Steaks aren’t Pinoy staple food, aminin na natin. And so it’s understandable that many may see thousand-peso priced items as impractical. But the popularity of steaks may also be the reason why there’s now a handful of not-that-expensive steak places that offer steaks for only around ₱400 to ₱500, including the likes of Escobar’s, Blake’s and Sizzling Plate. We can argue about the quality, but… the option to eat steaks cheaply is there na, thanks to these venues.

Steak to One is among the not-shabby affordable steak restos.

@outragemag Looking for affordable #steak? In #paranaque, we #LGBT checked the offerings of #steaktooneph ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the venue we checked is located in BF Homes in Parañaque City, which is this village that’s only conveniently accessible to those with private vehicles. Be prepared to be asked to leave IDs at the guard house.

Ikalawa, the actual place is okay naman; airy, not dilapidated furniture, malinis, and so on.

Ikatlo, the workers were okay rin; they were attentive without being intrusive. And – this is worth highlighting ha – mabilis ang service, so that you get your orders sooner than you expect.

Ika-apat, how was the food?

We grabbed two steaks: one is an item in their Pamatay Series, the ₱699 Local Ribeye that comes with a small serving of pasta (we chose marinara) and bone marrow; and the other is ₱499 Porterhouse that comes with two side dishes (we asked for French fries and two eggs cooked sunny side up).

Taste-wise, the steaks were okay, though more salt and pepper could have bettered them. The issue – if it can be considered that – is the approach to steaks of Steak to One. Particularly: as if to make their steaks look bigger than they are, you will be served with a wide but thinly-sliced piece of meat. Malapad na manipis. The implication is seen in the doneness of the meat – i.e. because the meat is too thin, it cooks too easily. You order medium rare but you’d end up getting well done.

The side dishes were okay naman – e.g. maasim-asim na pasta, crispy fries, and properly cooked eggs.

In a gist: you don’t have to empty your bank account to eat steaks since there are now a handful of venues that offer not-bad slabs of meat at affordable prices. Consider Steak to One among your options… of course after considering its limitations.

Off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

Steak to One – Parañaque is located at BF Homes, 200 Aguirre Ave, Parañaque City, Metro Manila. For more information, contact 0921 989 9203 or email since2016@steaktooneph.com.

That it’s hard to find good – and let’s qualify this, affordable – Japanese restaurants in Metro Manila is a given. Too often we get sanitized venues that may claim to offer “authentic Japanese cuisine”, but really just serve watery ramens or about-to-expire sushis or badly-prepared sashimis.

One weekend, a chance visit to Tanay in the province of Rizal led us to this supposedly highly-recommended Japanese restaurant called Tanto, and so we checked.

@outragemag Heard there's an okay #Japanese restaurant in #tanayrizal, so we #LGBT checked #Tanto ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is hard to access. No public transport was seen here; people dining in the venue had motorcycles or cars. Buti na lang there’s enough parking; that is, the entire highway is the parking space.

Ikalawa, the actual place is… so-so. The place is clean, at least, but there’s nothing special here – i.e. you just have wooden tables and wooden chairs a la karinderya.

Also, most restaurants in Tanay are open-air, allowing diners to view the mountain ranges. The view from Tanto, however, isn’t that pretty.

You may also encounter issues with some facilities – e.g. no water in the toilets, and no bidet in the male toilet.

Ikatlo, the personnel naman were okay. Some issues: the recommendations weren’t good (e.g. the food ordered), service was slow (e.g. chili powder had to be requested repeatedly), and so on.

Ika-apat, with the food, this place was a hit and miss. The tantanmen ramen (₱359) I ordered, for instance, was a big disappointment. It didn’t taste like tantanmen at all; just a tasteless noodle soup masquerading as tantanmen. The chili powder didn’t help since it wasn’t even spicy.

But at least the miso ramen (₱329) was okay, said Arthur. It DID taste like miso, even if we agreed that there wasn’t a lot of sabaw, soup, served.

Also, at least we agreed on the gyoza; those were better-than-okay. The wrapper didn’t disintegrate, and the well-seasoned meat was malasa, tasty, and not overcooked nor undercooked.

BTW: there’s no service water here; instead, we were told that what they have isn’t safe to drink so we may as well order bottled water (₱50). That’s profiteering for sure.

Gist: The prices here are higher than those in Little Tokyo in Makati City, so you’d actually expect more. But with so-so offering and so-so service, suggesting for people to intentionally go to it is hard. I’d say: check when you’re in the area… though when there, you may also just want to check the other restaurants there.

So off we go for more lafangan reviews…

Tanto Tastes of Asia is located along Marcos Highway, Sitio Malapapaya, Brgy. Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal. For more information, contact 09611434875.

A lot of partygoers in Legazpi City (in the Province of Albay, over 471 kilometers south of Metro Manila) are said to drive over two hours to go to Naga City. Because it may already be a first class component city and the capital of the province, but Legazpi remains… provincial in so many ways.

But this is how we were led to this party venue called Quento, which is – supposedly – frequented by those who choose to stay and party in Legazpi City.

Here are some observations regarding Quento.

Una, this place is NOT an LGBTQIA+ venue; instead, it is but a business that recognizes the power of the pink peso, and is therefore open to LGBTQIA+ party people.

Ikalawa, if you want to cruise while here, you’re more likely to find hetero-identifying men who have sex with men instead of other gay and bisexual men. This is actually true in most party venues in Legazpi City… at least so I was told.

Ikatlo, this place is open every day from 5 PM until the last customer leaves… so we were told, though in truth, they start making you feel unwelcome at around midnight.

Ika-apat, this fits approximately 100 pax, so it’s actually spacious. Looking at Quento from outside, you’d think its but a small place. But inside, you’d see a properly laid-out venue that has two seating areas, with the main area housing the stage where performances happen.

Ika-lima, the staff’s nice naman, even staying past their supposed closing time to accommodate us tourists.

Ika-anim, most nights, there’s a band performing… and, if you dare, you can sing with them. This is why it’s popular among groups with members who want to belt out a song or two.

Ika-pito, the food sufficed. For instance, we ordered Chili Cheese Nachos (₱276), and – while it was not even memorable – it was okay enough as pulutan.

And ika-walo, the alak, the alcoholic offerings were priced almost the same as in Metro Manila. A liter of Fundador Light, for instance, costs ₱850.

Apparently, heavy partygoers head to Naga City to party. That’s including LGBTQIA+ people who, I was told, consider the party scene in Legazpi City as backward, too provincial. But if Naga City isn’t an option, or if you want to see how those who choose to stay in Legazpi City actually party, then Quento may provide some glimpses. Yes, it won’t be for everyone… but you’d really only know after you checked.

But off we go for more rampa…

Quento is located at 5P3V+W8C, 219 Lakandula Dr., Legazpi City, 4500 Albay.