Photo by Christella D. Soriano
One of the everyday joys of college life is getting to eat outside school without upsetting the disciplinary office or the manong guards—we all said our goodbyes to that kind of strict treatment when we left high school. Now that we’re all given more leeway, it’s not surprising that most Ateneans head out of campus just to enjoy good food, usually with Katipunan as the default destination. In recent months, however, this strip of well-known restaurants and franchised fast food has been faced with growing competition from its grittier cousin: Maginhawa.
Once a quiet residential lane, Maginhawa Street, Teacher’s Village is now dotted with cafés, bars and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. You won’t see any fast food franchises here; the unique specialty stores give the area a vibe that is less commercial and more personal.
From edible flowers to designer burgers, the message is clear: Maginhawa is not your usual fast food joint.
Photo by Jessica L. Roasa
Friuli Trattoria
79-A Maginhawa Street
There’s a joke among upperclassmen: back when they were freshmen, even fast food joints like McDonalds or Jollibee seemed special compared to cafeteria food. However, Friuli Trattoria is proof that you can eat on a budget without having to settle for mass-produced chicken.
Housed in a small unit with simple orange interiors and perky (if generic) instrumental music, the concept is simple: cheap, delicious Italian. The bestseller is their Viva Venezia Pizza (P199), a thin crust pizza topped with ground beef, bell peppers and olives. Their Toasted Ravioli is served with tomato sauce and cheddar—a style the owner reportedly learned from an Italian friend from the actual province of Friuli, Italy. Their pastas are your usual commercial Italian fare, save for the unique Tuna and Mushroom Pasta (P105), a cream-based dish with an unexpectedly spicy kick.
The ambiance is nothing special—you know a place is cheap when the waiters have no uniforms and the menu is printed on bond paper housed in a clear book. However, hungry and not-so-picky barkadas will love how far their money can go—three pizzas for less than 750 is a steal!
It might not be the best place to take a first date, but if you’re looking for a place that gives you bang for buck, Friuli is the place to go.
Photo by Christella D. Soriano
Burger Project
122 Maginhawa Street
For days when even the Big Mac just won’t cut it, The Burger Project offers more than just the standard bun-patty-BLT-bun formula.
For one, you get to customize your own burger—a treat for picky eaters and burger connoisseurs alike. The process begins with your own personal order form, where you design your burger from patty (Angus, 100% beef, chicken, and tofu for the vegetarians) to bun (sesame seed, even potato for the adventurous). Everything is made from scratch, so you can be sure that the potatoes are real and the fruits are fresh.
Since the burgers are customized, there is no set price for each sandwich, meaning that you can either choose to go all out and splurge on every option available, or give your poor wallet a break and choose to forego the mushrooms and extra bacon. Sides, however, start from P65 and come in massive servings—perfect for sharing if you’re on a budget.
To palates dulled by tasteless fast food fare, the burst of flavor that this restaurant offers is refreshing. Their patties have a smoky, lingering taste, while the milkshakes have real bits of fruit in them. Even their set burger choices go beyond the average BLT: Tokyo Pop or Italian Stallion, anyone?
Burger Project’s ambiance is light, colorful and playful—the hand-drawn menus and little toy robots littering the area suggest a child’s playroom. Best of all, the gargantuan servings are guaranteed to have you saying goodbye to the Bee mascot and coming back for more.
Photo by Christella D. Soriano
Van Gogh is Bipolar
154 Maginhawa Street
To describe the restaurant Van Gogh is Bipolar as unique would be a cop-out. Apart from the intricately decorated main dining area, the restaurant also has a room by black light where diners can write their secrets on the walls, a projected clock, and an assortment of pictures, postcards and teapots. Somehow, the living room-sized space is calming, personal, and exciting all at the same time. It’s an assault on the senses in the best way possible—it’s the kind of place in which you want to stay forever.
Van Gogh is Bipolar is the brainchild of Jetro Rafael, a clinically diagnosed bipolar artist. A believer in natural therapy, he created dishes that can calm and energize using the chemical properties of the ingredients. Though the dishes were originally meant for his private consumption, he decided to open a restaurant and share his mood-altering (not to mention delicious) creations to the world.
The menu is just as interesting as the restaurant’s interiors, with organic dishes named after bipolar celebrities and trivia about how certain fruits and vegetables affect brain functions. The menu also contains little captions that offer insight into Jetro’s complex feelings about being bipolar, which he signs with the name “proud wacko.”
While waiting for their meal, guests can choose a teapot from Jetro’s collection and make their own tea using the leaves in jars labeled with the mood they impart.
At P555 for the cheapest three-course meal, students may find the prices a bit steep. However, the generous servings and interesting dishes make it well worth the price. Take, for example, Courtney Love’s Potion of the Day, a tall drink bursting with the flavor of cucumbers and fruit extracts, and Mel Gibson’s Darkest Sin, a dessert shot in which a walnut floats in a layer of alcohol over shaved Belgian chocolate.
If you have the time and money to spend, Van Gogh is Bipolar is the place to go. The quirkiest restaurant of Maginhawa could be likened to its namesake, the painter who remained unknown for most of his life—unassuming, but once discovered, undeniably brilliant.
The streets in Teacher’s Village are all named after adjectives, but Maginhawa is one that actually stays true to its name: relaxed and comfortable. The street is a breath of fresh air compared to the hustle and bustle of Katipunan, a place where students can spend their time savoring their food instead of inhaling it before running back to class.
And while you may leave the street to return to the normalcy of Katipunan, this much is certain: once you’ve been to Maginhawa, you’ll always come back.
