Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Manila Vanilla at Mabuhay Restop


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.

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 is offered via their Bayan Tour. One of the highlights of this tour is the I am Filipino art exhibit with featuring 12 Filipino artists like Ugu Bigyan, Nemi Miranda, Ramon Orlina, Ryan Cayabyab, JC Buendia and Ernie Francisco, and Albert Badz Magsumbol.

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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