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.

So… Antipolo has long been promoted as a creative hub in the Province of Rizal, hosting the likes of the Pintô Art Museum, and art collectives like the ARTipolo Group, Inc. This may also explain why major Antipolo destinations are sold as art spaces that offer add-ons… such as restaurants or cafés or whatever.

And here, the Crescent Moon Cafe and Studio Pottery easily comes to mind as a Southeast Asian restaurant that’s also a pottery store and art space with creative workshops.

How was the place for us?

Una, the place isn’t easily accessible to those without private vehicles. So… from this alone, you already know the target market of this place.

Ikalawa, the actual venue is… artsy. There are various buildings here – e.g. one houses paintings that are also for sale, and another houses pottery outputs also for sale. So if you arrived early, or if the orders take too long, you can tour the area to check the art pieces on display.

Ikatlo, the staff’s okay naman, able to offer help as needed – e.g. sundo while touring another building when our food was about to be served already

Ika-apat, how was the food?

• We started with the Gado Gado (₱470, mixed spring vegetables with tempeh and peanut sauce) that may have been refreshing, but… the serving was quite small.
• The Beef Rendang (₱640) was actually good, properly blending the flavors of lemongrass, ginger, galangal, turmeric and chili for a savory, spicy and sweetish offering. Too bad the serving’s quite small considering the asking price.
• The Lemongrass Pork Belly (₱500) was delish, malasa (tasty) without the overpowering taste of any particular ingredient (not even the lemongrass).

As FYI: this is not a cheap place, seemingly emphasizing the “art is for rich people” mantra. A serving of rice, for instance, costs ₱55, which should actually already pay for one kilo of rice if bought in some marketplace. The coffee, too, was disappointing, served quite cold (not even lukewarm), making you feel you just wasted ₱135.

So…

1. Art-wise, this place is worth checking out. They may not have as big a collection as, say, Pintô Art Museum, but… what’s there is okay enough.
2. Those workshops may also be of interest to some, particularly for those interested in pottery. Plus you can buy pottery goods here, so yeah, a quick check may not be bad at all.
3. Food-wise, however, we found this place wanting. The flavors we expected weren’t there… at least for most of those served to us. Considering the asking prices (and those reviews), the expectations were high. Too high, they weren’t met.

But off we go in search of more lafang venues.

Crescent Moon Cafe and Studio Pottery is located along Sapang Buho Rd., Brgy. Dalig, Antipolo. For more information, contact +63282345724, or email crescentmooncafeantipolo@gmail.com.