New York Reprise... A Springtime Birthday Portrait

I am back in New York, for four unforgettable days again, just eight months after I came in the autumn of the year before.

This time I am back for the 80th birthday of the mother of my dearest friend. 

It is like a dream, and a bit of déjà vu, this trip, as I reprise the 21 hour flights from Asia...and step out in the chilly night air to the airport to meet the welcoming faces of husband and wife from home...and enjoy the drive to Scarsdale, punctuated by the electronic voice of Waze as the couple maneuver...and argue...and ultimately find their way to the house...and walk in to the warm and snug 1911 house atop a hill and see the same patio, eight months ago framed by the change of colors...now draped by a verdant cloak of spring!

My friend is away from home, but in her element, surrounded by the family she loves and grew up with...two sisters and two brothers, all ridiculously successful in their fields like herself, unbelievably busy in their worlds like herself, yet at the moment affectionately preoccupied with making their mother feel ultra-, uber-special as she marks this milestone.  

It is a ten-day birthday party, across two continents, between two states, and a grand production involving six families brought across the miles to join in...no, to BE the celebration itself.  

The celebrant, a beautiful, formidable and intrepid officially octogenarian lady, is all smiles, taking in voraciously, the sights, sounds, and scents of this unique and protracted commemoration, bottling it in her heart and mind, to enjoy even years after.  She states calmly but happily, "This is the longest birthday anyone has ever had..."

 And she deserves it.  A widow, who lost her husband of over fifty years just a few years ago...who is also a woman ahead of her time.  No glass ceilings could have stopped her from raising her brood almost singlehandedly as her beloved mate worked on providing for the family, and she concentrated on shaping and molding their bodies, their values, and their characters.  In good times, she would insist that her children travel the world to get the education of a lifetime.  In hard times, she would do everything by hand, and created dishes, experiences, and lifestyles for her children so they would not want for anything. She could cook up a storm, whip up a gourmet meal, cure and roast ham, bake cakes to die for...and still drive her children hard...to do the same and then some.  It is almost as if, she wanted her children to be the complete individuals, the Renaissance people of old, who could cook, sew, clean, raise families...and still be successful professionals.  And through it all, she offered her children and their fates and futures to a God that she proudly says has always listened to her, heard her prayers, and never forsaken her.  I personally know her as a lady who has done astonishing things in her senior years, from building a memorial to her late husband, to managing multiple households, to trekking through the rice terraces and exploring the caves in Sagada, to travelling to and from Baguio in the same day!  All these and more she has done, as she often reminds me, "on her knees", as in prayer!

Did I mention how strikingly beautiful and elegant she is? Whether she had her lush long hair held up in a chignon, or the short cropped bob that she now favors, she is always impeccably dressed and incredibly put together.  I know I would love to be her, at any age, I imagine.

Her daughters are beautiful women too, but still do not hold a candle to their mother.  They are all, as I said, ridiculously successful women...one a Chief Medical Officer of a prestigious and respected medical institution in the US, the other a social entrepreneur who helps raise funds for worthy and accredited causes all over the world, and the third, my friend, the managing director of an inclusive international school in Asia.  The sons are no less stellar, and handsome...one son is an entrepreneur ten times over, the other is also a sought after doctor in the midwest.

Thank you for the pleasure of joining this amazing family celebration...and for the privilege of calling you Tita.  Happy birthday...and may you live another eighty years!!!

New York Reprise... Helen Mirren in The Audience

What's an affair without the secret pleasures daringly exposed in public for a grand moment? and what's New York without the guilty but delicious pleasure of a fabulous Broadway play?

It was June, the month that commemorated and celebrated LGBT Pride...weeks, no, days before the landmark US Supreme Court decision that legalized same sex marriage all over the great United States.  Up and down 42nd street were plays that proudly explored the sensibilities, promise, even humor of this gender preference...immortalizing this mindset and inspiring so many others.

