Laya: Freedom of Choice
Posted by Jayvee at May 30th, 2010
We went all the way to the hills of Antipolo to dine at Laya with photographer and longboarding champ Carina Altomonte
By Denise J. Mallabo | Photos by Wiji Lacsamana
It’s tough to dine out with friends, if most of you are fans of meat and some of your mates are vegetarians—especially if you encounter restaurants that have pseudo-vegetarian dishes on their menu, and yet you can still see ground pork and chicken scattered all over your order.
And then there are restaurants like Laya (which means “freedom” in Tagalog), a place where you can stuff yourself with Thai/Filipino fusion food, a great supporter of everything that is good about meat but that still takes the time to ask the three most important questions for every vegetarian: What kind of vegetarian are you? Do you eat dairy? Do you still eat eggs? That was how this establishment won over veggie lover Carina Altomonte.
A few Saturdays ago, UNO treated part-time lens woman, part-time daredevil (and full-time restaurateur) Carina to an entire five-course meal in the charming restaurant owned by musicians and husband and wife team Irene and Ricci Gurango. Aside from being busy with her restaurant Nomnomnom Happy Food, which she co-owns with two equally talented friends, Carina regularly shoots for a section in this magazine (kindly turn your magazine to page 76, that’s her superb work right there). This UP Fine Arts graduate was recently bestowed the title of “queen of the hill” for her longboarding skills—she triumphed on the downhill course in the women’s division in the recently-concluded Gravity Games Asia held in Subic. Now let’s see how Laya scored with Carina’s persnickety palette.
How long have you been a vegetarian?
I’ve been vegetarian for 20 years. I’m 29 years old and I started when I was 9 years old and parang more and more I noticed that there are a lot more choices now sa dishes when I eat out. When I was younger, wala talaga masyado. It’s quite wonderful to have a five-course meal that’s all vegetarian friendly.
What were you thinking?! You were 9!
I was thinking, “Why won’t my mom prepare me baon na may karne?” Just kidding, my mom started it. She got into Raja Yoga so all the dishes that she cooked were vegetarian, yun na din yung pinapabaon sa amin. When we were younger we didn’t have a lot of options, we only eat the food that’s in the house tapos when we got older she was the one who told us, “bahala na kayo.” I decided to stick to it since I’ve gotten used to it and I’ve come up with my own beliefs as to why I want to stay vegetarian also.
Having tasted meat before you turned 10, don’t you miss it? Don’t you have those days where you want to say “F it! I WANT LECHON!”?
No, not at all. When I was a kid I missed it a lot of course like any other kid would, I loved my fried chicken. But now I don’t really mind, there’s so much food to choose from! I love my gulay… and cheese… and wine… and chocolates… and cakes…
What do you eat to prepare for a long day of work and skating?
I try my best to keep a balanced diet. I make sure I get enough protein (beans, legumes, soya), carbo, fiber (salads, fruits, leafy veggies) and water in me. I get to do more stuff when I fuel myself well.
How do you find the overall look of Laya?
The place is very very relaxing, it reminds me of Thai restaurants—but more resort-like because of the pool and the location.
How did you find that good-looking appetizer and soup that was in front of you earlier?
The Nori Vegetable Roll with Mango Papaya Aioli was really good, very light. I didn’t find anything lacking, especially the dressing, sarap! The Pumpkin and Cashew Nut Soup reminds me of Indian food.
That salad looks interesting, how did you like it?
It’s simple, refreshing and the best part was the hint of ginger.
How was the Thai Vegetable Curry with Saffron Cashew Rice Pilaf as your main dish?
The main dish was alright. The eggplant was a little hilaw but of course I was able to eat all the veggies I could get my hands on. I found the salad, the soup and the appetizer more interesting.
How was your dessert?
Turon siya with Choc-Nut so everything was familiar, but it’s nice to have them together for a change; they made it a bit more fascinating.
Who would you bring here to Laya?
I would take my special someone. It would also be nice to take my family here kasi ang ganda ganda ng location. From start to end you don’t feel so “blah” [makes 'overstuffed' motions], tama lang yung amount of food na binibigay para ma-appreciate mo until dessert. It’s really a fusion, the food that they serve is not so far off from each other, the vegetarian and I think the non-vegetarian options.
What can you say about restaurants like Laya that cater to both meat lovers and vegetarians?
Very considerate of them, and I’m very thankful.
Laya
Sierra Madre Road, Grand Height Subdivision, Antipolo City
6pm-10pm Friday and Saturday
11am-2pm Saturday and Sunday
Open on weekdays but only for private dining with advance reservation (minimum of 15 guests)
Tel. Nos. for reservations: (02) 994-7978 and (0917) 8464322
UNO caught up with owners Irene and Ricci Gurango and asked them how Laya came about and how they can still make music with food on their minds.
