Seriously considering Larsian to try grilled goods in Cebu City, a friend recommended for us to try, instead, Matias BBQ. “It’s cleaner,” she said, adding: “And yummier, of course.”

So we checked… and how was the visit to Matias BBQ for us?

@outragemag #Mandaue City’s #MatiasBBQ is worth checking as your #LGBT alternative to dining in the open in #Cebu ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is NOT in Cebu City. It’s in nearby Mandaue City. We didn’t check where the BBQ place is, exactly; we just took a Grab and pinned the address. We just noted that the travel took a while, and yes, the fare wasn’t cheap (LOL).

Ikalawa, this is an open-air venue, similar to Larsian, though the difference is, here, there’s just one vendor (Matias BBQ). Maarte people beware: this isn’t for you.

Ikatlo, the servers were friendly… a pleasant surprise considering the number of people they had to serve. They knew what to recommend, and quickly dealt with some concerns (e.g. replace what was deemed stale rice).

Ika-apat, how was the food naman?

• The chicken – including the ₱85 pecho and ₱95 paa – were well-seasoned and well-cooked, remaining moist and not dry. Lasa-wise, they were smoky and sweetish.
• The ₱16 chorizos were actually good, properly cooked so that we were still able to taste the meat and accompanying sahog of garlic and the likes. This made us realize that when deciding to cook longganisa from Cebu, consider grilling instead of frying in oil. It just tastes better that way.
• The ₱165 balbacua (beef rind and oxtail soup) served to us was already cold, so was already greasy. The collagen-rich cuts were soft, and there were okay-tasting veggies, but the broth was already slimy from being oily.
• The ₱12 pusô was inconsistent; some were already stale (perhaps old stocks), and the others fresh. It’s hard to ascertain which is which since you’d be served with a lot. Order freshly-cooked rice if apprehensive… though this takes away from the overall experience of eating in a place like this.

Here’s the thing: our total bill was cheaper than the fare we paid to Grab to go there.

And so, for us, if this is accessible to you, consider this an alternative to, say, the likes of Larsian. That the food is good has to be emphasized, done in an outdoor setting that’d remind you of eating in the probinsiya.

But off we go again, in search of more LGBTQIA+ lagangan venues…

Open from 11.30AM to 8.00PM, Matias BBQ is located along A.S. Fortuna St., Banilad, Mandaue City.

Now and then we head outside of Metro Manila to check some of the culinary offerings of wherever we end up at. This is why we know that Silang in Cavite has a LOT to offer (even if it may be considered provincial, and even more than, say, Las Piñas that is part of Metro Manila). And this is why we know that Antipolo has 24-hour venues even if Quezon City or the City of Manila “sleeps”.

The intent to discover affordable yet not-bad steaks – in particular – was what led us to The Beef Deli – Malolos, which claims to offer meats “from Australia to your plate” in Bulacan.

@outragemag #LGBT checking #steakhouse The Beef Deli-Malolos in #Bulacan ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is easy to find naman… particularly for those with private vehicles. It is at the vicinity of the entrance to NLEX lang din, so you can access it if you’re getting off or about to enter the expressway (as we did).

Ikalawa, the venue was masikip, tight. Largely, this was because of not-ideal lay-out that seemed to prioritize being able to accommodate more customers than customer comfort. While there, expect ingay, too; you’re seated too closely to other customers you can eavesdrop.

Ikatlo (and I took this down in my notes, too), the service was REALLY slow. We had to remind the waiters to: set our table (we were seated for a while already), provide us with cutlery, and give us some water. It didn’t help that the two servers who approached us did not know what’s in their menu.

Ika-apat, the food was… hit and miss, with more misses than hits.

The Sweet & Beefy Spaghetti (₱650) was… more sweet, less beefy. Imagine Jollibee’s spaghetti, now make it even sweeter, and you’d get an idea of what was given to us. Particularly since there’s less beef here, and more sausage slices. The accompanying bread also tasted burnt, not grilled.

The Absolutely Meatzza Pizza (₱550) was not just not as meaty (considering its name), but was also too sweet, with a tinapay-like dough.