Amid the din, one little play stood out, the surprise show of the season, in the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on West 45th Street.  It was The Audience, a new play by Peter Morgan, starring the legendary Helen Mirren, and ably supported by an excellent Anglo Saxon cast led by Dylan Baker, Geoffrey Beevers, and Michael Elwyn, to name a few, with just one other lady actor Judith Ivey as Iron Lady Maggie Thatcher.

Not being a critic, I dare not attempt to review the play.  I did what any starstruck member of the audience would do...I read the playbill, listened to the dialogue and remembered it as best I could, then afterwards researched the history.  What follows is what I have found and experienced that overcast afternoon in the theatre.

Peter Morgan's humor-rich play is about how Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has from the start of her investiture and coronation as monarch, met with each of England's Prime Ministers( from Sir Winston Churchill to David Cameron) for an hour, once a week, over the decades, to discuss matters of state, share opinions, consult on matters of import and consequence to the seat and heart of the Commonwealth.  Helen Mirren scintillates as Queen Elizabeth, a role she has played on the big screen, through the years, through many ages...from her first years as a child playing in the hallowed halls of Buckingham Palace while her father, King George, reigned...to being a young queen not so many years after her debut, mourning the untimely passing of her beloved father, the quintessential, famous Bertie...to being a married monarch torn at times between her devotion to the family and commitment to duty...to being the enduring, steady if sometimes steely, but secretly mirthful monarch not without a sense of humor even as she seems to have been born with a sense of true destiny.

Peter Morgan is also not new to this setting, having written the screenplay of the movie The Queen in which Miss Mirren also starred and captured the world's imagination.  It is said that Peter Morgan found an outlet to express the fun, if sometimes wickedly funny, moments that he imagines the Queen must have had in all these decades of rule.  Admittedly, the vignettes and dialogues are fictional, enriched only by the spot on characterizations of the cast from the Queen's secretary to the Prime Ministers.

The unnerving thing about The Audience is that it is not presented in chronological order...challenging both the audience' mastery of English and world history, and Helen Mirren's heart wrenching portrayal of the many faces and ages of Queen Elizabeth II of the House of Windsor.  In one scene, she is girlish; in another, she is motherly almost; in yet another, she is majestic, as she should be. She also shows both strength and vulnerability, courage and compassion, occasionally revealing her Achilles' heel(a possible dearth of political wisdom and savvy), and then surprising with a keen if intuitive insight.

Given the many and quick costume changes, the wide gamut of ages she portrays the Queen in, it is small wonder Mirren won the Tony award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Comedy.  Mirren was so heartbreakingly believable, Judith Ivey, the only other adult female actor in the play, paled pathetically.

Mirren was not the first actress to play Queen Elizabeth in The Audience.  The play first opened in London a couple of years ago with British thespian Kristin Scott Thomas in the leading role.

I caught The Audience in its last week in New York... and felt like I had won the lottery for having the opportunity to find tickets and catch it!

Chris Brown in Manila... Finally!

What is it with artists surnamed Brown?

Decades ago controversy surrounded the irrepressible James Brown and his rhythmic screech. Next it was Whitney Houston's ex, and certified BI (bad influence), Bobby Brown.  Now it's scandal magnet Chris Brown, Rihanna's ex love-hate beau.  They all portrayed and projected a bad boy image and persona, on stage and off.  They all earned millions with their irresistible and irreverent music. They all have people hating them.  Yet they also all have women screaming for them and fantasizing about doing unspeakable things with them!

And what is it with beautiful women and bad boys?  A case of support for the underdog? Or misplaced feminine nurturing instinct tantalized by their fearlessness to shock and awe?

Whatever it is, Team Breezy PH, Boardworks and Pinnacle Live Concepts can now breathe a sigh of relief...and irate fans disappointed with his no-show last New Year's Eve can now prepare to have their irritation melt away...'cuz American RnB star Chris Brown is FINALLY coming to Manila!

Slated for Tuesday, 21 July at the Mall of Asia Arena, the concert is actually promoted as his FIRST full fledged live solo concert in Manila.  Yup he's been here before...once with ex-squeeze Rihanna...but as a surprise guest performer. This time, it's HIS show...and no one else will share his limelight except for a brief front act by Philippine "Prince" of RnB Jay R with Mica Javier.