Why did you name your restaurant Laya?
The word Laya means freedom in Tagalog, and that’s what we want to give our guests when they come here, the freedom to make their dining experience at Laya.
What made you come up with the idea of it to be a personal dining type of restaurant?
I guess because we want to elevate the whole experience of dining out. We wanted a place where each guest will experience something different from what another guest will experience since almost everything is very personalized.
Can you explain the concept behind the Thai/Fil fusion food in Laya?
We have a theme for each weekend actually (Taste of Siam wherein we feature traditional Thai dishes, Asian Hawker Food Fest, Light & Healthy Asia, etc.) and the one that’s becoming really popular is the one you guys were able to try, the Pinoy Kulinarya menu. We didn’t want a static menu kasi so we change our menu every weekend but it always revolves around Southeast Asian flavors.
Irene, do you and Ricci still have the time to play in your individual bands since both of you are extremely hands-on with Laya? How do you juggle your time?
I just got home from a gig with my band Chubibo in Saguijo that I left for halfway through tonight’s dinner service. Since we’re only open on weekends, we can still gig on weekdays. And when gigs do fall on weekends, most of the time the gigs are scheduled late so we just make sure they’re scheduled after a dinner service. It’s really tough but we’re slowly getting used to sleepless weekends!
Ricci, what was your training before you became chef in your own restaurant? Did you go to any cooking classes/schools?
I took up Culinary Arts at Global Academy in Pasig then spent a couple of weeks in Bangkok, Thailand to study Thai cuisine after that. I took a course at the Blue Elephant Cooking School under Chef Nooror Somany Steppe. My wife and I really love Thai cuisine so naturally, that’s what I wanted to specialize in.
Any big plans for Laya?
We’re working on plans for the bed and breakfast but we don’t know yet when that’s going to materialize. Soon, we hope! But for now, we just want to concentrate on improving our food and thinking of ways to make the dining experience at Laya even more special.
First published October 2009
Gravity Games 2010 Highlands Chase
Posted by Denise at January 27th, 20101.25 kilometers of butter smooth asphalt. 75km/h.
nothing but gravity.
for more details about the race, go to www.gravitygamesasia.com
Live The Dream
Posted by France at December 10th, 2009On the 13th of November, 2009, following ten rounds of bantamweight division boxing versus Colombian Luis Melendez, Filipino fighter Z “The Dream” Gorres hit the canvas of the Mandalay Bay House of Blues ring in Las Vegas, Nevada, just minutes after being announced the winner of the contest—the very contest that would have lined him up for a championship rematch with reigning WBO Bantamweight champion Mexican Fernando Montiel.
The 27-year-old Cebuano will spend his next days in coma after undergoing brain surgery at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, suffering from subdural hematoma or blood clot in the brain. He will not get to do the rematch that would have catapulted him to world boxing stardom.
Photo by Dong Secuya
Z is one of the most humble and kindest boxers I’ve ever met. I’ve seen him at training and he’s such a disciplined hard worker. What he may give up in length at times in the ring he makes up in speed and ring smarts. He lost a close controversial (split decision) title fight to Fernando Montiel in Cebu in 2007. Many thought he won that fight. I do too. In my eyes, he’s one of world our champions, too.
—TJ Manotoc, ANC Sportscaster
Buchoy might have lost his shot at a world title but I would rather see him as a champion father to his four kids and a champion husband as well.
Buchoy is a highly-skilled boxer and would have made it as a world champion. But I guess God has a better plan for Buchoy, who can now tell that boxing might be a way to rise from poverty, but it remains as one of the most dangerous sports.
—Chino Trinidad, Sportscaster/Columnist, GMA 7
Z is now awake and in recovery stage; financial help would be greatly appreciated by the Gorres family. You may send your donations through the PAYPAL account of Datches Gorres, Z’s wife, at datchesgorres@yahoo.com.
The Tipping Point: Voting for Miss Twitter Philippines
Posted by Jayvee at July 14th, 2009The odds have been mostly a tie in the past few hours till Helga posted this on Flickr. Malcolm Gladwell calls this the Tipping Point. We call it WINNER.
It’s really simple. You can go and vote for whoever you think qualifies for Miss Twitter Philippines. Check out @helga. You may just like her. She blogs here.
Add us on Twitter — @unomag.
ACER Timeline Size Comparison
Posted by Jayvee at July 6th, 2009ACER sent us their latest line of notebooks, the Timeline. The design philosophy for this new line inculcates a discless portable computer in an era where USB flash drives are more commonly used than CD’s or DVD’s.
