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The Southbound Seven
The Southbound Seven - In memory of places that have passed away
Let’s face it – we’re all suckers for lists. The LS’s Top 20 at 12 (OK, OK, I’ve just given myself away… I don’t know if this still even exists!), Wave’s Top 8 at 8, The Billboard 100, Craig’s List. Need I mention more? It’s as if seeing an item, a person, a place—or what-have-you—right next to a number makes it more credible, desirable even.
Well, we here at Southbound believe in the power of numbers, and we’ve decided to come up with our own “Top 10”, if you will. We’re pleased as punch to introduce—drumroll please!—the SOUTHBOUND SEVEN! The Southbound Seven is our own version of “flavor(s) of the month”—great deals, places we’d like to recommend, southern nuances that tickle our fancy, that sort of thing.
Why just 7, you’re probably wondering—when there’s just so many things to brag about in the South? Well, the number 7 has long been revered as a mystical number—there’s the
We also initially wanted to call it the “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Seriously Spectacular Statistical Southbound Seventy-Seven Surprising Secrets” but we decided we’d rather keep it short and sweet (the list and, obviously, the name)—that way, as is always the case down South, you’ll keep coming back for more (yeah, go drug-induced, chipper haze!).
What’s in store in this month’s Southbound Seven? Well, we began the month of November by remembering our dearly departed—how we miss their smile, their laugh, their comforting ways… We then started remembering special places and peculiarities in the South that we equally miss, and decided that the first Southbound Seven would commemorate those businesses that died a natural death in the South (in poetic Tagalog, paggunita sa mga yumaong na establisyamento). How many times have you had a hankering for your favorite bowl of soup, or burger, or affordably priced apparel only to discover, after driving down there, that it has *GASP!* closed down? In BF alone, this has happened to me quite a lot.
So after sitting down and thinking of each and every place where we parted with our money, but made lots of happy memories, we’ve come with this month’s 7 (hey, since BF is king, we might as well focus on the places we miss most in BF and its environs, yes?). Here they are, in no particular order:
- Espresso – Great glass box of a drive through along
Presidents Avenue , which served not burgers, but (how novel!) coffee! A perfect date place for its comfy cozy interiors, the shop sold coffee, tea, pastries, and (if memory serves) even simple comfort food. This place used to be a godsend on sleepy mornings heading out of, or tiring afternoons heading into BF. They even experienced a spurt of expansion, opening a stall in one of those streetscape-like places along Katipunan, though it may have been that which caused their untimely demise. Their spot hasn’t proven any luckier, too… first it was reincarnated as a chicken inasal restaurant, then a tapsihan, and now a garlic chicken place. It’s just not as charming as the original Espresso used to be. Sigh. - Tubby’s – Great cheap sandwiches and yummy coffee, which made us love it, despite its smoky interiors and ever-brawling high school kids. This coffeeshop and sandwich bar in Phase One used to be a real fixture in the South… and even had branches in places as sosy as
Legaspi Village andGreenbelt ! I remember being able to buy reasonably-priced pastrami sandwiches here, as well as ridiculously cheap “sandwich meals,” of which my favorite was the tuna. We really do miss the dark interiors, the airconditioner that was always on the blink, and the cheery baristas who were there way before Starbucks colonized BF. - Vietnamese Deli – This was, in our view at least, one of the most charming restaurants in BF… so much so that we never minded the prices! Back in the day when village restos served cheap generic food, Viet Deli was serving yummy authentic Vietnamese meals. Perhaps because they’d built up a following in their original location at
Greenworld Plaza alongPresidents Ave , above the now-also-defunct Little Caesar’s, they chanced a move to the greener pastures of Festival Mall. Alas, they didn’t last very long there, and the charm of the wood-finished interiors didn’t travel well (hey, do I sense an expansion trend here?). We will truly miss their thick, crunchy spring rolls, and their firm rice noodles. Yum! - Sparky’s – The take out place that looked like a Chinese take out box—who could miss this when they drove by
Presidents Ave ? Now we just miss it, period. We used to find this place a reliable standby for quick meals when there just wasn’t enough time (or energy) to fire up the ol’ stove ourselves. Again, they moved for a while to Aguirre Ave (take out box and all), but they didn’t survive it—after all, part of the fun was seeing the big box stand out in stark contrast to the buildings by the side of the road, and it just wasn’t the same hidden in a building. No more quick box meals, what a shame. - All the video rental stores that ever existed – Except maybe