The centerpiece of the concert should be songs in his latest album "X". Chris Brown has had celebrated collaborations before with Nikki Minaj, and of course Tyga. And he brings to each collaboration as well as solo performance, an energy that is ruthlessly exciting, dangerously, seductively rhythmic.  Yet occasionally he surprises with a tempo that is easy, casual, almost laid back.  His music drives you to dance...yet his lyrics sometimes move you to think, perhaps, even dream.  The result? is a sudden rush of adrenaline, then ebbing and flowing till the next rush! Exhilarating...but debilitating!  Erratic, idiosyncratic even...but genius!

So, Ladies, the Bad Boy of Rhythm and Blues is back, and ready to drive y'all mad with his "X" factor, pun intended.  Tickets selling briskly at relatively competitive prices for VIP Lounge, VIP Floor, and Lower Box at SM Tickets.  

I don't want to miss this show...to find out once and for all, will it be worth the wait?

New York Reprise: End of Spring Food Trip

 

What is it with me and New York?  Last year I visited the Big Apple for four short but unforgettable days in the fall.  Eight months later I am back in the city that never sleeps, in its last few days of spring, for another four brief but no less compelling days.  I remember the storyline of "Same Time Next Year" a play by an award winning and very popular Broadway playwright Neil Simon...two individuals meet once a year to carry on an affair for a few short nights...impervious to or inspite of their respective commitments back home.  I get it! I am having an affair with New York City!

And like an illicit affair, so I've been told, the experience seems sensual, surreal, sensitive, literally sensation-al, maybe because the brevity and time limit heighten all awareness and alter the state of consciousness, much like an opiate or narcotic.  So I've been told.

Ayada.  Near East Cuisine on Woodside and 77th.

Take Ayada.  It's an unpretentious eatery on the Eastside owned by a naturalized American originally from Thailand.  Like most Asian flavor restaurants in the US, all the serving staff hail from Thailand too, their soft spoken and gentle manners belied by a distinct American twang when they speak, and an unmistakable sense of urgency in their movements.  And like most Asian eateries in this continent, the portions are enormous...but the taste is authentic, able to transport you back to the other continent with the first mouthful.

From the crunchy spring roll and delectable mussel starters...to the finely shredded catfish salad...to the red hot Tom Yum soup...to the creamy and incomparable duck curry...all paired with glasses of a 2012 Pinot Grigio...it was Sawasdee time for our bellies.

St. Georges...Paris in the New York Springtime

Not to be outdone in the city that's top of the heap, the European continent was well represented in the Southside Avenue of Greenburgh, the town next to Scarsdale in a cozy little bistro called St. Georges.

A gi-normous Plat du Fruit de Mer, or platter of seafood served cocktail style started the meal, followed by a sinful thumbnail of pate de foie gras, enhanced by a bottle of 2010 Alsace Grand Cru Furstentum Reisling Blanc.  

It was an excellent pairing, the crisp white wine playing with the rich textures of fresh catches from the sea and the melts-in-your-mouth smoothness of the foie gras.  A filling bowl of thick onion soup followed the spectacular appetizer and preceded the entrees that can only be whipped up a Frenchman...textbook Entrecôte that was cooked just parfait!... incroyable Grilled Truffled Scallops, and Sole Meunière that was truly 

merveilleuse... the exquisite flavors unveiled by a bottle of full bodied yet woodsy Aleofane Crozes Hermitage 2012.

Pardon my schoolgirl French as I gush. The experience was so filling, there was no room for the phenomenal desserts a la Francaise!

What a fabulous way to start this particular affaire d'amour...this interlude that seems to be my fate with this unbelievable city!

Villa Amanda in Bataan...Villa of Amazing Filipino comfort food!

Growing up in a Singaporean-Chinese household, even though I was born and raised in the Philippines, I was not much exposed to Filipino cuisine.

I remember the handful of Filipino dishes in my youth...halo halo painstakingly mixed by my father with an old fashioned ice shaver, Lechon reverently sought in La Loma and brought home to much wide eyed, mouthwatering appreciation; but everything else that found its way to our table and our bellies was of Chinese or Singaporean Malay origin and influence!

