Comida Chefs Gallery Cafe

Food is something that is non negotiable. When you're busy dreaming, you think of it 80% of the time. We Filipinos are becoming adventurous now that we've got access to more ingredients either from the Southeast Asian Region or beyond. We were fortunate enough to take some of these in at the Second Floor of the Caballete Artist's Gallery. The cafe and restaurant called Comida Chefs Gallery Cafe turned up to be quite an adventurous little place - perfectly fit to take right after the artistic dose you'll get on the art gallery on the first floor. We were welcomed by Chef Danny Dela Costa who also had an old restaurant called Comida Ilocandia in Timog Avenue. Spurred by his love of Ilocano and the fusion with new world dishes, he takes us to gustatory trips around the world then spins it with the ones in the northern region. I already had the great fresh salads he made during the launch of the Caballete Art Gallery and it was really good, bordering on even fancy.

The place could probably fit 20 people, but it was already packed for around a little less than that. Often times, it's gonna be few since foot traffic and audiences from the gallery only account much of this restaurants clientele. It's a bit inviting, to grab a book and study, have a business meeting or perhaps just be with intimate friends and family. Smaller groups would love it, more so the food!

"We have full support to the business we developed. I have been a designer for 45 years and been traveling all over the world. I've been exporting to Japan, the US and Europe then. During my stay in Europe, I took up culinary courses in London as I won competitions with Magnolia Cookfest organized by San Miguel. I won the chance to do so. I fell in love with a guy and opened up a restaurant that served Nonya and Filipino cuisine. I went back here and taught classes with Ms. Heny Sison, cooking started that way. After 4 years, I won a competition in Japan and got to New York for 4 years. I already have a course from UP AB Speech and Drama. Back then I felt that I was already an artist but really, really multi faceted. Although, I still believe I belong to one, that is fashion design. Cooking and making apparel for me felt quite the same. We've been in the business for about 3 years now, we've done mostly regional cooking with my cousins and college friends. Unfortunately 2 of our members passed away and some got involved in politics. We met one day and talked to him, the trend now is a gallery and another business but since I wanted to do hawker food, I did it here. My staff has been with me for a long time, we are in the catering business and do personal chef services. We do TV productions, birthday parties, we can go to your kitchen, ransack your ref and serve everything. We do not use preservatives and now doing heritage food and use modern techniques. I do RTW corporate wear and image enhancement for  department stores here, but my love affair with food has always been there."

Indonesian Tangy Rice Stick Soup

I super loved this one. This is sort of hawker food from Indonesia.It's Tangy Rice Stick Soup. It's got almost everything on it, much like a Vietnamese Pho, but the soup base is done with lemon grass hence the sour taste. If I would order something from this place, it would be this!

I think this stemmed from Sate in the Malay region, Nonya cuisine perhaps.

I think he mixed Chicken, Beef and Pork, formed it into a ball with spices and skewered it in on lemon grass sticks and char grilled to get that perfect smoky smell. It's like Asia meets Middle East so it's very meaty but infuses the herbs to get that distinct smell.

Spalog

This is Chef Danny's spin on the old Pansit Loglog. He used pasta, Spaghetti in place of the usual rice based noodle in the original one. He calls this Spalog. It worked, and the mix of saltiness with the bland pasta was like putting art in a canvass. The hints of smoked fish, crunchy chicharon and some veggies make this a very nice complete meal. Make sure you also get the Pandan Lemon Grass Cooler to hose it down after the very pungent spices from the pasta.

Chori Burge and Longanisa

The Philippines best are showcased here too. They have the Boracay famous Chori Burger and the Ilocano Longanisa. I wanted something meaty that afternoon and they got these made from scratch. They do not contain preservatives and is on the garlicky side. If you are looking for something that you miss in Ilocos, then visiting this place would probably bring you home. Pair this with rice and you're already there!

Latija Comida

Chef says this is mostly an old Filipino Dessert called Latija Comida. It's mashed Banana layered with Cinnamon, milk and cream but it's not too sweet. I like it and would be perfect for people who don't want intensely sweet desserts or for those watching their weight since this is fruit based. The layers felt like crepes too. It's pretty good, something simple but pretty good!