Video City , which is tenaciously hanging on, despite the fact that a single pirated DVD (Betamax? VHS? Laser disc? VCD? What are those?, you can almost here kids today say) costs less than the inevitable overdue charges. Remember Angie’s and their “secret” back room? Oh, those were much simpler times. Remember too the whole concept of actually borrowing something, like they do at libraries? Then there was Zenjony, where you could rent more than just videos: they had books and magazines, which fueled many a teenager’s addiction toSweet Valley (all variations) and Sweet Dreams. Now we live in a disposable world, where the concept of lending something (and actually getting it back) is slowly fading away. - Tomatina – This didn’t last very long, but we still miss it, mainly because it had a cute logo, hahaha! No, seriously, this place was small, charming, and the food was tasty; it was a nice addition to the row of stores and restaurants along
Presidents Ave across 7-11, just inside BF proper (along with the original Hen Lin and the old Dairy Queen). It morphed into a number of eating places, most notable of which was the big hotdog thing (darn, I forget the name… and I could’ve sworn it was really hilarious). I remember having some chicken there and browsing through an ancient issue of food magazine. Hmmm… the things that stay with you. - Julio’s – This place I never got around to sampling, which was a shame, since I always heard it was really good. So good, in fact, that it was THE date place in BF. In fact, the reputation was so distinct that I remember receiving an email from an irate customer that their own date experience was badly ruined by a bunch of barkada-type people having a rough and rowdy good time nearby! Maybe that email ruined them, who knows (oh, the power of viral communication)? Whatever the case may be, we mourn the passing of a place we never knew, and mostly we mourn the fact that we missed it.
Ok folks, wipe away those tears. There’s nothing more we can do for these businesses but keep their memories alive. If you’d like to pay homage to places you miss, feel free to post a comment and let us know.
And watch out next month for the December Southbound Seven, places we thought were dead in the water, but were reborn as other things! Also next year, we’ll be welcoming user feedback in helping us come up with the Southbound Seven, so get ready to share!
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32 comments for “The Southbound Seven - In memory of places that have passed away”
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Great list concept! I’m not familiar with most of the places though since I’m a northerner.
what a great list…:)
there are some places that i used to go to but has since closed down..in no particular order.
1. manang bucu bulalo near phil-am. the bulalo was superb. im pretty sure its closed because i cant find it anymore. waaah.
2. the japanese restaurant in pilar…where the prices were not exactly dirt cheap but the food was great. the sushi was not ‘tinipid’ if i may. :0
3. yoshinoya in southmall…one of the best places to get a resonable priced meal. it became gonuts donuts. and i cant be bothered to brave the north traffic to head to megamall.
4. grazelle’s in bf…i heard its now an index salon. the buttered tanigue there was yummy.
5. the isaw stand in front of las pinas college. there used to be one there years back and they had the yummiest isaw and the vinegar with barbecue sauce thing they offered was just yummo.
6. dayrits in town center. i distinctly remember a dayrits there and my dad used to take me there ages ago. its been closed for years and years now. but they had one of the most delicious roast beef sandwiches i’ve ever had.
7. flamers in festival mall. i had the philly chees steak sandwich and the topping were aplenty and it was just wonderful.
oh well, their closing down probably means there’ll be more places to seek and eat and memories will justhave to suffice.
great day everybody.
no PIZZA VILLA???? I remember Pizza Villa was almost as old as digman halo-halo in the side of Tropical Hut Supermarket. Pizza Villa is a legend and their mini-tacos were the bomb!
i miss JULIO’s!!!!!
Tubby’s has a lot of memories for me too. (singing high school life, haha) Tomatina had great fried ice cream & the space where Hen Lin and DQ was used to be an Orange Julius, right?ü
hi. i’ve been a lurker for quite a while. great work with this blog !
i personally miss the following:
1. old manila at festival mall
2. cafe appassionato also at festival mall
3. gourmet’s cafe at ATC
4. st. cinnamon at ATC
5. kamameshi house along alabang zapote
Wala na palang Tubbys? Haha how embarassing, I didn’t even notice!