It was only when I graduated from college, and began to eat out with colleagues and friends, that my education into Filipino culinary arts began.
Slowly I tasted and enjoyed the sinigang soups, the pinakbet, the inihaw dishes, and so many snacks and desserts besides.  Slowly I learned the right way to pair dishes together in a meal, and to savor tastes I had never known before that could be so wonderful!

Now in my twilight years, I have eaten over three decades worth of Filipino food, yet still I find there is much I do not know, and so many varieties of viands I have not yet tried and experienced.

It is summer...and in the Philippines, it is a good excuse to go on a road trip to explore untried as well as tested spots where one can enjoy or escape the sun at its blistering best or worst.

And on the way, is opportune time as well to discover culinary samples and traditions found all along the way to and through the spots.

On this weekend past, we found our way to Bataan to revel in Montemar Beach Club's exclusive and members only summery treats and delights.

After going out through the Dinalupihan exit, before driving straight to Montemar, we meandered our way to Abucay, in search of a little resort and restaurant called Villa Amanda.

Villa Amanda is a public resort with a few pools for families to swim in and cool down during the Philippine's world famous, or should I say notorious, summers?  On this day, the pools were full, and the air filled with the delightful shrieks of children and laughing adults.

My eyes caught sight of a few interesting structures in a fountain and a foyer leading to a terrace which in turn led to the eatery.  In the fountain area, was a small fish pond where St. Peter's fish or tilapia was being cultured and grown.  In the foyer were cages where there were exotic owls, pythons, and macaws were on display.

After a cursory look at the facilities, we moved into the restaurant and sat down to a simple but delicious repast of excellent Filipino comfort food....

It started with crispy, crunchy pig's rind and gizzards fried to a crisp, or chicharon bulaklak that crackled in the mouth and quickly melted into a satisfying flavor!

The next appetizer cum entree was rellenong alimasag or stuffed crabs, oozing with crabmeat cooked in its own sauce!

The piece de resistance was a ginger stew based fish dish called pesa, and cooked using the head of freshly caught tilapia fish.  What a delight it was to partake of this sumptuous soup...the meat of freshly caught fish is succulent and sweet!

And as if that was not enough, grilled buttered tanigue fish,  and sizzling chili sisig, made up of pig's ears and other innards, were served with steaming hot bowls of white rice!

Such a simple fare...yet lip smacking good...all diners were sated and satisfied!

It was a most auspicious start to our Bataan summer journey.

Sagada's Mountain Man... meet Ed (Day Two)

Every idyllic village has its poet, and Sagada is no exception.

Ed of Sagada

Sagada's Mountain Man, as I call him, looks unprepossessing enough.  He is a small man, with shoulder length hair, a slim reed like body, weather lined face, deep soulful eyes, and a wide toothless grin.  He is always clad in clean yet well worn clothes, with feet shod in thongs.  With his thongs he walks for hours throughout Sagada, climbing its mountains, trekking along its rice paddy terraces, spelunking in its many darkly intriguing burial caves.

Ed, as all of Sagada calls him, could easily be mistaken as the town mayor, he's so popular and friendly.  He smiles at everyone he sees, calls out to every person he meets, converses with every second individual, and shares a joke with every third.  He loves the town's babies and children, and often stops by with a candy bar, a toy, or a pat on the head for the tots.

He knows everyone, or so it seems, and everyone seems to know him.  They call out to him, shrieking "Hi, Ed!"  He seems to know everything that's happening with everyone.  He knows when the lady who lives on top of the hill is baking fresh bread she learned from a French baker.  He knows when the potter will be at the barn to lecture and demonstrate her craft.  He even knows when the next contingent will attempt white water rafting in the Chico River.  He knows when lemon pies made with only fresh lemons will be available at the coop.  He knows when the Sagada sun rises in Kiltepan, and when it sets in Danum Lake.   He has made many friends with the villagers, so much so that he is always welcome for a meal or to spend the night.  He has on his speed dial all of the best mountain trail guides in Sagada...as well as all the innkeepers and restaurant owners and cooks in town.

