Heirloom Issue 2018
LOREM ARBITER
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CONT ENTS 28 EATS Why Gallery Vask required a makeover
18 COVER STORY Writerturned-rosé entrepreneur Celine Lopez on her fourth shot in life
Cover photo by Joseph Pascual 14 FEATURE A bookstore revives what is meant to be alive
HEIRLOOM ISSUE 2018 04 HEALTH The science behind herbal remedies
30 RECIPE Tuna cooked old school
10 FEATURE Rediscovering Binondo and Taal
32 THE GET An eclectic bag finds balance in opposites
EDITOR’S NOTE Looking back Jose Rizal once said that the way for us to know our future is to look at our past. Did he mean that what is to come only mirrors what has passed? Or perhaps he meant that it is only through understanding and learning from the seeming things of old that we can effectively shape our future. There is growing interest in the ancient and antique. But this fascination goes beyond mere trends, as can be seen within this issue.
This month, we recall the time-tested remedies of our past; we see how relevant books on our culture remain in demand in the digital age; and we revisit the sites that tell of our heritage. Entrepreneur Celine Lopez also shows us that to truly move forward, one mustn’t stop at just looking back on the past— mistakes and all. If anything, the past should just remind us there’s still so much worth looking forward to.
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GROUP PUBLISHER BEA J. LEDESMA EDITORIAL MANAGER ERIC NICOLE SALTA ASSOCIATE EDITOR PAULINE MIRANDA EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS JESSICA ALBERTO, YAZHMIN MALAJITO, CHRISTIAN SAN JOSE CREATIVE DIRECTOR NIMU MUALLAM ART DIRECTOR EDRIC DELA ROSA ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR DANICA CONDEZ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS SAMANTHA ONG, JAVIER LOBREGAT, JP TALAPIAN INTERN DANEE TORRES CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS SEPTEMBER GRACE MAHINO, GRAI ALVAR, FRANKIE TAGGART/AFP PHOTOGRAPHER JOSEPH PASCUAL, JEEB BALDONADO STYLISTS GRAI ALVAR, MELVIN MOJICA ILLUSTRATORS KRISTINE PAZ JOHN CHESLEIGH NOFIEL HAIR AND MAKEUP PAM ROBES, JAN EDROSOLAN COPY EDITOR PATRICIA ROMUALDEZ PROOFREADER
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FIND SOUTHERN LIVING AT STARBUCKS COFFEE, THE MANILA PENINSULA, ALABANG COUNTRY CLUB, HEIMA, DUSIT THANI HOTEL, AYALA MUSEUM, AND FULLY BOOKED.
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NATURE’S CURE
There is more science than superstition behind traditional herbal remedies TEXT CHRISTIAN SAN JOSE ILLUSTRATION KRISTINE PAZ
In Madeline Miller’s feminist reimagining of the life of one of the most overlooked goddesses in Greek mythology, Circe kept the love of her life Glaucos from dying using pharmaka or plants that had sprung from the fallen blood of gods. The sap of a species of pale yellow bell-shaped flowers that grew from Kronos’ spilled blood transformed the humble fisherman into his truest self: a god. While Circe or these herbs may have only been products of an imaginative mind, plants that possess healing abilities have been utilized for ages across cultures. In the Philippines, as early as the Spanish occupation, there were over 200 documented
species of medicinal plants. One of the most comprehensive references about Philippine medicinal plants by national scientist Eduardo Quisumbing, whose work culminates decades worth of research, estimates the number of medicinal plant species to be more than 800. But even before some of these species were proven to have therapeutic and pharmacological benefits, herbolarios were collecting plant specimens and brewing concoctions out of them to relieve people of various common illnesses. These herbal remedies are still in use today, despite the growing number of new medical technologies. From skin afflictions to abdominal pain, there is an herbal cure for many common ailments.
OREGANO Scientific name: Plectranthus amboinicus Common name: Oregano Description: A perennial succulent with fleshy, aromatic stems and leaves Application: Boil the leaves and drink oregano as tea to remedy a cough. Proven therapeutic property: The antibacterial compounds found in oregano such as carvacrol and thymol are known to detoxify and clear the respiratory passage.