But yes, I mourn the demise of Zenjony and the rest (though I never tried Tomatina - I tried going in there once and was repulsed by the smell of fried food - I think I was dieting at the time).
Please don’t forget Skidders! And Plum’s! (although nung 90s pa yung Plum’s) And that place across Mocha Blends…. AC? AG? Something or other. Basta they were supposed to be like an expansion of sorts of the famous place in Pampanga where they served the best sisig…. I never tried their sisig but their roast beef was great!
Although, am really happy Figaro will finally be setting up shop!
Zenjony! I loved their concept of putting books up for rent. I used to go with my brothers to this place to borrow my favorite Garfield comic books. Had I known they would shut down, I would have kept our borrowers’ booklet as a souvenir. Sigh. I loved Tomatina, too! Wasn’t it owned by Christopher De Leon and his wife Sandy Andolong? That’s what the crew there told me. I loved their tomato salsa. I haven’t tasted anything like it since they closed down.
Wow, guys! Keep `em coming! Talk about flooded with memories - hehehe… this is our own version of our parents doing “nung bata pa kami, singko lang ang Pepsi, naglalakad lang kami papuntang eskwelahan, nanonood pa kami ng sine sa escolta (or sa odeon), hanting gabi na kami umuuwi”…HAHAHA!!!
Hey Patty! AC Rumpa’s! Yes! I looooooved that place! I was in shock when I went over there one day and the place was demolished na! Funny thing is, am NOT a sisig person. That’s what I loved about Rumpa’s - while they pride themselves with their sisig, everything else is great! I was a fan of the chicken teriyaki and, yes, the roast beef, too!
Plum’s, but of course. Wasn’t their selling point the silvanas? Speaking of silvanas, may House of Silvanas pa ba along President’s Avenue? Hehehe…
I remember Plum’s! Hehe and the ‘original’ Dates & Nuts (w/c is Dates Cafe na). Skidder’s also and what’s the one in front of Skidder’s? The corner beside East-West Bank now? It’s a burger joint din where all the condiments (caramelized onions, pickles, raw onions, cheese, lettuce, etc) are lined up at the counter and you can get your own. Basta, that was the burger place before (na Charbroiled na ngayon), hehe.ü
Isn’t the House of Silvanas along Tirona Ave? I remember I’d walk from school w/ my bestfriend to buy silvanas there.ü
1. La Bouna Fourchetta (did i get the spelling right?). Great italian resto!
2. For only about a month or two, there was an Old Manila cafe also inside BF. It was near a gym (sorry i don’t remember what the name of the gym was).
3. Pepper’s (or at least the way it used to look before). I’m not sure if it still looks “homey/cozy” now.
4. Baker brothers. (not really a cafe or resto but their bread was perfect !). You could at least have a cup of coffee and ensaymada on a sunday morning at their bar-type seating area inside.
5. Plums — i really enjoyed their banana-and-chocolate-chip loaf.
we used to go to julio’s for special events like birthdays, graduations etc. i remember being floored by the table napkins because they were real cloth! all hail the fastfood generation :p
i loved zenjony! i used to get my magazine fix there every month. wala pa kasing summit publications non so US Seventeen pa ang hinihiram ko. and you had to go there early in the month, oterwise, malamang naunahan ka na :(
i remember la buona forchetta… they had this neat device they used to grind the cheese… para siyang rotary grinder / shredder thingy. :) the things we remember ano? :)
patty,
i agree!!! so looking forward to the figaro in bf! :) looks like we’ll be running into each other soon… ;)
nicki,
oo nga i miss grazelle’s too… whenever we couldn’t think of anywhere to eat, nick would always suggest that place. sarap nga tanguige… kaso pag labas mo, amoy ulam ka na hahaha!
hi betty.
i do remember that cheese grating device that they had at la buona! it was such a cool device, in fact it was one of the reasons i kept coming back to that place =)
justin,
i wonder where one can get something like that? i seem to recall they even offered to sell us one when we expressed our amazement with it! :)
My god i MISS JULIO’S - they serve their sundaes with a chocolate frosted spoon…. sigh…. and bun on the run in ATC (um… alabang twin cinemas) with their absolutely perfectly crunchy waffles…. yum yum yum.