But Ed is more than just the Tatler extraordinaire of Sagada's community register.  He is its most passionate advocate, raconteur, and promoter.  He has personally accompanied scores of friends and friends of friends from Manila and the rest of the world to visit these magical mountains, helping them discover and experience their own unique magical moments.... Though he is worried about the droves of tourists who may push his beloved town to become an overcrowded tourist spot, still he drumbeats the multitude of splendors it has to all his friends from everywhere. He is hopelessly in love with the people of Sagada, finding in their soft, rounded, chintzy eyed and ruddy tanned features, true beauty, and sincerity of the soul.  And he holds listeners spellbound as he recounts the stories of the sunrises, the sunsets, the hanging coffins, the burial caves, and so many more of Sagada's living folklore.  From his lips drip words that paint remarkable pictures and unforgettable moments of the romance that could be. And only he has the nerve and verve to help create incomparable images and memories for the unwitting visitor who never realized just how spectacular Sagada is.

And who is  Ed? He is a record producer by profession, and a musician by avocation, and once associated with one of the country's most iconic rock bands.  He is on first name terms with Philippine rock's legends.  He has produced best selling records, won awards, and is known in the music industry as a gentle soul with a lot of passion and rhythm still in him, waiting to be revealed.  He looks like a rock star of an earlier time...and with his love for Sagada known to all Sagadans, he is still treated like a rock star in this extraordinary town.

He first visited Sagada in the 70's, and fell head over heels.  He may have met his wife here, raised his two daughters through summers here, and simply kept coming back.  With each visit, he peeled new layers of these mountains, and kept enriching his own treasure chest of a thousand and one reasons why you will love Sagada as much as he does.

A trip to Sagada would not be complete without chancing upon Ed, whose seemingly ubiquitous presence is itself almost a landmark here.

More stories to come from Ed, on this Day Two of my Sagada sojourn.

Sagada... Magic of the Mountains (Day One)

Five hours' drive north of Baguio City, the Philippines' summer capital, brings one deep into the breathtaking countryside of a group of municipalities and towns generally called the Mountain Province.

And nestled in this awe inspiring landscape is a small, quaint town cryptically named Sagada, home to a population of 12 thousand people, a sparse handful by comparison to the rest of the country's population that runs into the hundred million.

By car is the only way into Sagada, as there is no airport, no harbor, no railway system, and hardly any modern trapping of civilization city folk take for granted.  This means no fancy cars, no highways or wide roads, no traffic lights, no tall buildings and skyscrapers, no gourmet restaurants and glitzy bars, no ubiquitous coffee shops or fast food franchises, no malls, and no high end boutiques!!!

Yet Sagada is booming in its own quiet way.  There is much infrastructure construction work going on.... Tourists of the adventurous, peripatetic kind abound and stroll the narrow rolling streets, engaging the townspeople in conversations aimed at learning more about the town, the culture, the history and the unmistakable, irresistible charms of Sagada.

And in terms of charms, they are many.  They appear even from the moment one drives into Sagada.  The winding road that seems carved out of the ribs of the mountain.  The fog draped view of rice terraces that once won the heart and imagination of the world. The crisp, clear, clean mountain air and breeze that cools many brows even during the height of the tropical summer months. The magnificent sunrises and sunsets, set against the majesty of these mountains.  And as summer officially fades, precipitation rears its head in the form of shy drizzles that sometime punctuate the day, or downpours at dusk.  The food is unpretentious yet tasty...from the mild mountain teas that the villagers favor, to their robust mountain coffee brews; from the native pinikpikan, a chicken stew made with free range chicken and laced with the native smoked meat called etag, to international dishes like pastas, pizzas, and even the exquisite lemon pie made with only the freshest local ingredients literally harvested and picked from the backyard.