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TSAANG-GUBAT
PANSIT-PANSITAN Scientific name: Peperomia pellucida Common name: Pansit-pansitan Description: A small herb that grows in damp places; it has succulent stems and heart-shaped leaves as well as flowers on a spike. Application: When eaten raw as a salad, it can help alleviate joint pains and rheumatism. Proven therapeutic property: It has anti-inflammatory properties that have been proven and backed by clinical testing.
Scientific name: Ehretia microphylla Lam. Common name: Tsaang-gubat Description: A shrub that grows from one to four meters; it has small shiny leaves and white flowers that eventually mature to round, orange fruits. Application: Consuming tsaang-gubat decoction can help ease abdominal pain and gastrointestinal illness. Proven therapeutic property: Due to the presence of compounds called pentacyclic triterpenes, tsaang-gubat is suitable for people with gastrointestinal troubles.
AKAPULKO Scientific name: Cassia alata Common name: Akapulko Description: A tropical shrub that grows up to three meters in height; its leaves have 16 to 28 oval and flat leaflets. Its flower is yellow in color. Application: When pounded, fresh leaves can heal skin afflictions like scabies and eczema. Proven therapeutic property: It contains a fungicide called chrysophanic acid that treats diseases caused by fungal infections.
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SAMBONG Scientific name: Blumea balsamifera Common name: Sambong Description: An aromatic shrub that grows up to four meters in height. Its obloid leaves have serrated edges. Application: Sambong infusion is consumed as tea that is believed to relieve urinary tract problems and eliminate urinary stones. Proven therapeutic property: Sambong is a diuretic that helps drain excess water and salt from the body. 05
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SPECIAL FEAT URE
HOME HUNT Appreciating Verona's landscape for aspiring families TEXT YAZHMIN MALAJITO
The greatest predictor of success is discipline—the resolute commitment to ourselves, our ideals, and dreams. It’s a work ethic where we sustain our promise towards a long-term goal that, by and large, requires sacrifice. As tedious as it can be, we still trust the process because the tune is already familiar to us: Working hard will eventually take us to our desires, and for most of us, it is to own our dream house. Sacrifice can be selflove after all. And what better location to celebrate this achievement than Suntrust Verona. Located in the hills of Brgy. Pook, Silang, Cavite, there are numerous configurations available that would suit any family’s needs—from 88 sq. m. duplex units
for young families to 176 sq. m. singledetached homes for growing broods—and even options that would attract a spectrum of budgets as the prices range from P3.3 million to P8 million. This 62-hectare neighborhood is also dubbed "The City of Love," manifesting its warmth and ability to nurture families through its ancient Roman-themed community. Just like its European namesake, the architecture, structures, and sceneries in Verona has a medieval motif. It even has a love lock fence, their own version of the one in Verona, Italy where Romeo wooed Juliet. Along the highway, Fontana Di Venere is an attraction that cannot be missed. It is a fountain giving the spotlight to the maiden
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SPECIAL FEAT URE Fontana Di Venere—a statue depicting a scene from renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus painting—welcomes homeowners and visitors at the entrance of Suntrust Verona.
statue that depicts a scene from the Birth of Venus, an oeuvre of Italian artist Sandro Boticelli. Just a stone’s throw away from the fountain is the clock tower and the village’s gate. Verona also has Casa di Giuletta or the House of Juliet, which is a two-story structure with an adjacent courtyard. The quality of the grit you exhibit in your everyday grind merits fruits confided in a fostering environment such as Verona. Just continue singing the old song of hard work and the ever-accelerating civilization haste will eventually become a breeze.