Comida Chefs Gallery Cafe is on the second floor of Cagballete Artists Gallery located at 111-A Kamias Street Barangay Malaya 4 in Quezon City. It's perpendicular to Kasingkasing Street and is in front of a Shell Gasoline station, about 4 blocks away from Edsa. If you're looking for some peace and quiet, comfort food, in a very lovely setting that won't break the bank, then come visit Comida Chef's Gallery Cafe for lunch or dinner. They serve drinks too, all you need to do is ask! 

For more information about their place:

Caballete Artists Gallery

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Caballete Artist's Gallery in Quezon City

I've been a fan of Filipino painters since I could remember. The passion that is put to work in every piece has been evident every time I see them do it in water color, oil, charcoal or mixed media. We've even got history to prove it. In a small country as ours, we're so rich in this department and I have never been able to put my finger what sets us apart, or do we even have to do that.

My neighborhood is also as colorful. Networks are a few minutes walk, old artisan outlets are still abound, the new ones even carry a pack. I visited one of them a few days ago in Kamias Road in Quezon City. It's called Caballete Artists Gallery.

This event is sort of a re-launch. We were welcomed by a very well versed man named Ramon Araullo, this is his very own. He's a stock broker by trade but is a fine collector of art. Some of the pieces here are part of his collection. He explained to us how he treats what he has right now, some of which are priceless and wouldn't even think of selling off soon. For him, most of his paintings are actually an investment. He's bought some of it a long time ago and saw some of it appreciate over the years. He even says it made him survive the most difficult times of his life. He sold some of it during the Asian financial crisis. The place has got Duldulao's, Tony and Joel Mahilum, Angel Cacnio, the works of Ang Kiukok, Manansala and a lot of other national artists. The dream - is to actually have a place to showcase art by Filipino artists in a venue which you can say is - neutral ground. Caballete is the Spanish term for easel which artists use to put their canvass in. Like it, he would want it to be a cradle for Filipino art, for artists - of different generations. 

One of my favorites during that launch is this very detailed ornate painting that looks like real crochet work in canvass. This is by Tess Duldulao, who did it using pastel, much like a colored version of charcoal pencils. Her husband did a lot of books too in Philippine art.

He attributes putting up the gallery on his passion to collect art pieces, his eye in spotting a good one, of which happened since the late 80's. He worked then in Makati, the art trade scene was booming in Greenhills' "Allegria", a gallery that houses art pieces that he got on a lay away basis. He took time to go there right after trading time because he loved them all so much. He also thought about what pieces he could have as investment. He got more, pretty much until he had no walls left to hang them. Some of them could later on sold as much as 10 times of its original price. He thought of retiring and do this on a regular basis. The location might feel off to some and prefer some place like a mall. People don't know though how much overhead cost it would have and pass it on to collectors later on. It'll be better to put the artists on the pedestal rather than the middle men. He doesn't believe there's justice in doing that and make the artist poor. They now are making art more accessible in some way because it'll be very easy to purchase pieces without getting overpriced.

Another thing is, they want to make it a place for people to grow interest in art by having workshops taught by the masters themselves later on too. Whatever medium, not a formal school, just to spend time here and drawing your own masterpieces by the best people who can do it. This is in the pipeline and probably be done during Fridays. They'll also invite musicians so people would get more inspired. Hopefully the community wouldn't be just known for spare parts and spa's later on. This is his hope.

This one was from Father and Son. The one above was done by Tony Mahilum (+) while his son did this one below. Joel almost had the same color palette, cleaner I think and you can see the workmanship in the details. I learned that the younger Mahilum only does Filipino good traits on his work, really impressive.

Ang Kiukok, he does really good black artsy pieces, almost on the gory side.

Loved the Manansala sketch on paper. This one probably would cost an arm, leg, a kidney and half a lung.

The gallery also houses some really good artwork from Filipinos based elsewhere, Australia, France, US, of which he finds really good ones too. There are real up and coming artists in the Philippines too that he is starting to invest on as well, if you're going to have something to save up on and thinking of art pieces to be your medium rather than buying stocks, it'll feel good because you can appreciate it rather than just looking at numbers.