But the most potent charm of Sagada has got to be its people.  The people of Sagada are soft spoken, fluent in English, mild mannered, smiling though stoic, gentle yet deliberate in their movements and choice of words.  Long accustomed to hardy tribal traditions of communal tasks and activities, the people of Sagada conduct business the way they live their lives and raise their families...interdependently, cooperatively, sharing the responsibilities.  They open their simple homes to each other and even to strangers, allowing these to partake of their hospitality and fruits of their labors, accidentally transforming it into a business where they earn only a modest, nominal sum.... Everyone knows everyone here, and according to a guide, somehow, some way, all are related to each other.  From their Igorot names, they know to which family line each one belongs, from which ancestors one descends.

Sagada is a place of many secrets and natural marvels, seemingly left behind by the helter skelter industrialization of Manila. Yet technology has crept into this pristine, still primeval time capsule...cellphones coexist with gas lamps and walking sticks needed to explore the ubiquitous caves and mountain trails...heavy duty trucks meander the roads as do primitive zip lines needed to ferry goods to mountainside homes and villages...television and transistor sets can be found even in a dap-ay, the meeting place of the village elders where they perform tribal rituals in hopes of a good harvest... East meets West, New meets Old, but slowly, and softly here in Sagada....

And the magic of the mountains of Sagada beckons...and this is just Day One.

From Disabled to Enabled...Golfers Embrace Persons With Disability!

On April 29, 2015, a little known NGO by the name of Center for Possibilities Foundation Inc. held an invitational golf tournament at the Alabang Golf and Country Club entitled "From Disabled to Enabled".  It was planned as a fundraiser for the benefit of children with special needs.

37 men and lady golfers participated.  Extraordinarily, most were low handicappers, like Ace Stehmeier, Kit Angeles, Nelson Lim, Sevi Roxas Chua, Martin Puno.  And somewhere between the delectable lunch of salpicao, seafood kare kare and laing, the raffling off of door prizes, the exhibit and sale of Filipino paintings, and the awarding of the best players of the tournament, something different and extraordinary happened.

6 children ages 7-18,each with different disabilities from Payatas, stood up to dance, and then sing...and the well tanned and toned golfers otherwise jaded by yet another round of golf were taken by surprise! Brian, at 18 the oldest of the group, born with Down Syndrome, danced so lithely, the guests clapped their hands to the beat of the music with him.  Ferlin, at 7, the youngest, born blind, sang a plaintive OPM love song that had the audience in smiles and shaking their heads in amazement.

That day, the Center for Possibilities Foundation, formed in 2008, also launched its online campaign to invite and encourage everyone in the Philippines to embrace a PWD through a platform labelled #projectembracenow.

Ambitiously inspired by the recent viral movement called the Ice Bucket Challenge that promoted worldwide awareness of , #projectembracenow aims to encourage all people to "include" or "embrace" persons with disabilities into the mainstream of Philippine society and communities, by inviting everyone to literally "embrace" a PWD, and enable them to be accepted and welcomed by people of all abilities, not stared at and ostracized, especially by the so called normal population that is often clueless about the challenges and potentials of the disabled sector of society.

The handful of golfers enthusiastically took up the invitation and challenge to embrace a PWD then and there, and every photograph was uploaded instantaneously onto the web.  Not content with solo poses, the golfers invited the organizers and the 6 children to join in a series of group shots.

One of the organizers described the golf tournament as MODERATELY SUCCESFUL, having raising a small amount of money that helped meet the costs of  organizing the tournament...but declared happily and thankfully that it was ABSOLUTELY SUCCESSFUL in having raised awareness about the need to understand and accept the different types of conditions and disabilities that rendered people of all ages, yes, you and me too,  to be differently abled human beings.

Special thanks were mentioned to the many compassionate and empathetic sponsors, which included Tranzen and Alad Mining, Impact Golf Magazine, Facial Care Centre and Marie France, Assumption Class '79, PLILI, Phil. Construction Consortium Corporation, Sound Design, and Alveo Realty, all of whom shared their blessings to help make #projectembracenow a reality!

Blackbird... not the song, but a symphony of tastes and flavors

 On the field used to be the control tower of a pre war airport.  The runway was the city's most posh avenue.  It later became a tony and exclusive members only restaurant that also housed a national heritage library.