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WATCHING THE DETECTIVES The movie enthusiasts saving silent cinema TEXT FRANKIE TAGGART/AFP PHOTOGRAPHY JIM WATSON/AFP
In the Spanish colonial-style environs of Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel, around 100 film buffs chew pencils, polish spectacles, and furrow brows in the flickering glow of long-forgotten silent movies. These cinema sleuths are being shown a selection of snippets from thousands of old films stored lovingly by the US Library of Congress—despite no one having the foggiest idea what most of them are. The library hosts annual “Mostly Lost” workshops at its Packard Campus in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, where scholars and plain old enthusiasts gather to find out as much as possible about the unknown or little-known films. The library has gone on the road to bring its work to the TCM Film Festival, a celebration of Golden Age Hollywood held every year in the spiritual home of American cinema. Attendees quiz neighbors, consult databases on tablets and smartphones, and shout out the names of actors, locations, car models, and anything else they recognize as piano maestro Ben Model accompanies the clips. These film buffs are relying on knowledge amassed over a lifetime, information that cannot simply be culled from the Internet Movie Database or crowdsourced on Twitter.
The 18-hectare Packard Campus houses 7.5 million films, TV and radio shows, and other recordings on more than 90 miles of shelving. A little over half of the 763 clips shown since 2012 have been identified, in the workshops themselves and through further research. “Game changer” Feature films—stored in metal cans before digitization—can consist of 150,000 frames or more, across numerous reels, any of which could be lost through nitrate deterioration, fires, or floods. Picture houses failing to return prints, poor handling, bootleggers, and faulty projectors were among the hazards a studio would face trying to hang onto its beat-up movies. Among the more high-profile gems uncovered by Mostly Lost are a 1928 Walt Disney cartoon, a 1933 Three Stooges color short, a 1927 comedy by John Ford, and The White Shadow the earliest surviving film credit for Alfred Hitchcock. “We are fortunate that we have many, many non-film resources both in print and, now, online,” said moving image curator Rob Stone. “It really has been a game changer for us with Mostly Lost, once we got WiFi in our theater.”—AFP
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HOMEBOUND Rediscovering our culture with the eyes of a tourist TEXT JESSICA ALBERTO ILLUSTRATION JOHN CHESLEIGH NOFIEL
In a country as historically and culturally rich as the Philippines, there is no dearth of heritage. You don’t need to drive or fly far in order to experience the landmarks, sights, and cuisine of old towns because there are numerous places to explore in and around Metro Manila. Spanish-era architecture is plentiful in the small town of Taal, where ancestral houses are scattered along the streets. Take a look at the museums, visit religious sites, or get a taste of the unique culinary offerings. Equally worthwhile is Manila’s very own Chinatown. The busy district of Binondo is bursting to the brim with FilipinoChinese culture, preserved in architecture, traditions, and— best of all—food.
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BINONDO PANCIT CANTON AT NEW TOHO FOOD CENTER Contrary to its modern name, the New Toho Food Center was built in 1888, one of the oldest panciterias still in existence, and the oldest restaurant in Manila. Known for its pancit canton, it was said that people used to line up at 11 a.m. and again at 5 p.m. just to order the dish fresh. Tomas Pinpin St. Binondo, Manila
UBE HOPIA FROM ENG BEE TIN Eng Bee Tin is perhaps the most notable hopiamaker in Binondo. This Chinese deli was responsible for creating the ube hopia as well as other unique flavors like ube langka, ube keso, and buko pandan. Ongpin St. Binondo, Manila
BINONDO CHURCH The church, which is also known as the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, was founded in 1595 by a group of Dominican priests in order to convert the Chinese community to Christianity. It is dedicated to the Philippines’ first saint, Lorenzo Ruiz, who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1987. A large statue of him stands in front of the church. Ongpin cor. Quintin Paredes Sts., Binondo, Manila
FILIPINO-CHINESE FRIENDSHIP ARCH At 96 m. long and roughly 45 m. high, it is said to be one of the largest Chinatown arches in the world. Quintin Paredes St., Binondo, Manila
