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.

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.

Baguio City has always been a must-visit place for foodies, thanks to the many culinary offerings from the Cordillera region (think pinikpikan, etag and binaod, among others). But – whether you agree with us or not, particularly since you may know some venues we don’t – one of the biggest challenges we encountered was looking for good kape.

The search for a good cup of coffee is what led us to Foam Coffee, which – it must be pointed out – is more of a resto than a café.

So, how was our visit to Foam Coffee?

@outragemag Looking for #kape in #FoamCoffee in #Baguio, only to end up eating not-cheap #ricemeals ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, this is easy to locate, as it’s right across the city hall of Baguio.

Ikalawa, the place itself is sterile-looking. Yep, maaliwalas siya (it’s airy), newly-furnished, is clean, and so on. But when we were there, it also felt quite impersonal, and didn’t feel like a community café or something.

Ikatlo, this is a self-service and CLAYGO (clean as you go) venue. Meaning, you won’t really engage with the staff as they’re there just to take and then give you your order, and then clean up after you if you failed to follow the CLAYGO policy. This adds to the making of this place as impersonal.

And ika-apat, how were the offerings?

So… the original intent was to grab coffee since this was repeatedly highly ranked by reviewers. Alas, the ₱120 Americano was, to start, not even that warm anymore when served. And taste-wise, it was almost like it was watered down.

The rice meals that we ended up also trying were actually not bad. The ₱230 Orange Chicken (orange-glazed chicken with rice) tasted… orangey, sweetish and yet citrusy. The ₱270 Bulgogi Tapa (thinly sliced Korean beef that’s marinated in sweet and salty soy in garlic butter, with rice and eggs), meanwhile, was sweet and savory. The rice in both dishes was good, too; flavorful so that even sans the toppings, already a meal.

For us, if there’s one issue with the rice meals, it’s the size of the servings. Particularly the ulam (viand). You will not get a lot. Which, for us, makes this place a somewhat pricey silog-like venue.

Foam Coffee has a market – e.g. check those who study while there. This is understandable even with the place’s limits. But we’re off elsewhere… perhaps in search of good coffee, as businesses should have if they use the word in their business name.

So off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

Foam Coffee is located at Upper G/F Travelite Hotel, Shuntug St., Baguio City. For more information, contact 0977 602 3750.