Chow Magazine

THE COLLEGE FOOD ISSUE

OCT 2012 ISSUE 01 150 PHP

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A FRESHMAN’S GUIDE TO COLLEGE DRINKING

] SURVIVAL FOR HELLISH SLEEPLESS WEEKS SCREW STARBUCKS! NEW CAFES FOR YOUR NEXT ALL-NIGHTER

MANONG CALAMARES: ATENEO’S BEST-KEPT SECRET

YOU GOT

SERVED CHEAP, EASY FAUX GOURMET

coño meals a microwave click away FA 171. 2 DESIGN STUDIO (PRINT AND PUBLICATION) final project by araÑas, francisco, Lapuz, & Lontoc

CONTENTS CONTENTS OCTNOVDEC 2012

PAGE

30 FAUX CONYO KITCHEN fita s’mores and plantsya panini

05 09 15 19

SCREW STARBUCKS OFF-KILTER CAFES ICE BREAKERS OFF-KILTER CAFES SPOTLIGHT MANONG CALAMARES FUEL 101 POWER DRINKS

23 27 35

HELL WEEK SURVIVAL PRIMER YOU GOT SERVED DORMER GOURMET FEATURE KATIPUNAN AVENUE

37 40

LOVE HURTS BREAKUP FOOD KITCHEN KODIGO INFOGRAPHIC

STAFF’S STAFF’S NOTE NOTE College is a phase of many contrasts.

You either sleep all day or start living on caffeine, pills, and power naps, and you either do exceedingly well or fail miserably. Sometimes you even start to eat too much, or nothing at all. The CHOW team does not especially condone the latter (trust us, once the hunger kicks in, even the worst burrito in the world will be a taste of hallelujah to you, and that doesn’t bode well for the morning after), which is why our college issue is especially for the hungry. We salute you, the dedicated dean’s listers starving for the sake of their scholarships, the dormers who go broke in the middle of the week, and the hipsters who have gotten sick of cafeteria grub.

Our college issue is all about contrasts, from cheap microwaveable quick fixes, to cool new (and slightly pricey) coffee shops for the Starbucks snob in you. We take on the good, the bad, and the too cheap to be true in this special college edition. As Orson Welles once said,

“Ask not what you can do for your country — ask what’s for lunch.”

CHOW STAFF AU ARANAS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JENNY LAPUS EDITOR, FEATURES JACKIE FRANCISCO EDITOR, SPOTLIGHT TINTIN LONTOC EDITOR, TRENDS

CONTRIBUTORS

PIA GUBALLA PIA POSADAS CANDICE QUIMPO KITKAT PECSON

CONTACT US HELLO@CHOW.PH 09266195995 CHOW-NOW.PH

SCREW STARBUCKS! Cafés outside the box by Pia B. Guballa, Pia H. Posadas

Whether it’s to keep sleep at bay for yet another late-night cram session or to collect stickers for an overpriced planner, consuming coffee has become a daily ritual for many Ateneans. Katipunan certainly isn’t lacking when it comes to coffee shops, but one has to admit that they all tend to blur together.

When you tire of drinking venti-sized frappucinos and listening to bossa nova covers, let these three local coffee shops stimulate your senses with their quirky style, offbeat drinks and delicious food

Enchanted Farm Café Aside from building houses and developing communities, the Gawad Kalinga Center for Social Innovation can take pride in yet another achievement: opening an advocacy café.

Enchanted Farm Café, located along Commonwealth Avenue, serves as a bridge between city dwellers and the Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan. Its goal is to raise awareness about social entrepreneurship and to provide “both the physical and creative space for social entrepreneurs to build, collaborate and develop their businesses.”

Aside from serving food and drinks made from the Enchanted Farm’s organic produce, Enchanted Farm Café also functions as an outlet for its partner social enterprises such as Gourmet Keso, Theo & Philo Chocolates and Kape Maria.

Their drinks are certainly not your standard coffee shop fare. The Purple Leaf Tea (P35), which the menu describes as “the drink to end povertea,” is a refreshing new drink while the Milk Salabatea (P65) is a delicious balance of creamy and tangy.

For people who want to kickstart their day, the strong and bitter flavor of the Sulu Coffee (P55) will surely do the trick. In contrast, their Kape Maria Coffee, made from beans grown in Enchanted Farm, provides a subtler buzz.