Part of his goal is eventually also featuring shows in the future. If you want to learn about it and start your own collection, you can probably visit the place and start now. Be patient too and look it up, read, make your own judgement which you see would be a good thing to have in the future. Something that you might haven't seen, felt a connection with or heard before might be the next artistic genius. The time to get their work would be now, and perhaps you too would get to piece together your own puzzle. You need to build your own collection and see how it'll appreciate and go after a few years. Come visit them at 111-A Kamias Street Barangay Malaya 4 in Quezon City. They are just in front of a Shell Gasoline Station perpendicular to Kasingkasing across the street. Almost 5 blocks away from Edsa, Manila's main thoroughfare.

The place is open from Monday to Saturday from 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Call them 02 945-2573 or 0927 2600470. You may also get in touch with them through caballete.artgallery@gmail.com if you have inquiries with any of the pieces there. Oh by the way, they have a restaurant just up stairs and we'll talk about that in just a bit!

For more information about their pieces:

Caballete Artists Gallery

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The Henry Hotel: Rica's Restaurant and The Scrapyard!

The other thing that's great about The Henry is it's own restaurant found at the ground floor. It's called Rica's. It's got the same themed interiors. It's got pieces here and there that I recognize in most interior design magazines and shops I frequent in Makati. So I kinda know their prices too LOL, these are not cheap pieces I tell you.

The restaurant also has whimsical choice of furniture. From super tall chairs and matching it's dining tables, to huge upholstered boss chairs, corner picnic tables, fabric chandeliers, bunker chairs, top hat light fixtures and walls made from lined up tree trunks right by the window, they've got it all in one place while you enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner. They've got continental cuisine to a button plus some really nice choice of reds and whites. 

They provide free breakfast together with the room rates and you can choose between Filipino, American and Continental set meals. I loved what they prepared and it'll keep you thinking about it the whole day. Fresh ham, eggs, sausages plus toast with jam and butter. I don't think I have to convince you with that right? :))

If you prefer a night out but don't want to go to the streets of Cebu, fret not because The Henry Hotel has got one of the nicest spots for partying. This one's called The Scrapyard!

Too bad it was closed when we passed by because it was only lunch time. This place livens up at night and I've seen families, friends who went in and had a couple of drinks.Some were not even guests of the hotel per ce but they are here for the entertainment, food and booze that only The Scrapyard can offer. Give the place a visit the next time you are around the Cebu - Banilad area because this place is sweet!

The Henry Hotel Interiors

The Henry Hotel is special because of the artwork embedded on each corner of the lot. It's interiors are well enough to be a museum of it's own. The art installations, the graffiti on the wall plus the accent pieces they chose in each space is quite a delight to see. It reminds me of the contemporary art exhibition in Makati which was commissioned by the other Museums and Art Galleries in the metro. Just take a look at these!

Some of these art pieces above are for sale. Just ask and they can probably accommodate you, more so on days that they have exhibits and events on The Gallery. VisMin's artists usually set up shop here like the QUBE Gallery. It's Cebu's more "modern" venues for art and to date, they have hosted renowned artists from around the world!

I went to Cebu trying to find rest, an adventure and recreation for a few days. I think I found my place right here in The Henry Hotel. The place was perfect to host my needs both culturally and artistically. It made me see Cebu in a different light; if given the chance to go back I'd really love to get to know Cebu this way... The Henry was much of an interesting approach to modern living spaces and they have represented the province and the Philippines well. I hope foreigners and locals alike find a place so rich and beaming with an undying urge to promote art to the people. If you get the attention of Pinoys then you might have ultimately helped achieve the goal of the artists who did these pieces in the hotel. That's a great to start to my Cebu adventures! Gonna have to tell you about the FOOD and PLACES next! =)

Thank you for the lovely stay in your hotel The Henry! It really is a PLACE Like No Other!

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The Henry Hotel

Visit their official website at

http://www.thehenryhotel.com

The Henry

Location #1 Paseo Saturnino, Maria Luisa Road,
Banilad, 6000 Cebu City
Phone    +63 32 520 8877/+639173050737