Oh and la buona forchetta’s stuffed pasta, though the cook there offended my best friend so oks lang din na wala na sila hehehehe.
re cheese grater thingy try Gourdo’s - parang may na-aninag ako doon. :o) tubby’s and espresso seem to have relocated up north - i just came from subic for the ad congress and extreme espresso right beside tubby’s felt oddly familiar. Look them up if you’re ever in subic near legenda hotel.
is minggoy’s still open? hay… kaka gutom.
Who could ever forget SHIGATSU? This was one of the original Japanese drinking place. This is located near the Palengke sa BF.
How about the magnolia ice cream house located at the TURRANA (?) the only and first ever movie house in BF Homes.
And the ever so famous Video Bug, wherein you can never be so complete without a betamax playing during the weekend.
And, get this, the first short-lived mom and pop store, named AM/PM. This is located just infront of the Ressurection Church in BF.
Well, do you remember Orange Tree? A quintessential bookstore…located at the Elizalde gate.
And, talking about Elizade, do you remember Cafe Elizalde that is now converted into a New Begginings drug and liquor rehabilitation place.
Of course the best was Pizza Villa, a lot of memories of my growing up years were spawned at that place, hehehe….I distintly remember the mini tacos. Yum yum!!!! You’re right Joseph.
Miss them too…. By the way, Nicki, there still is Manang Bucu’s Bulalo in Philam. Same place. Been there last week!
Julio’s! oh my god. i remember dining there with my family, but i was too young to appreciate fine dining, so i didn’t like it there! hahaha…
and the video rental stores! oh my, memories! :)
plum’s too, i remember that, although i haven’t ever entered it. what i remember most was Bake ‘n Joy hahahahah… nothing really special there. it was just this bakery that also served snacks and what-not. it was our meryenda place after school. it was right where Mercury Drug now stands, at the corner of aguirre and el grande.
hay memories. :)
I think the Conti’s building used to be where Pizza Villa was before..i remember yung pizza sizes pa nila used to be in a pancit bilao ata..hehe! thats old school pizza! sarap talaga!
i so remember espresso because that’s where my then boyfriend (now husband) used to go to for our “serious talks” when we had just started to go out and were on the verge of immediate break-up! hehe. we used to sit at the back para pwede mag yosi. tubby’s too, we also went there a few times for coffee and sandwiches.
julio’s: i ate there once only. it was really good. the owner (sabi nila part owner of matina in malate daw) was supposed to have opened a bistro in festival mall but that closed too.
I miss Zenjony!!! I loved going there every weekend with my mom to borrow magazines and books. I wish they could revive it.
I remember that there was a similar book shop on the 2nd floor of Tubby’s. I forgot the name of the place though.
I still remember Plum’s.
I also miss the big video rental in front of Tropical Hut (the one being occupied by Starbucks). That video store really had a wide range of titles to choose from.
Does anyone still remember the clothes store ‘Marinella’ which sells really nice dresses? And, of course, Camouflage, a small store in Tropical Hut selling imported shirts from BKK and HK.
grabe andaming memories… and most of these are in bf lang ha! :D does anyone still have pictures of these places? maybe we can do a more comprehensive compilation!
My most memorable experience was the ACA Video, I remember this Video Rental Shop has a variety of DVD’s, VHS (now are gone…for good), and even a snack store there. I’m Gonna missed that place. :(
Well, I usually remember “Baker’s Brothers”, along Presidents Avenue in BF Homes. This bakeshop was one of my favorite breads and even croissants and foccacia breads . :) Sadly, the store didn’t make it opened longer, but for now, the former site was now occupied by a New York style “Pizza Parlor Restaurant”. :)
I’m gonna missed also “Orange Julius” along Presidents Ave., they’re serving a nice burgers and fries there. :(
meron pa bang Magoo’s Pizza?
obei,
we were just talking about that the other day! yes, meron pa! in alabang, meron sa paeng’s sa town center. magoos and bowling just go together i guess. :)