BOUNCE

Review: Lemon Café, Boracay

By Kevin Tsai

For college students and especially fresh college graduates, we anticipated post-graduation summer vacation especially since a lot of us would be traveling, let alone flying, parent-less for the first time. But just because you’re on your much-awaited trip doesn’t mean you have to miss out on good, home-cooked meals. And that’s exactly what the Lemon Café offers.

Lemon Café provides everything a home offers – great tasting food, a cozy ambiance and hospitable service at its best. The whole restaurant revolves around its “lemon” theme – from its yellow and lime wallpapers to its service water with slices of lemon. Its coziness and inviting atmosphere made my friends and I instinctively drawn to this place when we were searching for place to grab a bite.

I was very lucky to have chosen to order the Lemons Club Sandwich. It had the works – two huge slices of ciabatta bread with grilled chicken, bacon, shrimps, tomato, lettuce and pesto mayo. If you’re more of the seafood flair, try out their Fresh Shrimp Sandwich – piece after piece of fresh shrimp also on ciabatta bread with a perfectly blended island cocktail sauce. All sandwiches are Php200 and up and come with a side of freshly fried potato chips and dip.

The desserts they offer are equally tempting. Check out their Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse – smooth chocolate mousse combined perfectly with a twist of peanut butter (Php85). Also try out their Belgian Chocolate Flourless Cake – which is weird because it’s not really cake at all. It doesn’t contain the usual chiffon bottom and icing top as you would imagine a cake to be; rather, it’s a huge block of pure Belgian chocolate goodness served with caramel sauce. Definitely worth the Php180. The only letdown so far I found is the Pan-Fried Mahi-Mahi my friend ordered. It tasted good enough, but a slice of fish and seven baby potatoes was not worth the Php390.

Going to Boracay is the perfect opportunity to try out new things for the first time – island hopping, snorkeling, scuba diving and dining at restaurants not locally found at your hometown. It’s the perfect time to be a little more adventurous and uncommon, because Lemon Café’s meals’ home-cooked goodness will leave you anything but homesick.

The Dreamer

“I AM JOYFUL”, my new Facebook buddy Jobe Nkemakolam says in one of our online conversations. I couldn’t help but feel his enthusiasm everywhere when the Blue Eagle agrees without question to be featured here. His down to earth nature is just as exceptional, despite the fact that the basketball player slash painter considers his stay in Ateneo THE Immersion.

The Blue Eagle

Jobe Sherwin Nkemakolam spent his college years bringing honor to Ateneo de Manila University, but he never forgets those who helped him get to where he exactly was. He grew up with his mother, a forensic biologist in the National Bureau of Investigation, and his pharmacist grandmother in Sampaloc, Manila, but his Nigerian father was nowhere in sight. “Growing up without a father figure is one of the hardest but for me the biggest struggle in my life is getting to know myself”, says Jobe. But that didn’t get in the way of his fairy tale-ish life.

The Painter

Nevertheless, the man too humble for his own achievements breezes through Ateneo, making new friends, finding inspiration and new hobbies, and, ultimately, reaching his fairy tale ending. Painter Ronilo Abayan provided Jobe with an avenue other than sports or acadamics wherein he can express himself. “YOU SHOULD MAKE AN ARTICLE ABOUT HIM.. SUPER GALING NA PAINTER. He deserves the best in life kasi siya ang magiging Amorsolo na magbabalik ng tiwala at galing ng Pinoy.”, he says, and he doesn’t let a moment slip without him giving due recognition to his mentor, along with those who helped him equally well in his journey to the other side of the wall. Like his girlfriend and two of his true friends, Sir Shorty Server, the coolest teacher and classmate, and Fr. Bob Buenconsejo, who was always there “kahit na super laging out of the box ang isip ko [ni Jobe]“.

The Nationalist

Truly, Jobe is going places with the aid of basketball and painting and the mammoth push of making a dream come true. What about Jobe preparing for the world? The world must prepare for him! I end this with the words of the dream-weaver himself: “I ALWAYS TELL MYSELF … LIFE GOES ON AND THE WORLD WILL NEVER WAIT FOR YOU. I COULDN’T WAIT FOR SUCCESS SO I WENT AHEAD AND TOLD MYSELF LETS JUST MEET UP IN THE FUTURE.”