Trite as it might sound, Enchanted Farm Café’s mission is not only to satisfy your physical hunger, but to fulfill your thirst for nation-building as well.

Rating: 4.5/5 Enchanted Farm Café is located at Unit 2-A, 463 Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.

KaffeCaffe “O, kape-kape tayo!” is a standard way for many Filipino to invite someone to coffee. This concept is turned gourmet and sophisticated by a classy little coffee shop called KaffeCaffe, nestled in the heart of busy Banawe.

KaffeCaffe seeks to bring Philippine coffee closer to the consumers while creating its own distinct coffee culture.

Unlike your standard coffee shop that boasts of exotic Latin American or African beans, this quaint coffee house takes pride in its export quality coffee blends of local origins.

Our favorites on the menu were the Caramel Macchiato (P100), which made for a sweet and creamy treat, and their White Hot Chocolate (P100), which seemed like the perfect smooth and warm drink to have right before heading off to dreamland.

In addition to providing customers with a quiet space to work or study, KaffeCaffe also offers an alternative coffee education course. The shop’s “Be a Barista for a Day!” program teaches you the proper way of preparing caféquality coffee.

The KaffeCaffe experience is best characterized by its calm, quiet interiors and color scheme. The color yellow gives off that the creative and intellectual energy they hope to provide their customers. Head on to KaffeCaffe if you want to satisfy your coffee cravings and need a quiet, productive work environment.

Subspace Coffee House Floating chairs? Bacon Chocolate Cookies? K-Pop music?

This isn’t some avant-garde nightclub you have to fly all the way to Seoul to experience; it’s a cozy coffee house in heart of the Ortigas business district.

Vintage pieces and knick-knacks, such as telephones, typewriters, glow-in-the-dark stickers and tiny robots, will keep you endlessly fascinated as you wait in line.

Piles of books and magazines invite customers to unwind in Subspace’s funky, mismatched chairs. A set of chairs anchored to the ceiling gives the illusion of anti-gravity and is certainly an eye-catching surprise for passersby.

Subspace isn’t just quirky when it comes to its interiors; the food and beverages served here certainly won’t be coming to a Starbucks near you anytime soon. If you have ever wondered what a Purple Potato Latte (P125) would taste like, this is the place to satisfy that craving. If kamote isn’t really your thing, the sweet and creamy Peanut Butter Latte (P130) is sure to perk up your mornings.

Fans of savory desserts will be happy to hear that Subspace offers a Bacon Choco Cookie (P55). While it may be smaller in size compared to other coffee establishments in the area, when it comes to character, Subspace Coffee House packs a hell of a punch.

Rating: 4/5

Rating: 4.5/5

KaffeCaffe is located at 46 Banawe corner Maria Clara St., Santa Mesa Heights, Quezon City.

Subspace Coffee House is located at the ground floor of the Grand Emerald Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Pasig City.

ICE BREAKERS Cheap and easy house party coolers

Get a popsicle mould and some sticks and mix up some fuss-free ice popsicles for a party.

Mango Paletas 3 cups mango juice 3 pinches of cayenne pepper 1/4 cup lime juice Red Bean 1 cup sweetened red beans 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/3 cup condensed milk 1 cup whole milk

Freezing times: 5-7 hours Servings: 4-6 Halo-Halo 1/4 cup diced bananas 1/4 cup boiled sweet mango 1/4 cup ube 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1/2 cup whole milk 3 tbsps condensed milk

Milk Tea 2 cups water 6 black tea bags 1 cup condensed milk 1 cup whole milk Food hack:

1/2 cup black tapioca pearls 1oz brown sugar 3 cups water

Store bought melon milk, milk tea, coffee, juice, or halo-halo put into a popsicle mould works just as well.

Coffee 4 packets instant coffee 1 cup evaporated milk 2 cups water 1.5 cups condensed milk

BEHIND THE SQUID Manong Calamares by Jackie S. Francisco

If you have walked the long stretch that is Katipunan during late afternoons and early evenings, you have probably come across the different kinds of Katipunan street food vendors.

Whether you are rushing to get to class or just leisurely walking along the road, the tempting aroma of fried food has at least once made you stop in your tracks. And if there’s one street vendor whose food is hard to resist once you get a whiff, it’s Manong Calamares.

Though this fried squid is often served in a simple plastic cup or even just a barbeque stick, the quality and taste of the calamares that this push cart offers by far rivals that of most restaurants.