MAMI FROM MA MON LUK Ma mi, which translates to “Ma’s noodles,” was derived from the name Ma Mon Luk, the Chinese immigrant who came to the Philippines in 1918, who was responsible for creating the noodle dish. Equally popular are the restaurant’s siopao and siomai. Quezon Blvd., Quiapo, Manila
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TAAL
TAAL BASILICA Sitting on top of a hill overlooking Balayan Bay is the biggest Catholic church in the country and in Southeast Asia. Measuring 96 m. long and 45 m. wide, the Baroque-style architecture is lined with columns and a bell tower. Calle San Martin, Binondo, Manila
SAN LORENZO RUIZ STEPS, THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF CAYSASAY, AND THE STA. LUCIA WELLS The San Lorenzo Ruiz Steps were once used to distinguish classes and separate the rich from the poor. At the foot of the steps is Our Lady of Caysasay Church, while a climb up the 125 granite steps leads to Taal Basilica and the center of the town. Nearby, you will find the Sta. Lucia Wells, believed to have miraculous healing and therapeutic powers. Taal-Tagaytay Rd., Taal, Batangas
GALLERIA TAAL CAMERA MUSEUM The Ilagan ancestral house has a diverse collection of vintage and antique cameras as well as a collection of framed photographs of Old Manila. Agoncillo St., Taal, Batangas ADOBONG DILAW Native to Batangas, the yellow adobo gets its color and flavor from the addition of turmeric. PARADORES DEL CASTILLO This ancestral house turned bed and breakfast retains the characteristics of old Filipino houses while offering comfortable accommodations and delicious local foods like Taal longganisa and tapang Taal. H. Del Castillo St., Taal, Batangas
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NEW CHAPTER Anรกhaw Books picks up where other bookstores have left off TEXT CHRISTIAN SAN JOSE PHOTOGRAPHY JAVIER LOBREGAT
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A Calendar of Rizaliana by Ambeth Ocampo; Casa Boholana: Vintage Houses of Bohol by Erik Akpedonu and Czarina Saloma
A market for Filipiniana Angeles and Daswani are no strangers to the business of running an online bookstore. Prior to Anáhaw, they first worked together to launch The Kitchen Bookstore, which specializes in food and wine books, and laid out the blueprint for Anáhaw. The Kitchen Bookstore website has a Special Orders tab where customers can request titles not found in their online store. Over the span of two years operating their business, Angeles says they received many requests for books about food, and also on Filipiniana. “I guess people think, ‘Okay, [it’s a] bookstore, hindi lang naman siguro ito yung binebenta nila?’ We had a lot of inquiries if we have this and that,” Angeles says. Two titles stood out from the requests: Habi: A Journey through Philippines Handwoven Textiles and RARA: Art and Tradition of Mat Weaving in the Philippines. Eventually, one order turned into six and then to 12. There was a demand for local titles, and it was clear to both Angeles and Daswani that they had chanced upon another market—one for Filipiniana. “We were actually in Bangkok when Anáhaw launched and I was thinking, ‘Wala naman siguro masyadong orders since kakabukas pa lang.’” Angeles, who was wrapping the books himself for Kitchen orders, never expected that their first order for Anáhaw would be for more than 20 books. Other times, the books sell themselves, by sheer force of demand. For some unexplained reason, Angeles says that certain books sell one copy after another, some after being stocked for a long time. “Recently, this book from the University of the Philippines (UP) [Revisiting Usog, Pasma, Kulam] is on demand. First week, we only had one order for that. Past week, we [had] four or five orders. I don’t know why parang nag-flu-fluctuate or sumisikat ba ’tong book na ’to bigla?” he wonders.
People like Miguel Angeles and Rajiv Daswani go to places like Hong Kong or Singapore not only to see the sights but also to marvel at the bookstores. Their travels are what inspired Anáhaw, an independent online bookstore specializing in Filipiniana. Angeles says it is rare for bookstores in the Philippines to have such a vast selection of local titles, much less have them on display. “When you go [to bookstores here], you don’t normally see it (Filipiniana) right away. You’ll see fiction, cookery—but you’re not going to see books on the Philippines. We wanted to change that,” he says. Though some brick-and-mortar stores carry a few local titles, there is still a clamor for Filipiniana books from people outside the country, including Filipinos who live abroad who have no means of acquiring Filipino books and some plain curious people of different nationalities who just A platform for local presses Most of their books come from university want to learn more about our country.
