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When in Puerto Galera: Build stronger connections over savory Italian dishes at Il Capo

A gastronomic paradise, Il Capo Smoke Haus serves patrons with rich flavors of Italian cuisine made with a Pinoy twist, from burgers, pasta, and steaks, to a diverse options of hot and cold drinks.

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Along the serene shores of Puerto Galera lies a culinary haven that captivates the palates of locals and tourists alike.

A gastronomic paradise, Il Capo Smoke Haus serves patrons with rich flavors of Italian cuisine made with a Pinoy twist, from burgers, pasta, and steaks, to a diverse options of hot and cold drinks.

Currently headed by the matriarch Maria Corazon Abante Dela Peña, or Maya, Il Capo is a family business that was born from the hard work of Maya’s son Keith Limuel who is a cooking enthusiast.

Settling in Italy with his parents who were overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) then, Keith took a culinary course to personally study the traditional cooking techniques of Italy. Later on, he worked as a kitchen manager in a restaurant and with his knowledge about the ins and outs of food service, he went back to the Philippines to set up his own business.

“Nu’ng umuwi s’ya sa Pilipinas, nag-start na s’ya ng paggawa ng smoked bacon para sa mga turista. Maganda naman ang kita kaya pinagawa na namin itong dalawang palapag na building para sa restaurant,” said Maya, proudly narrating their humble beginnings.

[“When he returned to the Philippines, he began making smoked bacon for tourists. The earnings were good, so we had this two-storey building built for the restaurant.”]

The pandemic temporarily stalled the opening of the business but as the tourism sector started to pick up, Keith captivated taste buds, serving meticulously smoked pork, beef, and sausages through the small booth he put up along the bays of Muelle.

“Nakilala s’ya tapos nung nagkakaroon na ng turista, in-open namin ito last year. Tama naman, nung in-open namin ito, lumalago na ‘yung turismo. Timing na timing. Pagkatapos, nag-start na kami – January 8, 2022,” Maya shared.

[“He started getting recognized, and when tourists started coming, we opened it last year. It was just right when we opened it because tourism was starting to come back again. It was perfect timing. Then, we finally opened on January 8, 2022.”]

One thing to be amazed by the restaurant is its walls donned with vintage wine bottles. Along with their cheesy and meaty burgers on the menu, Il Capo offers authentic Italian wines which the family diligently collected while overseas.

And with all its wares on display, the restaurant has now become a place for customers to take aesthetic Instagrammable pics, connect with friends, and share exciting stories over good food.

But to elevate the dining experience of patrons, Maya equipped the resto with robust connectivity through the country’s leading fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions.

“Napakalaki po ng deperensya sa amin ng internet kasi dati, ‘yung data namin mabilis maubos. Kapag sa internet, lahat kami naka-connect at sa sounds, mas maganda at mas tuloy-tuloy ‘yung Youtube,” Maya said. 

[“Our internet makes a significant difference because before, our data would quickly run out. But if it’s the internet, all of us are connected, and in terms of playing sounds, it’s better and more continuous when we listen on Youtube.”]

“Sa posting naman namin, dati, hindi kami makapaglabas ng ads. Parang bali-balita lang. Pero itong nagkaroon kami ng malakas na internet dahil sa Converge, malawak na po ‘yung nararating ng aming advertisement,” she added.

[“As for our posts, we couldn’t put out ads before. But when we got strong internet because of Converge, our advertisement now reaches a wider audience.”]

Converge offers flexiBIZ, an array of business-grade internet solutions designed for small-scale businesses looking for affordable and reliable connectivity to power up their operations. It features fast, secure, and customizable connectivity, catering to the unique requirements of MSMEs.

It comes in two variations with flexiBIZ Daytime providing businesses with speeds twice as fast during peak operations, and flexiBIZ Peak for a fixed maximum speed consistent throughout the day.

Amid the success of the business, Il Capo’s culinary journey is far from over. Bolstered by the positive reception for its offerings and the support of its customers, the restaurant aspires to introduce pizzas to its menu soon, targeting the metro as its next prime location. Currently, Keith manages another restaurant business named Red Tomato with his wife Jade, co-piloting their branches in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro and San Jose, Occidental Mindoro as Maya supervises the operations of Il Capo in Puerto Galera.

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Yummy (not cheap) silog meals of Sulyap in San Pablo, Laguna

Traveling to #SanPablo in #Laguna and looking for #breakfast #brekkie? Try the not-cheap but yummy #silog of Sulyap.