The field is now called the Roxas Triangle bounded on one side by the stock market building, and on another side by a row of fast food restaurants and eateries frequented by the metropolis' workforce roaming around in arguably the only public park in the central business district of Makati.

 The members only restaurant is gone, but in its place is still a tony and exclusive salon named Blackbird by the same owner of People's Palace and Sala, the intrepid and entrepreneurial Colin McKay.

There is a cozy bar and comfortable waiting lounge for guests to have that all important aperitif to set the tone for the evening.  A dramatically lit hallway leads to two storeys of tables enveloped by all glass floor to ceiling windows...looking out alternatively to an al fresco patio, and a view of the city's nightscape.

Dinner started out with a freshly made pizza drizzled with truffle oil...and some delectable short ribs. Main course was a seafood platter that unfortunately featured only mostly prawns and squid and not much else...and the rib eye which was grilled to carnivorous perfection perfectly paired with home made pasta.

Blackbird is the quaint title of a Beatles song, reprised in later years by the ephemeral Kenny Rankin.  This Blackbird may not be a song, but its general bill of fare could very well be a scintillating symphony and harmony of good taste and excellent flavors.  It is a tenant worthy of its historic setting. 

Maria Maria...but what's in a name?

Opposite gate 5 of the well known boys' school Xavier, in a building that everyone seems to know belongs to the former president and present mayor of Manila, there is a small restaurant intriguingly named "Maria Maria".

The decor is simple yet stylish, more minimal than ornate. On one wall is a Venetian mirror. On the other, are two framed photographs of two women.  One guess is that both portraits are of women named Maria...the older photo of the grandmother, the famous Dona Mary, mother of erstwhile movie actor turned statesman Joseph Estrada; and the other photograph of a younger beauty, another Maria, namely his daughter by erstwhile starlet Laarni Enriquez, the striking Jerika.  On a third wall is surprisingly, a giant painted locket.

Two uniformed waiters attend to guests in a harried manner, a touch tentative, as if they are permanently starstruck by the famous owners of their establishment.

Opened just under a year, Maria Maria has a varied menu, unapologetically composed of personal favorite recipes and dishes of the family...from the grandmother, to the father and mother, to the siblings.

On this night, I tried the Pancit Molo which came with a pastry shell covering. It looked interesting...though the soup was only adequate. Next was a new twist on lumping hubad, a vegetarian dish made up of turnips, tofu, and radishes on a thin tortilla crisp.  It was again, an interesting presentation, and made palatable by the sauce made up of brown sauce, garlic, and a trifle too much salt.  Finally, for my main course, I tried the chinicharong tilapia, the St. Peter's fish deep fried to a crunchy crisp. It was crispy, but bland.

By far the most pretty surprises were provided by inedible touches.  The flatware and cutlery were hammered metal finish from Japan, as were the plates of a hammered design of immaculate white china.  The powder rooms for men and ladies were identically decorated and colored, and were spanking clean and refreshingly fragrant.

I am told by their waiters who sensed my disappointment with the food, that their breakfast fare is worth trying....but with my ho hum experience with the food, perhaps the true appeal of the restaurant was just its illustrious...or should I say, notorious...pedigree rather than its kitchen?

 

La Cage Aux Folles in Manila... A Theatrical Delight!

On its last run in Manila's RCBC Plaza Auditorium several weekends past, was a 9Theatre production of La Cage Aux Folles, originally written by Frenchman Jean Poiret, and then adapted by an advocate for gay rights New Yorker Harvey Fierstein, and set to music by Jerry Herman.

The Manila staging was innovatively directed by Robbie Guevara, and starred movie actor Michael de Mesa of the famous movie family, and noted stage thespian and theatre mentor Audie Gemora, as Georges and Albin, also known as Zaza, the pair of French gay cabaret impresario and transvestite showstopper, respectively,  who find themselves in a dizzying series of farcical adventures when their son brings home his fiancée, daughter of a conservative statesman and his docile if a trifle repressed wife.