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The Best of Lola Basyang by Severino Reyes, Ilaw ng Tahanan Publishing
“There are still people who would rather hold a book physically than read it online. Lucky for us, that’s not something you can exactly change.” presses like the UP Press, the Ateneo de Manila University Press, the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, and even a few from Ateneo de Davao. The online platform of Anáhaw works for these printing houses and is actually preferred by some over big commercial bookstore chains whose business model puts them at a disadvantage as they are on consignment basis. Those that go unsold get returned in bad shape after display and neglect by the bookstores themselves. “With us, they can send 12 copies or six, or even just two. We’ll put it on the site regardless,” Angeles says. “We’ll only demand for additional copies if they sell quick. Other times, we just get a few more for consignment.” “Numbers don’t lie” Filipiniana being too niche a genre is the least of Angeles’ worries. In fact, he thinks it has become a driving force for Anáhaw as a specialty bookstore. “Numbers don’t lie. Being niche plays to our advantage. I wouldn’t be here now if we weren’t niche.” In their defense, Anáhaw is making strides, however small, to make Filipiniana appeal to the contemporary market—not that it needs to. Angeles and Daswani think the over 300 books on their site are merely a small selection of the country’s rich literary offerings. “Eventually that’s probably going to reach a
thousand. I don’t know for sure how many more books we need to carry or how long will it take us to get there, but if and when we encounter one book that we think is good, we never hesitate to pick it up,” Angeles says. One of their plans is to put up a physical store, though they have yet to find the perfect unoccupied space to house their growing titles. Asked on whether the current state of print affects their sales, Angeles says that he couldn’t care any less than the printers they work with. “There are still people who would rather hold a book physically than read it online. Lucky for us, that’s not something you can exactly change.”
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BOTTOM’S UP
After years of living away from the social limelight, Celine Lopez is ready to tell stories again TEXT SEPTEMBER GRACE MAHINO PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH PASCUAL
Top and pants, Tryst, Power Plant Mall
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Celine Lopez, just a couple of years shy of 40, believes she’s on her fourth life now. And in this fourth “reincarnation,” life for her is all about building and establishing Gypsy Rosé, a blend of sparkling wine that’s meant to appeal to the young Southeast Asian market, even those who are reticent about getting into the intimidating world of wines. “My business partner Monette [Bata-Garcia] and I started this last year,” Lopez says. As workout buddies who liked to have some tipples together after putting in time at the gym, they soon discovered how different their tastes for wine were. “Economically, that’s how it started. We’d end up ordering numerous bottles. It was so silly that we joked, ‘Why don’t we just make our own drink that we both like?’” Their half-joke soon had them doing research and going around different vineyards in France, sampling blends and talking to winemakers. And as organic as the beginnings of Gypsy Rosé were was the precision of their vision of what their wine should be: “Something very inclusive, something that can be enjoyed by both a wine connoisseur and someone who has always wanted to learn more about wine but doesn’t know how to get started on it.” Upon finding the right concoction that appealed to both of them, Lopez and BataGarcia initially wanted to keep Gypsy Rosé a private wine label. “But as we drank it more and more and shared it with friends who also really liked it, we realized we were onto something.” What was initially a purely hedonistic pursuit became a full-fledged business—one that has both women going all in. Part of that commitment is the ability to learn how to steer their small business through a constantly evolving market. “Ten years ago, it would have taken an eon to get our product moving,” Lopez reflects. “Progress in communication and technology and more effective distributing channels have made things easier, but we also need to move fast.” And to move fast, she and Bata-
Garcia understood the necessity of keeping the company small, at least for now. To launch Gypsy Rosé in Hong Kong, the two supplied wine for Marc Spiegel’s Director’s Cut party during the recent Art Basel and for a few exclusive dinners (one of them hosted by Vito Schnabel, son of contemporary artist Julian Schnabel), and they would deliver boxes of their product themselves, navigating through the crowded Lan Kwai Fong. There’s no physical office yet for their two-woman business, and Lopez admits to doing most of her work on the green couch in her Makati apartment living room. Yet their label is steadily building its identity on social media, with the Gypsy Rosé Instagram page filled with beautiful yet cheeky images and equally saucy quotes. “Monette and I knew what we wanted, and she and I have very different personalities,” says Lopez. “She’s a bold and confident business woman who knows where to plug things, who’s extremely efficient when making decisions. I’m more of the romantic one, creating ideas then creating stories for those ideas. “We’re wedged between the old school and new world ideas. What’s important is that we hold the same views in more important matters, and also have differences in opinions over things that need to be examined first. It’s that synergy and openness to one another that accelerated this journey.” What the two really agree upon is how “bloody great” their sparkling wine is, and how it can help cultivate more wine drinkers in the region. “When served very cold or à la piscine, meaning with ice cubes, it has that tarty, very easy-to-drink flavor. Its alcohol content is relatively low at 11 percent, so it adds something extra to lunches, dinners, and happy hours. It’s also an easy wine to store at home; rosés aren’t as temperamental as reds and some whites.” Ever the storyteller, though, Lopez has more romantic visions for their label. “I’d like to think we’re a bit of a rebellious wine company,
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Men’s shirt and pants, Tryst, Power Plant Mall
“I see wine as something like making love: You don’t talk about it, you just enjoy it.”