For the steak, we got the two-for-the-price-of-one Premium Ribeye (₱1,560), cooked MR. Here’s the thing: the steak was okay naman, as it seemed properly seasoned and properly grilled. But when served to us, it was already cold, like it waited in the kitchen. So natulog na ang mantika when served, and slight kadiri na in the mouth.

We didn’t finish the food, so we had them wrapped.

Now, to add drama: when we arrived home, we found that the steak we asked to wrap wasn’t in the take-home bag. I, personally, was annoyed; we didn’t exactly have a good experience there, and then… they didn’t even pack what we already paid.

I contacted the number of the company that’s listed online, and – this is a great part – I received a proper response. I was told that, after some tracing, the leftover food was found. I was also told that, without charging me, they will have the leftover delivered to us the next day.

Yes, after reheating the leftover steak, they had it delivered to us… without charging us (as if I should be thankful for that, LOL). And NOT that I was expecting anything else, but the meat was all they sent; overcooked (due to reheating) stale steak that we didn’t get to enjoy anymore because of The Beef Deli – Malolos. No apology for the bad experience via some kind of compensation like… a serving of French fries man lang.

The place is okay-appearing naman, TBH. But Bulacan has a lot of venues to check, so we’re giving this a hard pass for revisiting na muna. And so off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

The Beef Deli – Malolos is located at G/F Unit 7-10, Andan Enterprises, Inc, 3598 MacArthur Hwy, Malolos, 3000 Bulacan Province. For more information, contact 0905 283 8461 or email beefdelimalolos@gmail.com.

For those craving noodle soups, tambak ang options natin, truth be told. From David’s to Noodle Park to Wann Mann to Tim Ho Wan… the options are now endless. But – let this be said – the olden ones continue to charm. And among these is Charlie Wanton Special in Mandaluyong City.

When driving from Sta. Ana in the City of Manila to Greenhills in San Juan City, we always pass by this resto in Mandaluyong City that was established in 1958, though the original location was in Florentino Torres Street in Santa Cruz, Manila. That it is widely known is an understatement – e.g. good luck getting a table if you go there during rush hour (usually during lunch, or early dinner).

Anyway, we headed there when an opportunity presented itself. And… how was Charlie for us?

@outragemag #Wanton with nostalgia at #charliewantonspecial in #Mandaluyong during this #LGBT ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is in the middle of nowhere… in a manner of speaking. It is one of an extremely small number of restos in a long road that’s mostly residential, and there’s no public transportation there. But – exactly because the resto is known – it isn’t hard to find, as it’s very Google-able and Waze-able.

Ikalawa, the place is – in a word – unpretentious. Don’t expect fancy when there. The place is “divided” into sections – i.e. the glass-enclosed kitchen where the noodles are being made (you can watch the making, by the way); the dining area (which can accommodate over 70 pax); and the small events place. You get old wooden furniture, old cutlery, aged plates, and so on.

Ikatlo, the workers looked haggard when we were there… though this may be because they’re overwhelmed with the number of customers. I’d say don’t expect to be given special attention; this place is an order-eat-pay-go venue.

Ika-apat, how’s the food?

As served, the Chicken Mami (₱235) and the Beef Wanton Mami (₱305) looked abundant. We received extra bowls of sabaw, which were necessary because the noodles per bowl were a lot. Oh… the chicken sabaw was thicker, while the beef sabaw tasted like humba, complete with that star anise taste.

We had concerns taste-wise:

1. the beef strips were soft, yes, but the mami with the beef didn’t taste beefy at all;
2. the wanton in the same mami was okay-tasting, but didn’t taste fresh; and
3. the chicken strips weren’t malansa, but the mami with the chicken was tasteless.

The Bola-bola Siopao (₱130 for special) was aesthetically nice to look at, mainly because of its size. Sadly, that’s that. Taste-wise, it was weird. The dough was dry, and the meat was, aside from also being dry, had a malansa taste. It was hard to finish, sorry.

For the Siomai (₱120), we got three gigantic pieces. It was forgettable, but – after the siopao – at least the meat used here didn’t taste malansa.

Many people come, and will continue to head to Charlie. No surprise there since this can be a comfort zone for some. Kami, however, we don’t believe nostalgia alone makes any place deserving of being blindly supported. And so off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

Charlie Wanton Special is located at 265 Haig St. Daang Bakal, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. For more information, contact (02) 7718 1880.