Photographs are from Jobe’s Multiply.

*****

Joyen is an incoming sophomore at the University of the Philippines Diliman. She would kill for polymer clay earrings and is an aspiring photographer.

Got any Jobes that might come in handy? Think this guy is the best Jobe ever? Keep those comments rolling in!

Review: Mongolian Grill, Boracay

By Kevin Tsai

If you’ve been to Boracay recently, you’ll probably realize that the cash you brought wasn’t enough. For those of you who don’t know, there are no commercial fast food establishments there. No McDonald’s, No Jollibees, No KFCs, no nothing. Most of the restaurants found at d*mall, which is like a small town composed of various restaurants, clothing shops, and tiangges, are casual dining, but even the fast food joints charge an average of Php150 at the least for a decent meal. Possibly the most popular chain that could be found at the island would be the newly-opened Starbucks, and that’s completely the opposite of traveling on a budget.

Luckily, I was able to come across this establishment which I believe gives you the best value for your money. At Php285, Mongolian Grill provides the most reasonable all-you-can-eat buffet on the island. (Mongolian Grill also has a number of branches in Manila, with the same price for their buffet.) For comparison, other all-you-can-eat buffets, mostly by the hotels along the shore, are at least Php500 and above, plus additional taxes and charges. Eating at a casual dining restaurant would cost you at least Php250 for one meal. So Php285 without any services charges or applicable taxes seems to be more than a great bargain, especially if you’re already starving your ass off.

Other than being a relatively inexpensive buffet, the best thing about eating at Mongolian Grill is that you get to concoct your very own dish which best suits your taste. If you’re not familiar at all with Mongolian dining, you basically choose from a selection of vegetables, meats, spices, and sauces and either rice or noodles (or both if you’d like to load up on carbs) into your bowl, which is cooked to perfection by the chef and delivered to your table hot from the kitchen.

If you think having dinner at the Mongolian Grill is great value for your money, it gets even better with their location and ambiance. While they have the traditional chairs and tables setting, at the far end of the resto near the shore are 2×2 meter spaces with pillows on them. Perfect if you and your friends just want to hang out and chillax to the max. They also serve alcoholic drinks. Must try: Mango Fizz – Rum blended perfectly with fresh, creamy mango shake for Php150.

If you’re unsure on how exactly to begin going about your meal, better err on the safe side rather than coming up with an inedible monstrosity which would make you end up burying your meal beneath the sand on your feet. If you have a sweet tooth in everything like I do, I recommend you select your choice of veggies and red meat, and go for an East Asian-flavored dish with oyster sauce, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, peanuts, honey and sesame seeds. If you want a spicy Thai dish, there are also corresponding sauces to choose from. Going Vietnamese? There are also a number of leafy herbs like basil and mint up for choosing along with bihon noodles. A word of caution though, even just a pinch of cinnamon goes a long way. Trust me on that.

stolen from Aldo's Multiply

Hello, world. Meet Aldo, my cyberfriend and future architect. Though he is not the type one must flatter (since such would cause an ego so catastrophic that it would bring forth the end of the world), I must say that Aldo has got it good. He can sing and play guitar *points at mp3*, draw such that you could actually stick your hand into his sketch because of its ultramegaawesomeconvincing 3Dness, and he can be extremely witty too. Oh, did I mention that he nails his subjects in school like, in a totally University Scholar way? You make us proud, Iskolar. Hep, since I know you’re reading this, don’t let it get too much into your heads =b

Click for a taste of Aldo, friends (okay that sounds wrong)! Thinking of You

Kudos to Aldo for coming up with the AWESOME title. Ikaw na ang cover artist ng mga kanta at notebook. And just because I’m in the position to do so, I would like to say hello to Mortimer and John Mayer for you.

