Week #9: Discovering a Pinoy Vintage Pop Resto

I didn’t expect to have any adventure this weekend but it turned to be another adventure-filled day. It all began when my sister invited me to the Human Nature MTO (Magalogue Turn-over). Since I was free in the morning, I obliged and we travelled the xx-kilometer stretch from our home to Human Nature’s main branch in Commonwealth. It was my first time to visit the place and the first time to attend an MTO. I felt proud seeing this home-grown Philippine brand become big and introduce products that can really compete with the big global brands. What’s even more interesting is that they are not your traditional capitalist company but a social enterprise which employs farmers, GK communities and other marginalized groups in the country. Products are all organic and beneficial to the body and the environment. Seeing the main branch, my commitment to Buy Pinoy was renewed.

After the MTO, my sister had to go to Papelmeroti in Don Roces to donate her hair. Her hair was once really long and when she had it cut, she intended to donate her locks. Again, I opted to go with her since she’s not familiar with the area and might get lost. Since it was right where Fisher Mall was, I told her that we can drop by the mall and have our lunch there. Fisher Mall is a relatively new mall in the area. For me it’s new because it was inexistent when I was in college and frequented the area. We did not know what to expect having visited the mall for the first time.

It was a great thing though that there was this giant billboard of Pedro N’ Choi – the concept restaurant by Shamcey Supsup-Lee and her husband, Lloyd Lee. It was actually a side ad that we noticed which reminded me of what I saw in TV a long, long time ago. I remembered that Shamcey had a really cool restaurant inside that mall.

And so, without actually knowing the name of the resto, my sister and I began our “adventure”. We found the resto located on the 3^rd floor (which felt like the 4^th floor to us). Immediately we knew we were in the right place because it was jampacked from outside.

Shot was taken after we ate so it was not as jampacked XD

There was a receptionist and we had to line up to be seated. Good thing it was more than an hour after noon so the crowd, although still sizable, was significantly less had it been noon time. We were quickly seated and what we first noticed was the overload of décor in the resto. We didn’t feel like we were in a mall. It felt like we were transported to some kalye in a bustling Pinoy town. The main interior of the resto had a kalye vibe during fiesta. There was a huge jeepney which I remembered from the TV interview was an actual jeep. The table we were first seated in had board games such as Snakes and Ladder Pinoy Style.

Entrance to the kitchen – and the kitchen walls – were creatively designed to look like shops. There were even banderitas and light bulb strings in the ceiling. Clearly, the main interior was not enough so the dining was permanently extended to the common area of the mall. Good thing that the mall was spacious.

There was a mezzanine which was designed to look like an old wooden house. We asked to be seated in the area and after waiting for a few more minutes, they were able to move us. We’re glad we asked for that space. Inside the “old house” we felt transported to an actual house. There were paintings all around and what was cool was a wall decorated with vintage items from 90s Philippine Pop Culture. It reminded me of what we do at Bigg’s especially when I saw the driving plates. There was even a cabinet containing old comic books.

The menu was equally entertaining. Each menu had different lines to it and they names each menu item and food group creatively.

And what about the food? It was wonderful! We had bestsellers as the menu recommended and we liked them. It was a twist at something familiar.

So, if ever you’re in the vicinity or looking for a new food adventure then definitely drop by Pedro N’ Choi!

Just look for the jeepney in the mall!

Note:

This post is part of my attempt to blog about an “adventure” every week for 52 weeks. Catch my other adventures here.