and I’d like to make Gypsy Rosé more than just a wine. I see wine as something like making love: You don’t talk about it, you just enjoy it. And Gypsy Rosé is a message, a celebration of life, a celebration of every single day. A dream maker. A deal maker. I think everything in the product DNA has this in neon lights.” It’s apparent in how she can talk almost a mile a minute about her new business that Lopez has found her zone with her rosé, but it was a different picture between 2014 and late 2017: After 14 years of working in the media and being seen as an arbiter of all things tasteful yet fun in the lifestyle scene, Lopez found herself flailing, with her postmedia ventures fizzling out. “I wrote a book (The Recorded History of a Girl) [and] only five people came to the reading. I tried to make an app with a brilliant team, only to hit a wall. I tried to create a cooking show, but when I asked my friend David Chang, who is probably one of the most important chefs in the world, what he thought, he just told me it was—in his words—‘nothing special.’ I tried to make cashmere shawls, write a movie, decorate Airbnb rentals— everything. I helped make a very successful movie (Metro Manila), which was just another red herring to make me think life was easy. I also had a challenging tenure in branding an amazing skincare product in Paris, but the owner and I had different ideas so I ended up leaving. It’s actually now a product with a strong cult following.” After taking hit after hit, Lopez admits to getting severely depressed, especially given the fact that she had been working since she was 17, and her 20s and early 30s were such fast, exciting times. “I peaked early,” she reflects. “I found success at a very young age, and you really think, in that moment, it will never end.” She’d wake up at noon and look at the ceiling, wondering what she would do for the day, then end up watching television in her pajamas until she’d fall asleep. “And the cycle would repeat itself the next day. After failing at so many
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STYLING MELVIN MOJICA MAKEUP PAM ROBES OF LAURA MERCIER HAIR JAN EDROSOLAN
“After failing at so many things, doing anything felt like a Sisyphean effort. I was wondering, ‘What is it?’”
Chiffon tee, Geof Gonzales Dress, Tryst, Power Plant Mall Madonna mug, Guava Sketches, Greenbelt 3
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Playsuit, Iora, Glorietta
things, doing anything felt like a Sisyphean effort. I was wondering, ‘What is it?’” It was Bata-Garcia who helped Lopez rise from the rut she was stuck in. “She got me going to the gym and eating healthy [again]. But most of all, she has always made me think.” There was also something that felt easy about their business partnership, which to Lopez was a relief, as she had long believed in never mixing friendships with business and was always reticent about partnering. “Working with her, I realized how vital that buddy system is, because when I’m feeling weak, she’s there for me, and vice versa. It really works.” Lopez is turning 39 in October, but the proximity to the big 4-0 doesn’t scare her at all. “Ever since I was really young, I had always wanted to grow older,” she reveals. “Maybe that was why the skincare line in Paris didn’t work!” She credits her mother Emily and her grandfather Fernando Lopez for serving as her best examples of finding more to life in middle
age. “They started their impressive and affective careers in public office in their 40s, and even though they’ve done many other things, their years in public service are what people remember. I’d like to think I’m following their lead.” As someone who was a guiding voice to a generation of young women navigating the different social and cultural intersections of the lifestyle scene through her column in The Philippine Star, Lopez advises: “Don’t ever think that your best years are behind you; don’t ever feel that, seriously. If you think about it, we have around 40 more years to live, so there’s no expiration date for ambition.” So what is Lopez up to these days? “I feel alive again. I have an alarm clock again, and I jump the moment it buzzes. You know something in your space makes sense when it is followed by a dynamic synergistic spark. To keep it alive… well, it’s really no surprise. There’s nothing like working your ass off to make that idea into a reality.”