Camille models her own creations

Most people who know Camille Co by heart would most definitely agree that she’s got the whole package. While she graduated with honors just this March from the Ateneo de Manila University, Camille’s social life never suffered. Career-wise, fashion has always been part of her life that she has been asked to model for several events recently. This petite young lady takes her numero uno passion up a notch by launching an online clothing boutique with her older sister.

“We decided to name it Coexist because we don’t just live for fashion, we breath fashion,” she says.

Young and hip, Camille is absolutely a breath of fresh air. Check out http://coexistonline.multiply.com/ for the whole collection.

With reports from Kevin Tsai

Feanne and her Tamis pins. Photo taken with a cellphone camera.

Feanne’s art is a balance of fusion and originality, old school and new school. She makes lines without hesitation and curves with fluidity. She is a young artist who maximizes the potential of her medium, and she is a living testimony that you do not need expensive or high tech materials to create something beyond this world.  

Feanne is an incoming Senior from  the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She is currently taking a fine arts degree in Interior Design. Her work range from drawing and painting to jewelry design. She has also been venturing in the commercial aspect of her crafts, selling unique and gorgeous art journals and handmade jewelry. She has joined group exhibits for causes and also for art’s sake. 

"Circles of Spring", art from recycled paper

She has also been published in magazines abroad; commissioned by Rides Magazine for their March-April 2008 issue and featured in Luminous’ second issue, an art magazine from the United States.

Her work can be found in www.feanne.com, www.feanne.deviantart.com, www.dailydrawings.feanne.com. She also has a livejournal site where you can read more about and from her.

photograph by Sari Estrada

As the title implies, Sari Estrada, a U.P. Diliman Film Freshman, is one hell of a package. She can not only sing, but also accompany herself with the piano and hear ultrasonic notes. She can not only act, but also write, direct, and edit films. What I like best about her though, is that she is weirdly creative in absolutely anything.

Check out how she answers my questions during an interview:

Me : What is music for you?

Sari : Towlly awesome.

Me : What is your musical background?

Sari : Piano lessons from an old lady who fed me stale Cheetos with ants and who wanted to kill my fingers, guitar (self-taught; FAIL), INTENSE tambourine, lit choir, ex-vocalist of Pink & Sticky

Me : What genre would you classify your music under?

Sari : Platypi.

Me : Do you have any original compositions? Where/How do you get inspiration for these?

Sari : No, I do not. But if I did, I would get inspiration by making fun of little children.

Me : Any message to your fellow artists out there?

Sari : Oh come on, you’re making me blush

Me : Anything else you want to say about absolutely anything? (This is optional. But what the heck, it’s a chance to say something that’s totally off topic haha

Sari : Chichi is pretty INTENSE. And hullo to Penny.

So there. I guess by now you already have an idea of how towlly wack colorful this girl is. Attached to this post is Sari’s cover of We Intertwined by The Hush Sound, just so you can get a glimpse of her awesomeness. Btw, the song features her sister, Chichi, on keyboards.

from left to right: Aldo, VIctor Anastacio, Ton and Gino

Their band name is obviously a pun of “Hanson”. Like the foreign band, they are also brothers. They are Gino, Ton and Aldo Vergel de Dios. They’re also very good looking so their band name is not at all based on lies. They also have a cute younger brother who serves as their mascot for some of their gigs. People have seen him dancing to his brothers’ music while in a Batman costume, which, again, is not a random ornament to the performance.

Their funny and witty songs include titles such as Bahala na si Batman and Kaawaawang Pangarap. Because of all these factors, Hansom is one of the more famous college bands who have been catching the eye of professionals from the music industry for some time now.

Ton is an incoming senior student, Aldo an incoming Junior. Gino just graduated from college. They’re all from the Ateneo de Manila University. 

They regularly have gigs in bars and school events even outside Ateneo. Make sure that you catch them perform because they are awesome live.  

See their myspace, multiply and youtube accounts as well by clicking these links: 

http://www.myspace.com/hansommusic

http://hansommusic.multiply.com/

Photo by dom Dycaico. Post-processing by Pin.