Your Favorite Sobering Holes
Drinking and Eating. These seem to be two of the most pleasurable things in life. Often, they go hand in hand, and the only decision left to make is whether we eat while we drink, before we drink, or after we drink. Obviously, in the past, when liquor bans did not exist, or were not as strictly implemented, the usual Saturday itinerary would have been to eat, drink, party, then go home. Nobody seemed to want to eat much after hard partying, mostly because the thought of hurling out Sausage McMuffin with Egg across the Taxi cab’s floor was not very pretty. These days, however, we do not get as drunk as we used to thanks to the liquor ban. Thus, we still manage to hold food in our stomachs instead of spitting it out via a rainbow shower. More importantly, two in the morning is just too early for a partyphile; dining out simply kills time and convinces us that our Saturdays have been extended.
Now, what piques my curiosity is where everybody dines after partying. So, I took an informal poll among all my friends and followers on several different social networking sites, and got some pretty interesting answers. Here are the top five spots you dine in after a hard night of partying:
5. Boyongs - This new stall along Torres seems to be getting more and more popular. With hearty Balbacua that is affordable enough to fit anyone's budget (about twenty-five pesos), and a no-frills menu (they serve Balbacua and ONLY Balbacua), this place seems to be the safe haven for drunks who just want their fill of hot-soup. Plus, it is a stone’s throw away from the drunkard’s preferred watering hole: Prime Square.
4. Bankerohan and Goyongs (tie) - There is nothing better than a bowl of good old Bulalo after a hard night of partying. Unless of course, it is a 40 peso bowl of good old bulalo after a hard night of partying! And that is exactly what you get at Bankerohan. Ask anyone at Bankerohan where the Bulaluhan is, and they will direct you to a quaint stall at the back end of the market. Prepare to be shocked as they serve you a HUGE serving of beef shank with extra soup.
On the other side of the city is Goyongs; Mami House that opens in the evening and is located by the Rotonda in Ponciano, right under the billboards. They serve Lugaw (rice porridge), Mami (noodle soup), and instant noodles for below twenty pesos. Note: You have to make sure that you visit the store right before the call center agents from a nearby call center take their lunch break. They will wipe out Goyongs lugaw in 2 minutes flat. If you want to try it (and trust me, you would) drop by a little earlier than everybody else.
3. McDonalds Bajada - McDonalds Bajada is near most of the party spots in the metro so it is no wonder why people flock this branch between 3am to 4am. We all know what to expect from McDonalds, and no-frills eating is probably what we need after some really hard partying. More importantly, their breakfast menu is THE BOMB!
2. Bulca Chong- Although there aren't many food choices in Bulca Chong; sometimes all you really need is a bowl of hot soup. Of course, it helps that their soup tastes really, really good and is very hearty. The soup is actually made with Carabao meat, so it’s kind of novel. A bowl costs around 75 to 90 pesos and is satisfying even without rice. Heads up: the place is filled to the brim at around 2:30 am. You might want to visit a little earlier, or a little later. Oh, and tourists looove Bulca Chong. Take your out-of-towner friends to this spot after partying.
1. Dimsum Diner Guerrero: Dimsum diner seems to have everything for everybody. They have cold drinks, hot soup, rice meals, dim sum, and other light snacks. Thus, they have an answer for whatever it is you are craving for, after partying. More importantly, they have good service, wonderful interiors, and filling food. And they are open twenty-four hours a day.