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One of the biggest surprises I’ve had is the lack of proper – let’s emphasize that: proper – accommodation for those heading to many parts of Laguna. Often, you are forced to stay at tacky hot spring resorts, or are forced to book entire private houses if you’re spending some nights there.

But then in sleepy San Pablo, there’s a surprise waiting – that’s Sulyap, which had already been extensively covered by mainstream media as a must-check hotel that brings you back to the olden times. Bet mo mag-stay sa hotel na Spanish era ang vibe? This one is for you.

But also deserving of coverage is Sulyap’s resto, where we headed to have breakfast.

@outragemag #LGBT traveling to #sanpablolaguna and looking for #breakfast #brekkie? Try the not-cheap but yummy #silog ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the venue is picturesque. Kung sana marunong mag-alaga ng historical buildings ang nasa government natin, sana buildings like this still abound in the country. You get well-preserved wooden structures, classic artworks, and so on.

Ikalawa, the people working here are attentive naman; though this is to be expected because this is not exactly a cheap place.

Ikatlo, the place actually has an extensive menu, usually catering to groups. Ang breakfast menu, in particular, has items from ₱395 to ₱420. And oo, must-try ito. We got the beef tapa and fried bangus.

Ika-apat, taste-wise, wala kang irereklamo. Using their original recipe, the beef strips are really tasty; hindi lasang de lata. The ¼ bangus, meanwhile, was crunchy… and garlicky, so masarap din. The accompanying atchara and suka were also good, and could be ulam on their own. With food, if there’s one complaint, it’s the size; medyo small ang servings considering the asking price.

Is it worth heading to San Pablo just to check out Sulyap and its breakfast offerings? Not naman, since this is quite far din. But if you’re already in the area – and if you have spare budget for what may just be an expensive version of silog – then by all means, drop by.

But off we go again, as we look for more lafang venues.

Sulyap is located at the Cocoland Compound, Del Remedio, San Pablo City, Laguna. For more information, call (049) 260-0560 (Globe landline), (049) 300-4508 (Globe landline), or 0917-182-1483; or email sulyap.net@gmail.com.

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The search for Ilonggo food in Bacoor, Cavite led us to Old Recipe

This is supposedly an old resto, opening in 1988, though at first as Ilongga House. The name change happened in 2018, though the resto owned by Rufino Gallo must be doing something right since it now has a handful of branches.

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If you’ve tried batchoy the way many locals in Iloilo prepare it, hahanap-hanapin mo siya. And this is how this non-pretentious restaurant in Bacoor, Cavite came to our attention. Passing by some highway in the middle of the night, we came across Old Recipe, which boasts to sell “original” (open and close quotation) Ilonggo food, including batchoy.

@outragemag The #LGBT search for #Ilonggo ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

As FYI: This is supposedly an old resto, opening in 1988, though at first as Ilongga House. The name change happened in 2018, though the resto owned by Rufino Gallo must be doing something right since it now has a handful of branches.

The branch we went to was… nothing grand, even if it can seat around 80 pax. Old tables, old seats, and so on. You get the drift.

The staff was at least friendly; they even provided the info I sought for this quick review.

But the wait time was sobra. And to think we just ordered batchoy (the supreme sells for ₱198, and if you add extras, you pay ₱15 for an egg and ₱18 for chicharon or bawang), as well as pansit molo (₱168 for solo size). They have a sizable menu; this is one of those restos that has too much to choose from.

But to be extremely blunt, the food wasn’t great.

For the batchoy, you don’t get a lot of noodles and sahog. And it was too watery so that the batchoy taste was just not there. The pansit molo, at least, had okay broth; but the pork dumplings tasted like they just came out of the freezer.

This isn’t the Ilonggo resto I – personally – can see myself regularly going to. But I understand if others may like it, whether for after-inuman sabaw, or for those wanting to try Ilonggo offerings particularly if they live nearby. To each his or her own, sabi nga.

So off we go pa rin, as we look for more lafang venues.

OLD RECIPE is located at Greenfields Commercial Bldg., Mambog IV, Bacoor, Cavite.

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Calliah Fashion rises (with help from TikTok Shop)

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Calliah Fashion became one of the Top 20 Womenswear Sellers on TikTok Shop, driven by strong Self-LIVE GMV performance.