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EATS
DINNER DUALITY
Poblacion’s newest resident Yoi crosses from fusion dining to hip-hop sake bar TEXT PAULINE MIRANDA PHOTOGRAPHY JP TALAPIAN
From right: Scandinavian interiors contrast with graffitifilled walls at the experimental kitchen. Shrimp toast. Kladkakka, a fudge cocoa cake topped with ice cream.
You can’t really tell at first glance what to expect when you step into Yoi for the first time. Unlike its strongly themed upstairs neighbor Agimat, Yoi straddles two equally unique concepts, even for Poblacion. Closer to the corner of Fermina St., within graffiti-filled walls, Yoi’s experimental kitchen cooks up Japanese and Scandinavian fare that tastes different yet comforting at the same time. The vibe is rugged and raw, an effect of the concrete walls decorated purposely with colorful graffiti. But it also carries a slight posh feel thanks to its modern, Scandinavian furniture. A small tree sits near the entrance, seemingly inconsequential and decorative like a bonsai. One of the staff explains it’s a juniper tree, the leaves of which they use to add saltiness to certain dishes.
Their homemade sourdough, for instance, comes with freshly churned butter topped with chopped thyme leaves and juniper salt. Juniper first-timers shouldn’t get too excited though; a small amount will suffice to add flavor to the bread and butter. Too much would just be too salty. On the more Scandinavian side of the menu is the kropkakka, named after the traditional “dumpling” made of potatoes, minced meat, onions, and jam. Yoi’s version makes it more Asian by using seafood and leeks with the potato. Each ball is placed on top of a dollop of wild berry jam, which adds a mildly sweet, tart taste. (A word of warning: It can be quite a mouthful.) There are a few mains on the menu such as the flaeskestag or the surf and turf sandwich, which has pork belly, ham, and oysters with pickled
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YOUR GUIDE TO MANILA’S NEIGHBORHOOD HOTSPOTS, COMMUNITY GATHERINGS, AND CULTURAL EVENTS
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EATS
red cabbages on homemade brioche, and the vegan-friendly quinoa, which has karashi, edamame, and fermented crispy lettuce. The star, though, would be the beef. On the pricier end of the mains menu, the US beef short rib, being so tender and flavorful with its wild berries and seaweed glaze, rests on flavored Japanese rice, and comes with threemushroom croquettes that quite literally burst with flavor with each bite. Aside from a unique Japanese-Scandinavian menu, Yoi also takes pride in its extensive nihonshu (Japanese rice wine) collection. Sake flights, for the uninitiated (or intimidated) serve as the best introduction to the drink. On some other night out, you might stumble into a different side of Yoi—same name, different tricks. Instead of the chill, laid-back dining, this Yoi is loud, dark, and colorful all at the same time. Yoi, the sake bar, is a small corner of a Yayoi Kusama-esque universe, with dots of colored lights everywhere. The standing bar is reminiscent of Kyoto’s own nihonshu bars. And true to its inspiration, the bar serves primarily Japanese liquor, from nihonshu to highballs made with shochu (distilled from rice, barley, buckwheat, or sweet potatoes), umeshu (made from plums), Japanese whisky, and Japanese beer. Aside from the wide selection of sake, the bar also offers a number of bar chow and sushi options. For a truly Japanese bar feel, go for the nigiri sushi, which comes topped with hotate (scallops), uni (sea urchin), and bits of ikura (roe). The seafood, though rich and flavorful, also comes across clean and fresh, so it could easily become a favorite on the bar menu. Whichever door you enter, whether you’re up for laid-back dining or more eclectic drinking, Yoi proves you really don’t have to just stick to one “personality” to thrive in the already colorful neighborhood of Poblacion.
