A
few months back when Katy was still
having its successful run, I was informed that a few of its cast members were
also taking part in this show called Manila
Vanilla at the Mabuhay Restop. My knowledge of Mabuhay Restop at that time
was very limited but I keep on hearing more and more about the place especially
when the cast of Katy dropped by there
and ended up doing an impromptu performance that probably thrilled the other
guests there.
I
finally had the chance to check out Mabuhay Restop and see Manila Vanilla when
the restaurant/café (and a whole lot more) opened their doors for bloggers one
special night. Mabhay Restop owner and President Rose Cabrera welcomed us and
enthusiastically told us about the place and Gawad Kalinga (GK) which is a
Filipino nation-building movement dedicated to eradicating poverty and
restoring human dignity through building empowered and sustainable communities.
She explained that not only is Mabuhay Restop a dining place, it is also a
museum and a social enterprise with 30% of the establishment’s net income going
to GK. Mabuhay Restop also aims to promote Filipino culture and heritage, and
the food served along with the entertainment, Manila Vanilla, is unmistakenly very Filipino.
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| Astarte Abraham, Andy Bais and Celine Fabie |
Manila
Vanilla stars Celine Fabie, Astarte Abraham, Andy Bais and Edward Fernandez.
Celine, Astarte and Andy were members of the recent restaging of Katy while
Edward is a Gawad Kalinga volunteer. This musical-comedy written and directed
by Nestor U. Torre tells the story of a Filipino family preparing to venture
into the bed and breakfast business. The show is a hilarious comedy show told
through song, dance and a heavy serving of self-deprecating humor and
pop-culture references. Foreign guests will get to know a lot more about
Filipino quirks while the locals will find themselves in at least one of the
characters. The music, selected by Ryan Cayabyab, features a bunch of Filipino
songs by Celeste Legaspi (Mamang
Sorbetero), Yoyoy Villame (Magellan),
Smokey Mountain (Da Coconut Nut), Sharon
Cuneta (Sana’y Wala nang Wakas) and Hotdog
(Manila). I found it very odd that a
foreign song, one of Bette Midler’s that has become a staple in videoke
sessions, made it to the show. In between scenes, several folk dances like the maglalatik and the tinikling were performed by GK Tanghal Performing Arts group.
 |
| Edward Fernandez, Andy Bais, Celine Fabie and Astarte Abraham |
The
food served at the buffet included chicken binakol, bangus with tamarind, kaldereta
to name a few. Sampling the dishes felt like I’m eating a very comforting home cooked
meal which unfortunately, I couldn’t make on my own since I don’t know the
recipes.
Aside
from the food and entertainment, Mabuhay Restop offers a lot more. They have Mga
Kwento ni Tita Beauty, a show for kids of all ages that is also written and
directed by Nestor U. Torre. They also offer various tours like Voluntourism or
Kalinga Tours going to various places in the Philippines
like Bicol, Bacolod , Palawan ,
and Davao along with a tour of
Gawad Kalinga Villages. A three hour tour of Rizal
Park
 |
| Manila Vanilla |
It
was really nice to see and experience a sample of what Mabuhay Restop has to
offer and I hope that locals not only recommend it to their balikbayan or
foreign guests but to try and experience it themselves and re-ignite their
Filipino pride and soul. When I signed up for this, all I was expecting was to
see the performance featuring Katy cast members and satisfy my curiosity as to
what Manila Vanilla was all about. I never imagined that the whole experience
would reaffirm my passion for Filipino arts and culture especially the music.
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