If you’re driving around with the family on March 7 looking for a good place to settle down for brunch or lunch, do yourself a favor and head to the NBC Tent at Fort Bonifacio. For from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., a Champagne Brunch event called Sunny Side Up will be held. An event replete with lavish buffets courtesy of some of the top chefs of the country, it’s all being held in the name of Chosen Children Village. Located at Silang, Cavite, the Village is home to children who are mentally challenged and/or physically abandoned. Founded by Ma. Angela Fullerton in 1989, the “home” was first located in Las Piñas, and moved to Silang in 1994, with a mandate to develop the fine and gross motor skills of each child, in order to foster personal growth and reaching each child’s individual potential.
The list of chefs who have agreed to be part of the buffet is a veritable list of the who’s who of today’s dining scene, and augurs well for the kind of repast we all can enjoy that day. Marc Aubry of Je Suis Gourmand, Markus Gfeller from CAV Enderun, Norbert Gandler of Aubergine and ISCAHM, Colin Mackay of Sala and People’s Palace (my favorite Thai resto here in Manila), Andreas Katzer of Le Souffle, Margarita Fores from Cibo, Pepato and Cafe Bola, Godfrey Laforteza of The Establishment, Cheong Yan See and Thomas Enger form Enderun — these are just some of the chefs who’ll be part of the event. Photographs of the chefs, as taken by Kit Zobel and Johann Espiritu, will be on display, and there are also noises being made about surprise and impromptu performances by top singers and musicians.
So what more can we look for on a Sunday morning, great food for a good cause; and one that places both our stomachs and our hearts in the right-est of places!
The second Juan-ita
Whenever people would ask me to recommend a restaurant or eatery in the Pioneer/Pasig area, one establishment that would always come to mind would be Cafe Juanita. Located just off Pioneer St., in Barrio Kapitolyo, it’s a restaurant that prides itself on character, a singular ambiance, “home cooking,” and an eclectic mix of dishes — all presided over by Dr. Boy Vasquez. An obstetrician-gynecologist by profession, Boy opened Cafe Juanita in honor of his Kapampangan mother, the idea being to celebrate and rekindle the memory of the delicious and happy meals the family would enjoy regularly. Rather than go thematic in cuisine, the “secret” behind Cafe Juanita’s charm is how it’s Boy himself who decides which dishes go on the menu, and for him that’s a matter of what really tastes great, and how he can change the menu every so often, keep the dishes on offer evolving as he encounters new dishes that he knows he has to share with his steady stream of discriminating clientele. Put another way, it’s home-cooking with a twist, as Boy travels regularly, and what he brings “home,” ends up on Cafe Juanita’s ever-changing menu.
The great news for those who would travel from Makati or Manila to get to Boy’s hideaway of an eatery is that after more than a decade, Boy has allowed the name of Cafe Juanita to be carried to a second location — Burgos Circle at the Fort, Taguig. Derrick Chiongbian and his wife, Verns, are the proud owners of Cafe Juanita’s second home; and while Boy is still very much involved in the menu and kitchen aspect, it was the trust and confidence he has in the couple that persuaded him to allow the name to be carried beyond Barrio Kapitolyo. Even the at-times “kitschy,” flamboyant decor that was so personally Boy’s and made dining such a visual experience has also been “imported” to Taguig. Reflecting his travels, cultural influences and his colorful personality, Boy’s idiosyncratic persona has been stamped on the interiors of the new Cafe Juanita; and it’s a joy to see this aspect of the original CJ preserved in its second home.
As for the eclectic mix of dishes, they’re all here to savor — Filipino, Spanish, Italian, Thai and Chinese favorites. Imagine than a single restaurant where one can order delicious kare-kare and crispy pork binagoongan, while mixing that with catfish mango salad and chicken pandan. Or having Boy’s famous fabada and lengua estofado, while seated beside you, your companion has the excellent tom yum goong, followed by beef caldereta or sweet and sour pork with shanghai fried rice. As Boy likes to explain, he personally picks and develops the dishes, the uniting element being the notion of “nakasanayang sarap” — as long as the taste recall is strong, and it evokes memories that had his taste buds leaping in enjoyment — it deserves to get on the menu. Whether at its original Barrio Kapitolyo site or at its new Taguig second home, it’s a food trip always worth taking.