The standing bar is inspired by Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. Lamb ribs. Liquor is strictly Japanese, from nihonshu to mixes like highballs.
Yoi. 5579 Fermina St., Poblacion, Makati City. Instagram.com/yoipblcn
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Black blini, a Russian pancake colored with pig’s blood
MODERN MANNER
Gallery by Chele sheds the austerity of fine dining TEXT JESSICA ALBERTO PHOTOGRAPHY DANICA CONDEZ
As the saying goes, “Don’t fix what’s not broken.” You might be wondering, then, why chef Chele González would decide to close the doors of Gallery Vask despite the restaurant having ranked in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2017. When probed on the matter, he insists it was not a “rebranding” per se, but rather, an evolution. Having worked for Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe, González’s intent for Vask was to bring his culinary expertise combined with his love for his native Spanish cuisine to Manila. But after seven and a half years of operation, it seemed that it was time to re-evaluate and reflect on the fine dining experience. Over the course of the restaurant’s renovation, González and his team made it a point to make the dining experience more approachable;
they wanted a place where customers could relax and have fun, while still being able to reflect the restaurant’s philosophies through the food, whether it be through a cocktail or bite-sized appetizer. Gallery by Chele has ditched the white tablecloths and ivory dinnerware sets, instead opting for wooden furnishing, concrete floors, eclectic ceramics, and warm lighting. No longer carrying the austerity of fine dining, the atmosphere is cozy. And the food? As pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. In line with creating a more easygoing atmosphere, the menu has taken a more natural approach to food. Modern would best describe the cuisine, but Chele and his team don’t want to limit themselves with a label; they focus solely on ingredients, texture, and flavor.
Gallery by Chele. 5F Clipp Center, 11th Ave. cor. 39th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. Instagram.com/gallerybychele. 0917-5461673
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RECIPE
SLOW AND STEADY Bony tuna cooked in earthenware just like our grandmothers did
TEXT GRAI ALVAR PHOTOGRAPHY JEEB BALDONADO
LOLA’S PINANGAT NA TULINGAN
INGREDIENTS 700 g. medium-sized tulingan or tuna 30 pcs. sun-dried kamias 4 tbsp. rock salt 11 cups of water Banana leaves Basil flowers and sorrel wood for garnish Clay pot
PREPARATION 1. Place banana leaves inside the Once it reaches boiling pot and add sun-dried kamias. point, adjust fire to low heat. 2. Wrap the head part of tulingan Cover clay pot. or tuna to prevent it 5. Let it cook for about from falling apart while cooking. 4 hours. 3. Put wrapped fish in the clay pot and add salt and water. 4. Place clay pot over medium heat and wait for it to boil.
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T HE GET
ORDERLY CHAOS
Inspired by contrasting elements, this handbag still exudes harmony TEXT YAZHMIN MALAJITO
The concept of yin and yang teaches us the paradox of how contrary forces complement each other. Like any other ambiguity, this particular idea of duality is fascinating, balancing life’s slack wire. Self-taught artist and designer Adante Leyesa thinks so, too. While wandering the streets of Tokyo, he beheld its two contrasting elements—“conservatively zen” and “divergently modern.” He combined and harmonized them and out of the amalgam he made the Cocoon bag, an “origami-ish” handbag that is also very Filipino. Handcrafted by artisans, each bag is made of upcycled rags or woven silk fabric folded like an origami model and handsewn with mother-of-pearl discs, shells, wooden beads, and semi-precious stones and crystals. The finished product is a truly wearable art piece that fuses function and style. To date, the Cocoon bag comes in several styles: geo-beaded series, Frida Kahlo-floral series, indigenous mosaic, and Boho chic.
Adante Leyesa Collections. Adora, Greenbelt 5, Makati City. adanteleyesa@yahoo.com
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