I saw this play in New York a few years back, and thoroughly enjoyed the glib dialogue and the rousing music, and of course the riveting performances of the Broadway based actors.  I also saw the film adaptation entitled Birdcage starring the late frenetic Robin Williams as Georges and the brilliant Nathan Lane as Albin, with a droll Hank Azaria as the hilarious butler cum maid.  I loved the play and the movie...so when I saw the poster of this production in Manila, I made up my mind to watch it, though I wasn't sure what to expect.

I need not have worried.  La Cage Aux Folles in Manila was a theatrically delightful experience, with stellar performances by the two leads in particular.  Audie Gemora is maddeningly believable as Albin/Zaza, complete with middle aged paunch provided by a body suit.  His face is a gifted canvas, that paints a whole gamut of expressions that alternately titilate, vex, and still inspire sympathy!  It is a face that is strikingly part woman, part chameleon, able to show thoroughly believable feminine emotions and nuances, it is amazing!

But the star of the local show has got to be Michael de Mesa.  Renowned in Philippine movies for his sensitive, understated portrayals in dramas, he was equally subtle and restrained in his portrayal of Georges.  He is at once suave, urbane, and glib; gay, but not screaming; leaving one to gently wonder, is he or isn't he? Though his vocal chops cannot match Audie's, he does carry a tune well in his soft, unpretentious baritone timbre.

The cast provides marvelous support to the two leads...from the energetic butler cum maid on steroids Jacob, to Hannah the tattooed and buff transvestite into S&M; from the son with a flawless and fluent diction, to the fiancée with an adorable face, to the uptight martinet of a father and the secret lush of a mother, to name but a few.

La Cage Aux Folles translates to The Cage of Mad Women, though Folles is also a French slang term for effeminate homosexuals.  It is a mad production, alright, and the few women in the cast are indeed mad to try to pit talents with all the gay performers in the play.  The women, despite handsome efforts, are outnumbered and outperformed in this truly fun and frolicsome production.

It would be a pity if this delightful play were not to be reprised for more Manila audiences to enjoy.

Balsa Sa Niugan

I am discovering that there is a lot of magic outside of the metropolis I grew up in called Metro Manila.  About an hour away( on a relatively traffic free Sunday) from Greenhills where I live, in the often fluvial (read that to mean flooded) town of Malabon, I chanced upon an odd gem of an eatery.

Called Balsa sa Niugan, or Raft in the Coconut Fields, it was off the main roads, and its expanse could not be imagined from its entrance either.

Paper flowers festooned the two posts of a little footbridge. Cobbled steps meandered into a hodgepodge of pastoral impressions that were interesting on their own, but together created a slightly surreal landscape.

One passed a little pond, on the way to two main dining halls that both looked out to a body of water that seemed to be a lake, but am told was actually a river, once home to rich marine fare, but today was bounded by fences that hid factories behind them. There was little fleet of covered rafts,( hence the first half of the name) on which patrons could spend the better part of a meal floating on the little body of water. There was an unique chandelier made of carved and handburnished wood.  Other touches were more marketing gimmicks.  Two large panels showed photos of celebrities and personalities who had been to the eatery...and glass shelves of mason jar mugs with names of the same celebrities inscribed on them.  However I did not find any coconut trees to explain the second half of the name.

 A painting of a mud crab suggested that seafood must be the specialty of the house. In point of fact, the kitchen boasted of Filipino favorites.  On this day, I opted to have a beer and a plate of Tilapia (or St. Peter's Fish)Sisig. The beer was warm, but the ice was cool though melting quickly; but the tilapia Sisig was very tasty.... A guilt free way to enjoy this foremost of Philippine bar chow dishes or pulutan.

Since the beer was practically room temperature, it made sense to me to follow it up with a steaming bowl of Sinigang na Sugpo(prawns in tamarind broth)...which was even more tasty than the first dish. With an additional order of half a cup of rice, and I was enjoying comfort food amidst a semi-bucolic setting!

I think the very setting took me by surprise, and words fail me now to adequately describe the unique experience finding and dining at Balsa sa Niugan was for me.

All told though, it was a quaint adventure made up of eccentric little details that somehow came together to spell a most unexpected pleasure. Permit me to share the pictures from my trusty little phone with you.