We have a little size comparison vs. the current line of MacBooks (the one I own) and as you can see, in terms of size, the Timeline and unibody MacBook are almost the same in terms of dimensions, except that ACER wedged the end of their unit by just a wee bit to make it easier to type. In terms of weight, the Timeline is significantly lighter as well. Of course, you have to take into account that the MacBook was able to cram a DVD writer inside its beautiful aluminum body.
We have a pretty comprehensive review of the ACER Timeline up against the MSI X-Slim and the “industry standard” MacBook Air inside the pages of our July issue. Do grab a copy of our July 2009 issue when it hits the stands. If you’re planning on getting a next generation discless laptop, you may want to check the full review out.
Team Manila’s “Sisa” Shirt takes Yahoo! Messenger approach
Posted by Jayvee at July 1st, 2009
There’s a rather cool partnership between Yahoo! Philippines and Team Manila. The city-wide Project Purple Hunt that spawns forth kick ass prizes such as mobile phones, purple Krispy Kreme Donuts, and a graffiti-ed Honda Jazz now introduces their latest PR move — fashion.
These are limited edition shirts in two designs, both have cuts for men and women. Shirts sell for P550.00 and are available starting today.
If you’ve been a good grade school student, you probably tackled that required reading from school — your Noli and Fili. Sisa is the mother of Crispin and Basilio who goes bonkers after knowledge of their slaughter, convent walls bloodstained with their blood.
A little dark humor there for Team Manila and Yahoo! Philippines.
How To Win in an Election
Posted by Jayvee at June 27th, 2009By Ricky Carandang as told to Erwin Romulo
Ricky Carandang is an anchor for the ANC News Channel as well as host for The Big Picture. One of the country’s most respected broadcast journalists, his most recent program, Buy The Numbers, exposes the ways Philippine elections can be won as well as tackling the issues surrounding the planned automation for the 2110 polls.
IF YOU’RE RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE…
The first thing you need is a lot of money. This is what I’ve heard. Assuming you don’t get the votes, then you have to figure out a way to manufacture them. Some of it might be considered improper or unethical, but not necessarily illegal. Well, some of it is plainly illegal, but most of it is in a sort of grey area.
People tell me that local elections actually have a lot more integrity than the national because it’s so closely fought. If you’re a national candidate, you’ll also end up depending on these local guys to bring in the votes and guard them. They basically run the elections—manage the elections in their municipalities on behalf of their candidates, watching each other like a hawk, knowing everybody around. These informal checks and balances on the local level are much more effective. But these guys are gonna be fighting for themselves, you’re secondary if you’re a national candidate. Their concern for you is secondary to their own election. So chances are, they tend not to watch your votes as closely.
WHO GETS PAID?
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Kaskade at Embassy Superclub!
Posted by Jayvee at June 1st, 2009
Ice Cream Bar: Out in the Cold
Posted by Jayvee at May 14th, 2009
A cool, but non-pretentious place to bring a first time date who you want to get to know better. At the ice cream bar, you can sit back, relax and enjoy each other’s company over your favorite ice cream flavors. If they say that alcohol loosens the tongue, ice cream indulgence has a somewhat similar drop down your defenses effect, without the dreaded morning after hang over.
Since they open till late at night on Fridays and Saturdays, the Ice Cream Bar is quick getaway for a midnight snack for a sugar rush to satisfy a nocturnal craving for ice cream.
The Ice Cream Bar
Joya at Rockwell, South Tower
Joya Drive (between Plaza Drive and Estrella Street)
Tel: +632 403-0891
Words by Ana Santos
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Sarah Gaugler is Making Her Mark
Posted by Jayvee at May 14th, 2009
“I knew from my first line that I loved it.”
Words by Ivan Tan
Photography by J.A. Tadena for Fotomojo
Styled by Sidney Yap
Make up by Ning Tadena
Hair by Marie Tan
Special thanks to Quark Henares and Nena Belo
Sarah is wearing a white v-neck tee by Trunkshow, dog tags by d! at Tresorie and fatigue distressed vest from Eairth by Melissa Dizon.
Sarah Gaugler is known in music circles as the chick that does album covers. Her work on Orange and Lemons’ Moonlane Gardens won the NU Rock Awards for Best Album Packaging in 2007 and the Awit Award for Album Packaging Excellence in 2008. She did the illustrations for Kami nAPO Muna Ulit, the Apo Hiking Society’s second tribute album. Her art is cute and strange and compelling, so much so that they have found their way onto people’s skin. Literally.
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