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From its humble beginnings in 2020, Calliah Fashion has quickly risen to prominence on TikTok Shop and evolved into a well-loved local women’s fashion brand. Founded by Divine and McAnthony Aguilar, Calliah draws inspiration from their daughter and symbolizes beauty, strength, and individuality–values that are now reflected in their designs and business operations.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Calliah Fashion became one of the Top 20 Womenswear Sellers on TikTok Shop, driven by strong Self-LIVE GMV performance. Through their strategic use of TikTok Shop’s ACE Indicator System—Assortment, Content, and Empowerment—Calliah Fashion has built a successful e-commerce presence, driving substantial growth in just a few years.

Thriving with Assortment and Strategic Product Launches

Calliah Fashion’s journey on TikTok Shop has been powered by a carefully curated assortment of products that resonate with their audience. They gained significant traction with monthly exclusive releases, especially highlighted during campaigns like Buy Local, Shop Local, where they introduced compelling deals such as Buy 1 Get 1 offers and high-discount product listings. These moves helped boost their Shop Tab GMV significantly.

Their strategic product bundling also contributed to rapid growth. The Chinese New Year 3-Pax Shorts Bundle, for example, saw an incredible 333% year-over-year (YOY) GMV growth during the December 2024 Buy Local, Shop Local campaign, compared to the same period in 2023, as shoppers prepared for Chinese New Year 2025. This success is just one example of how Calliah’s ability to create thematic bundles quickly captured the attention of TikTok Shop users and became top-selling items during livestream events.

“Our brand has always been about empowering women to embrace their own style, and TikTok Shop has provided us with an incredible platform to do just that,” said Divine Aguilar, co-founder of Calliah Fashion. “The platform’s tools and the strong community of women on TikTok Shop have helped us reach new heights, especially with our exclusive product launches and bundles that truly resonate with our customers.”

Content-Driven Success: Livestreams and Affiliates

Content has been key to Calliah Fashion’s success on TikTok Shop. By strengthening their affiliate relationships and creating themed PR packages, the brand maximized the impact of livestreams and product features. Calliah’s livestreams gained notable traction during special events, including an exclusive collaboration with fellow Buy Local, Shop Local seller Josefina’s Kitchen, further elevating their visibility.

Through strategic use of TikTok Shop’s in-app resources and social media promotions, Calliah was able to amplify its reach. The result was a 17% increase in LIVE GMV in November 2024 and an even greater 49% increase in December 2024 during the Buy Local Gems feature. Their efforts in optimizing livestreams were mirrored in their Affiliate GMV, which saw an uplift of 100% in October 2024 and 165% in December 2024 as they tapped into their growing affiliate network.

“Calliah Fashion’s success on TikTok Shop is a testament to the power of authentic connections,” said Franco Aligaen, Marketing Lead of TikTok Shop Philippines. “By embracing livestreaming and exclusive product launches, they’ve built a strong community of empowered women, turning creativity into growth. We’re proud to support brands like theirs in shaping the future of Philippine fashion on TikTok Shop.”

Empowering Growth Through Learning and Leadership

Beyond product strategy and content, Calliah Fashion’s success is also a result of their commitment to personal and professional growth. Calliah Fashion was one of only two Philippine-based sellers invited to represent local craftsmanship at the ASEAN Business and Investments Summit in Laos in November 2024. This prestigious event gave the brand an opportunity to showcase its products to international organizations and world leaders, including Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Additionally, Calliah was featured in the #SarilingAtin docuseries on TikTok Shop, where they were able to promote their commitment to local craftsmanship and share their journey as a Filipino seller. These empowerment initiatives, coupled with their participation in campaigns and seminars, helped propel Calliah Fashion to achieve a remarkable 87% quarter-on-quarter growth, making them one of the fastest-growing womenswear brands on TikTok Shop in early 2025.

A Bright Future for Filipino Fashion

Calliah Fashion’s remarkable growth on TikTok Shop showcases how a local brand can leverage digital tools to connect with customers and scale rapidly. From their product assortment to content strategies and empowerment efforts, Calliah has become a prime example of how e-commerce can drive success for small businesses in the Philippines.

“Our journey is just beginning,” Aguilar added. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we know that with the support of TikTok Shop and the community we’ve built, the future is even brighter. We are excited to continue growing and empowering women through fashion.”

To discover more of Calliah Fashion’s latest styles, visit their official TikTok Shop page.

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