Got this in the mail. It was very amusing, so I'm posting it here, along with the sender's comments. I never cease to be amazed by how our government constantly soars to new heights of genius. They should be given an award... A Darwin Award. ;p
moar
humorous pics(Sender's comment:) such a good one lambasting the DOT's flawed concept of promoting Philippine tourism...they can't even market Filipino food the correct way much like they're not aware backpacking should also be promoted here in pinas. DOT peeps only think tourists come in airconditioned buses and vans and totally disregard independent travelers, who're more in number than the "usual tourists"
Margaux sounded like a blogger with her honest review of the place. I don't know if i'll ever step inside the place however, this made me crave for kesong puti again...
Immovable Feast
By Margaux Salcedo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 11:29am (Mla time) 03/04/2008
"IT looks like you stepped into a Mabuhay lounge," my friend Black Buddha said when he accompanied me on my second visit to Travel Cafe. I begged to disagree. I liked the interiors. The walls are in soft shades of brown; mother of pearl vases break the monotony of the walls; an accent wall has alibata (ancient Malay script) inscribed on it; and if you're seated by the kitchen counter and happen to look up, you'll notice a web of bamboo sticks just beneath the ceiling.
"You have a plasma TV that has (Tourism Secretary) Ace Durano's face flashing at you every five minutes, how can you not think it's a Mabuhay lounge?" Big Buddha argued, referring to the business class lounge at the international airport. Fine.
The Travel Cafe in Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo was conceived as part of the Tourism department's efforts to market the Philippines to the world. A "cafe culture" is developing in Japan and the concept of a cafe where one may not only enjoy coffee but also escape to a dream destination seemed to be a great way to make foreigners experience Filipino culture on their own shores.
So before long, Japanese peeps flocked to Travel Cafe Philippines to have a taste of Filipino kesong puti (cottage cheese) and adobo. Soon after, Travel Cafe Philippines expanded to Seoul and word is that franchises of this unique concept will soon be available throughout the world.
In Greenbelt 5, I was excited by the menu. It boasted of pandesal sandwiches—Menudo, Longganisa, Adobo, Salmon—and pastas with a Philippine flavor—Fettuccini Lukban Longganisa, Saranggani Smoked Fish Linguini, Aligue Linguini. Filipino classics like adobo and kare-kare, of course, are available. Besides various kinds of coffee, there was the delectable food of the gods—hot chocolate.
On my first visit, I came at merienda time, so I tried their Tsokolate Batirol. Big mistake. Its presentation sparked an initial thrill as it arrived in a clay tsokolatera (chocolate pitcher). Two cute, petite vessels accompany it, one filled with milk, the other with syrup. However, if I remember correctly from my grandmother, this betrays the kitchen's lack of understanding of Filipino hot chocolate, which is not served with milk and syrup on the side. Both are cooked into the mixture, kind of like capuccino. Otherwise, you don't get the desired flavor from the cup.
I believe the tsokolate drink is one of our culinary treasures because rarely can you experience hot chocolate using cacao that is not conched. (Conch is the process that separates the chocolate from the cocoa butter fat.) It pains me to think that people the world over might step into a Travel Cafe Philippines somewhere in the world, taste this and believe that this is what Filipino hot chocolate tastes like: watered down, weak, lousy.
Am I being too harsh? If this were any ordinary Filipino restaurant, perhaps. But Travel Cafe has the DOT stamp on it. As Tokyo Tourism Attache Benito Bengzon said at the Japan opening: "The Philippine Travel Cafe will build on the emotional influence by providing its customers with an experience that they will associate with the Philippines, (to) ultimately motivate the Japanese to travel to the Philippines. " (www.philippines today.net) Thus, this café has a heavier burden of presenting excellent Filipino cuisine than, say, Barrio Fiesta. It has given itself the title of ambassador of Filipino cuisine to the world and must live up to it.
Classic dishes were also a let-down. Take the adobo. Along with the piece of chicken are roulades of chicken meat wrapped around chicken liver. This would be an honorable attempt at a fusion dish, but a foreigner trying it would now think that this is our adobo, which it is not. It falls short even as a fusion dish. The meat may be tough on occasion and the liver isn't that noticeable.
Another classic, the kinilaw, renamed Mackerel Ceviche, is shy on vinegar. This might be by design, as the dish is served with lemon, but the sour signature of the kinilaw is lost. Suman, a classic Filipino rice pastry, is presented sushi-like, in rolls that hug various fruits like mango and langka. Glutinous rice with langka or mango is wonderful but the suman with watermelon was just weird, like putting cold water over sticky rice.
Some items on the menu are enjoyable. The Laguna Cheese and Steak in Pandesal is a favorite. The mix of the beef steak and kesong puti is great. The beef is flavorful, just the way we Filipinos enjoy our beef steak. The Sarang-gani Smoked Fish Linguini is executed well. The salty and smokey flavor of the fish provides the oomph factor. The Clam Chowder, served with seaweed and garlic, is twisted but excellent.
Does Travel Cafe open a good window to the Philippines? No. Instead of digging deep into the identity of what is Filipino, it strays and tries to accommodate the Filipino taste to what is identifiable by the rest of the world. There is no pancit, instead there is pasta. Instead of sinigang, there is chowder. How can you market something with a compromised identity? The saddest thing about this is that if there is anything that we Filipinos know about, are passionate about, and can market to the world, it would be our food. So why are they serving half-breed dishes at Travel Cafe?
The music doesn't help either. They have one CD that plays "Limang Dipang Tao" and "Da Coconut Nut" over and over and over and ohmygod over and over. Don't get me wrong, I love Ryan Cayabyab but after the 17th time of hearing the Smokey Mountain song... I guess it's their attempt at providing a tropical feel to the cafe. It's not working.
Interestingly, there is a receptionist on one side of the restaurant who can look up travel details and accommodations for world destinations. They are quick to clarify they are not a travel agency. They will forward the details to an agent then get back to you via e-mail. I gave the details I needed a week ago and have not received a reply.
With Filipino food that is not the best in the country, it's no wonder that among the rows of restaurants in Greenbelt 5, Travel Cafe remains the empty one on a populated night. I would blame the neither-here- nor-there menu. When you're marketing your country, you have to be unapologetically proud to be Filipino.
Travel Cafe Philippines. Level 2, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati. Tel. 729-2233. Major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair access to second floor via elevator. Casual.