Not bad for something that only costs 3 pesos a piece. These carts also serve fried isaw or chicken intestines, covered in the same crispy, goldenbrown batter used for the calamares.

Dipped in a special recipe of vinegar and spices, the kind that would remind you of what your mother would mix up for your special Filipino home cooked meals, Katipunan calamares and fried

isaw deliver the perfect blend of salty, tangy, and crispy.

There are several areas where these Manong Calamares are usually found.

Chow magazine chose to interview the one along the corner of Katipunan and B. Gonzalez, right next to Box-ORice. Manong Romy, the name of the Manong Calamares stationed there that day, said that there are at least five carts roaming the Katipunan area and there are 20 other carts in operation in other areas. They start selling at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon and head back to base at around 8 in the evening.

They frequent the areas in front of establishments such as KFC, Wok Dis Way and Xanland, among others. But they usually move around, walking the length of Katipunan and Esteban Abada. if ever you find yourself in the Katipunan area, hungry but low on cash, just keep on walking along the road and you’ll eventually find one of the five Calamares carts.

MANONG ROMY

FUEL FUEL 101 101

A beginner’s guide to college drinking by Tintin P. Lontoc

There’s nothing like good old firewater to fuel the machine, or lift the spirits during a dour semester. While most teachers recommend going teetotal during campus hours, we’ve heard that a few drinks couldn’t hurt that badly.

Philosophy, Theology, and History The Greek symposium (“symposion,” meaning “to drink together”) was an exclusive forum typically held by ancient Greek aristocrats for debate, discourse, and philosophizing.

As per tradition, wine would be passed along to inebriate the mind for a rousing confab about anything, from an examination of love, to dramatic dialogue in poetry.

While getting a hold of an authentic Greek ouzo in time to “liberate your senses” (so to speak) is out of the question, a quick trip to the grocery for a beer to calm the mind and ease the tension — and possibly to squeeze those ideas out — should suffice.

A hearty bottle of some dark, smooth beer is great for mulling over Marcel and Kierkegaard. For a bit of kick, add a can of root beer to your dark ale to get you started on that seven-page essay on Taft-era colonization.

Black and Tan 1/2 root beer 1/2 beer Math, Finance, and Accounting There are exams, and there are Math exams. Long nights filled with numbers, equations, and tears — maybe some energy pills — with less sleep, and even less time for food.

There are usual tricks to staying awake, mostly involving a rather nasty mix of Extra Joss, cigarettes, and dextroamphetamines (Adderall, if you like).

Nobody likes topping off a triumphant all-nighter with a three-day headache. Skip the college cocktail and go for an energy drink instead.

Masterblaster 1oz. vodka 3oz orange juice 1 can Red Bull energy drink English-Literature Alexander Pope once wrote “drink is the feast of reason and the flow of souls.” For your English Literature presentation, we don’t actually recommend taking imbibing liberally, but for those who want to do as the greats did, here’s a list of

how to drink like your favorite authors.

Charkes Bukowski: Boilermaker 1oz whiskey 1oz beer F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald: Gin Rickey 1.5oz gin 4oz lemon juice 8oz clear soda Truman Capote: Screwdriver 6oz orange juice 1oz vodka

I’LL QUIT WHEN HELL FREEZES OVE Food for surviving college hell weeks by Jenny B. Lapus

You may remember it as the penultimate week before the semester ends, but these days we call it hell week. During this phase, students run amuck, frantically chasing deadlines and hoping to cling to the last vestiges of their grade point average before the week is done.

Going through the motions There are different strategies to survive hell week. Go hermit and close yourself off to the world, or try to sweet talk your way to a passing grade. There’s also the old all nighter with your reliable friends, caffeine, and even more caffeine.

Avoid eating a heavy meal the evening of the all-nighter and/or study session. This will just leave you feeling tired and sleepy. Eat a light, healthy meal instead.

Caffeine may seem like the no-brainer solution, but it’s one sure way to crash and burn by morning. Instead, drink two full glasses of ice cold water every 30 minutes.

Not only will the cold water help to keep you awake, but you’ll need to urinate very often. It’s difficult to sleep on the toilet.

And don’t eat anything greasy like hamburger and french fries — they’ll put you straight to sleep.

Expectations versus reality What do students really do eat during this oh so exciting week? During these times, coffee and/or energy drinks are deemed as necessities. If you want to easily stay up all night, buy a bunch of energy drinks or 3-in-1 coffee mixes and just keep chugging them down whenever you start to feel drowsy.

