (at times even reflecting the azure sky) in Puerto Galera, but – arguably particularly during peak season – the feel is somewhat similar.

There are the overcrowded restos, offering too expensive food (e.g. kebab that used to sell for P80 to P90 now selling from P160; and buko that – even in capital Metro Manila – sells for P25 sold here for from P50).
Bars that try to squeeze the last cent off you (e.g. Mindoro Sling that used to sell for P400 per pitcher now selling for P750, even if the raw materials used to make them remain roughly the same).
The half-naked go-go boys dancing on the stages and MSM plying the beach when the sun sets, many of them from the nearby some small towns, here to make a (lousy) living.
Impoverished transwomen also trying to eke out what they have until they find something that will last longer.
Fire dancers basically begging off tips from tourists to add to their monthly earnings that only reach P3,000.
Some women trying to catch the eyes of visitors (particularly foreigners who frequent the place for the diving).

Yes, this can be tropical paradise for the moneyed.
For the less moneyed, it’s a venue worth visiting maybe for the weekend, to escape the hustle and bustle of (not too far) Metro Manila.
But for the broke… it’s a different story altogether.

Discovering Coco AromaBut then, Puerto Galera offers glimpses of what resort living could be.

Enter the likes of Coco Aroma.

Located at the far left side of the island (when you’re standing on White Beach while facing the sea), this resort cum restobar is the “baby” of Cora M. de Veyra and her husband Joel (an artist) who – after inheriting the piece of land from her mother – transformed it into a hub for the “alternative” tourists.

Think reggae, light rock and blues.
Think masks carved on driftwood.
Think dreadlocks.
Think wooden construction materials.
Think hammocks by the sea.

Coco Aroma is divided into two areas – the restobar AND the cottages.

The rooms are located in the garden. Note that there are only five rooms available – i.e. three aircon rooms (one room on the ground floor that’s good for four, and two rooms on the second floor good for two); and two fan rooms (in a duplex) good for four persons. The rooms are – largely – made of nipa (that is, traditional thatched roofed housing).  As owner Cora would describe it, “lokal na lokal (truly local).”  Room rates vary according to season.

An insider info: there are budget spaces available – i.e. attic rooms offered for the budget conscious; though the rates also vary according to season.

The restobar area is – by itself – a must-visit.

There are cabanas (which, by the way, are what visitors would first see when seeing Coco Aroma by the beach) with five tables (and a hammock) that could seat up to 30 people; five tables in the middle portion that could seat 20 more; and two tables on a verandah-like setting facing a stage that could seat approximately 10.  Lying down on the cabana’s wooden floor, lazy lounging easily comes to mind.  Interestingly, “ginawa namin ang cabanas the way they are para kung malalasing ka, diyan ka na matutulog (we made the cabanas the way they are so when guests get drunk, you can already sleep there),” Cora laughed.

Particularly during summer, there’s live music in Coco Aroma (usually helmed by the house band named Turtle Club, “who you can jam with,” Cora said), covering reggae, rock, blues.  There’s also bonfire in summer.

Yes, drinking (and… smoking) is what comes to mind when at Coco Aroma (heck, there’s a poster of Mona Lisa with a joint on the bar’s wall), so worth considering are Coco Aroma Sling (the venue’s version of the Mindoro Sling, in itself a take on Singapore Sling) and the bottomless Margarita. But even though the sun’s till up (think late afternoons), hanging out here is fun while chewing the house specialties fruit pancakes (flavors include banana, mango and choco banana) at P185; any of the curried dishes (e.g. vegetable curry at P150, and curried tofu at P120); and pansit (noodles) from P180. Watching the sun set away from the crowd while slowly sipping kapeng barako (brewed coffee using local beans) is an option worth considering (versus ice cold beer in hand).

It’s a venue allowing one to experience the best of both worlds – as a manner of speaking.

That is, for those who know that there is fun in the dilapidated (I’d admit, sleaze can be fun, too), yet also know that hearing Bob Marley’s calming voice is akin to being lazy by some beach somewhere, then Coco Aroma’s the place that pops in the mind when one is in Puerto Galera.

Because for all its seeming dilapidation, Puerto Galera’s still worth a visit.

If you just know that fun has many incarnations when there…

For more information on Coco Aroma, contact Cora M. de Veyra at (+63) 9166167337, (+63) 9194728882 or (+63) 9232187399; email cocoaroma_5203@yahoo.com; visit www.cocoaromapg.com or www.cocoaromawhitebeach.com; or Coco Aroma’s Facebook page.

"If someone asked you about me, about what I do for a living, it's to 'weave words'," says Kiki Tan, who has been a writer "for as long as I care to remember." This one writes about... anything and everything.

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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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