The upside to these drinks is that you will not only feel awake, but you will also feel fairly alert - the downside

is that the amount of caffeine these drinks contain is quite high. One Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine, which is about twice as much caffeine as what is found in a can of Coke.

Not terrible, but if you have six or seven Red Bulls over the course of one night, you are going to be ingesting an awful lot of caffeine. In limited amounts, they really do work.

Because students want everything right here right now, the 24-hour delivery service of fast food chains become even more popular during these times. Some students who feel that they cannot work at home because they will just fall asleep or get distracted opt to spend their all-nighters in other places such as restaurants or fast food chains.

Hell week is something every student goes through.

If you’ve gone through college without pulling an allnighter, you are either a robot or a superhero or both.

These are the moments when we really test our (cramming) capabilities, and by the end of it all, you can give yourself a pat on the back and just let everything go.

So to everyone who is about to experience or is experiencing hell week, don’t give up! Just keep on keeping on, and hopefully some of things we said here can help you get through it. Study hard, guys. Good luck!

ER

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YOU GOT SERVED Gourmet, dormer style

If you’ve ever had to stay at a dormitory for at least two semesters, you’ll know that getting a decent snack after hours is an absolute chore.

These quick fixes were made for the lonely, the lazy, and especially the hungry.

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BAKED POTATOES A large baked potato Sour cream Bacon bits This snack is especially tailored for those whose skills don’t go past “putting things in the microwave.”

Cut some slits on your potatoe to make sure the heat evens out and pop it in the microwave for ten minutes on medium high.

Top it off with some sour cream, ready cooked bacon, or some cheese. Baked potatoes are incredibly simple and absolutely versatile.

PASTA A LA PACKET 1 pack of instant noodles 1 can of ulam Heat up some instant noodles following the instructions for microwave cooking, then open up a can of either corned beef or corned tuna to top it all up for a meal rich in salt and utter satisfaction.

FITA S’MORES

A pack of crackers Marshmallows, a sliced banana, a pack of chocolate, or ice cream Sandwich some ice cream in the middle of two Fita crackers, or top a piece with some marshmallow fluff and chocolate for a quick late night sweet tooth fix.

INSTA PANNA COTTA Fruit of choice Instant pudding packet Powdered pudding mixes and snack pack pudding cups are readily available in nearly any grocery store in Manila. Try topping some plain pudding with a bit of fruit for a co単o treat.

PLANTSYA PANINI Two slices of bread A slice of cheese A clothing iron Ever try heating up a grilled cheese on a clean (or not, I guess) clothing iron?

A minute or two under the iron in low heat will get that cheese all melty and the bread all toasty.

MEET KATIP Exploring Katipunan Eats by Candice Lopez Quimpo

Being in the residential and school districts, the long stretch of Katipunan has slowly but surely evolved into a dining center. Who knew it would turn out that way?

There are notably new ones—new to me especially, as weeks after moving away from the area I grew up in, all these eaters and restaurants starting popping out.

It was like a bad cosmic food joke. On me. And I’m not laughing. I’m just getting hungry.

So, here’s where I want to go and check out and dine in.

Shall we make a list?

Katipunan, near Diliman The posh-looking Regis Center is an easy start. Right across Ateneo Gate 3 (and connected through a foot bridge), it boasts of several dining options in one place. There’s the almost-always-full Bonchon with their famous chicken. There’s Moshi-Moshi and their Japanese fare, such as takoyaki, sushi rolls, green tea shakes, and bento lunch boxes. Taiwanese milk and bubble teas at Saint’s Alp. Peanut Butter Company is for the lovers of all things PB—in pasta, sandwiches, drinks, desserts! Desserts are ably covered by pastries at Mom & Tina’s Bakery Café and frozen yogurt at Red Mango. Downstairs are branches of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Brother Burger.

The celebrated restaurant of the moment is Wooden Spoon, owned by Sandy Daza of the culinary family fame. Exemplary comfort food, Filipino style, best

describes this.

Cravings is almost an institution in Katipunan row.

Starting as a quaint bakeshop, it has grown into a big dining place serving almost gourmet but moderatelypriced meals and spawned “sister” eateries Coffee Beanery and Classic Cuisine of the Philippines.

If you want dessert and Mongolian buffet, odlly enough, it makes sense at Sweet Inspirations. It’s not as chic as the newer establishments, but it’s certainly worth trying out.

For those hankering for some Persian flavor, Persepolis is the reliable choice for the traditional skewered kebabs, humus and ox brain, to the more fusion-y pitzas (pita pizzas). Very new is Raza’s Kabab and Persian Cuisine (which seems to offer Korean and Indian choices as well) and Aezien Persian Food Empire, which positions itself as close to authentic Persian fare as possible.

There’s also a neighborhood secret when it comes to pizza. It’s Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza that aims to redefine pizza options for the Loyola Heights residents. It’s a place you need to know about to find, as signage is hardly seen. What to look for: Cello’s Doughnuts, which shares the same space and the same owners. And the same specialty, mom-and-pop flavor.

Katipunan, Blue Ridge side If memory serves me right, the Blue Ridge eating scene used to consist of places offering, mostly, beer and pulutan. The less shady ones would be the Dencio’s, at

the corner of Santolan, and Katips on the other side of the road.

Seemingly overnight, the scene began to change. I can almost put my finger on Banapple’s opening that changed it—or at least helped push it along. Suddenly, cars were blocking sides of the road to bring home a cake or pie, or patrons were waiting for parking to free up to have their turn inside. Today, they have two branches—one on each side of the road!

Bite Club used to be the only specialty burger joint worth checking out. Now, the choices have multiplied: Wham!, Pitlane Grub, and Foodcamp Burgers and Sandwiches have joined the fray.

Kopi Roti’s Singaporean kopi tiams and kaya toast have its loyal following. Conti’s offerings of both savory and sweet in the form of delectable entrees and desserts keep them very busy and packed.

Opening its second branch, Tomato Kick still serves its popular and creative takes on pasta, entrees and appetizers that has made it very popular in its original Maginhawa branch.

If you like your pizza both tasty and huge, go to Calda Pizza. Their super-sized choices are always a hit among hungry carb-loading diners.

If you want your pizza (and pulutan) with a side of live music, there’s Route 196. It really is more of a bar that happens to have a good enough menu—but go early if

it’s the food that you’re really after.

Katipunan, through White Plains The farther side from the universities, this area is mostly populated by families and homeowners.

Katipunan’s foodscape is as extensive as it is long. Most of the time, one really wouldn’t bother going from one end to another. While Katipunan is home to many heavily-advertised commercial brands, it is also a haven for culinary gems if you bother to uncover them.

First, there’s Pan de Amerikana. Its misleading name surprises diners with its full range of Pinoy specialties besides its freshly baked pan. It does get a lot of attention for being, literally, designed as an upside down house. Perfect for photo ops.

Thai is not common in this part of town, so when Basil opened recently, the buzz grew quite quickly and good reviews started popping up.

A longtime standby for sweet eats is Gateau de Manille.

White chocolate mousse, sansrival, moist chocolate cake—all satisfying its sweet-toothed clientele for decades.

Hungry? Now, go hunt.

LOVE HURTS Getting over blockmate rejection by Jenny S. Francisco

Everybody loves having a crush. Everyone loves experiencing the feeling of butterflies fluttering around in their stomach with every word that comes out from that person’s perfectly shaped mouth. Especially when you get to hear them every single day.

Because you just happen to share every class with them.

Then one day, after all those months of longing and fantasizing about that perfect moment where your incredibly good-looking, sweetblockmate confesses his or her love for you, you finally muster enough courage to declare your undying devotion first. “ Aww. You’re so sweet. But I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

BAM. Suddenly all the butterflies fluttering in your stomach drop dead. From floating on cloud nine, you suddenly plummet to rock bottom. The endorphin high is gone and you’re left with nothing but a feeling that’s both hollow but strangely heavy.

Well, if there’s one thing that can fill that gaping black hole inside your chest, it’s food. Lots and lots of food.

But what kind of food do you eat when the only thing you can taste is despair?

The answer is ice cream. The answer is always ice cream. Hundreds of movie and sitcom clichés of girls crying while eating ice cream can’t go wrong. You need that cold, sweet, sugary goodness to remove the bitter taste of rejection.

Studies show that desserts, especially those that contain chocolate, can trigger the release of endorphins.

Endorphins are what cause you to feel happy and block your pain receptors.

So pick your favorite flavor of ice cream, curl up in a warm cozy ball of gloom, and watch a sad movie. You’re guaranteed to feel better afterwards. At least for a little while.