Flatiron 1771 is home to flavors you won’t ever stop craving for

New York is a city where diverse cultures come together and bring with them a myriad of flavors that always tastes authentic even with a touch of a modern twist. Flatiron 1771 fuses the Big Apple’s heartiest comfort food in a single menu—it’s part American, part Intercontinental, with a dash of Asian flavors here and there.

While its name may be borrowed from a famous American landmark, its corners feel like one of your go-to traditional Italian family restaurants. It gives a familiar scene with its mismatched seats crowding each table and vibrant Spanish tiles mapping the floor. The al fresco area has a more neutral palette soaking up the warm tones of the sun and offers a relaxing spot in the middle of a bustling district.

This Uptown restaurant serves the New York experience to the table from lunch to cocktails, and you can never go wrong with an order of steak, a no-brainer staple for a good meal. Flatiron 1771’s Prime Rib Steak (P529.99 per 100 grams) is cooked with a gorgeous layer of fat for that juicy and flavorful bite. You know the meat has been dry-aged well when it remains tender long after it’s been served.

The dish comes with three sauces: The blue cheese butter, bois baudran, and chimichurri. We loved mixing the freshness of chimuchurri flavors with the savory bliss of the blue cheese butter with our hefty slab of meat—together, a medley of tastes one can’t help but relish. The steak also comes with thick potato wedges toasted to a crisp with cheese. 

Bo’s Coffee lets you skip the line to get your caffeine fix

Fellow joe heads will understand when we say there’s nothing quite like the moment when you get your first sip of coffee for the day. Whether it’s part of your morning ritual or afternoon breather, caffeine gives that extra boost we can all count on.

The biggest local coffee chain in the country introduced an advanced ordering system that is conveniently integrated into Facebook’s Messenger. That means you can try their new service without another app eating your phone’s memory. It can easily be accessed through the mobile Messenger app or the Facebook desktop. The feature will soon be available on Viber, too.

Bo’s Coffee’s BOTTY ordering procedure feels a lot like a virtual conversation with the cashier. After inputing your location, it will suggest the nearest participating branch, and then lets you select the category of drinks you wish to order from. The current menu includes their bestsellers, from hot espresso-based options to refreshing shaken iced teas. So far, there are 36 different drinks to choose from. Bo’s shared it will slowly expand its range of available products on the platform in the next few months.

I took Penshoppe’s Beauty Pop lipsticks on a 2-week road test so you won’t have to

There’s nothing like the combination of a comfy feel and a wide color range that sets a lipstick lover in a frenzy. More economical beauty options are making quite the entrance, a trend that must be keeping the bougie brands on their toes as the newcomers of the beauty scene replicate luxurious formulations that don’t cost a fortune.

Local fashion retail giant Penshoppe recently launched its own beauty line with an 18-shade lipstick collection. I know, you probably have a lot of lippies to go through in your personal collection, but with its price tag of P219, it doesn’t hurt to add a handful to your MLBB rotation. Beauty Pop’s matte component featuring this pastel gradient is definitely a big eye-catcher, bound to add some points to your flatlay gaming. But the packaging design ultimately helps set it apart—and I welcome this sort of creativity. Plus, it’s so easy to spot inside your bags.

It comes in two formulas that were developed in Japan: The Litematte and Hydramatte. Penshoppe covers the bases when it comes to preferences, so whether you want that true-matte feel or one that glides with a little sheen, you’ll find your match in this beauty collection. Here comes the tricky part: The shades actually look way different on your lips than how you see it on the bullet lipsticks. There are a ton of options that look intimidating as these seemingly lean toward bolder looks, but its buildable formula allows it to create subtle to statement lips. 

What’s more frustrating is that Penshoppe’s own digital campaigns don’t give justice to the gorgeous colors of the collection. It seems like it only has a range dominated by chocolatey nudes, but it has notable undertones of corals, wines, and pinks that aren’t highlighted. It also seems patchy on arm swatches, but I guarantee you’ll definitely appreciate the colors more once you actually swipe it on your lips. Once you crack your lippie’s powder coating, swatching and application will eventually be a breeze, too. 

I went to a ‘Stranger Things 3’ preview and here’s a list of things to be excited about (at least for the first episode)

The kids are growing up. Our favorite monster-hunting bunch from Hawkins has inevitably reached the cusp of adolescence. They’re awkward. They’re feisty. They’re in all sorts of trouble—and all we gotta do is sit back and enjoy the entertainment. The pilot episode of the third season brings us up to speed by showing tons of making out and comedic couple ticks.

But more than the teenage love affairs, there is no boring moment in “Suzie, Do You Copy?” Early on it revives the scientific fascination on the Upside Down, linking this small Indiana town to the other side of the globe once again. While its ending immediately builds up its newest otherworldly villain and doesn’t waste any time in revealing one of the greatest shockers of the show. Spoiler alert: Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) still doesn’t get a freaking break from this nightmare!

Knowing the Duffer Brothers, it’s bound to show us sci-fi tropes that we’ll surely brand as easter eggs. The new 8-episode season will reinvent notions of fear and fright, but it’ll probably underscore that the scariest thing is still change—after all, it’s still a coming-of-age story.
We’re sure we’ll end up binge-watching the season when “Stranger Things”  finally drops on Netflix this July 4—just like the Duffer Brothers intended us to. But before that, we’re left with these few bits that we’ll obsess over until everything will all finally make sense:

‘Far From Home’ serves us a different Spidey origin story

It’s been more than two decades and we’ve gone through 23 films to complete the “Infinity Saga.” But even with the oversaturation of superhero films shown in recent years, Marvel has  never failed to stun us with the tapestry it has patiently designed. 

Its latest film in the cinemas, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” shows the ingenuity of every direction the studio has taken—every little deviation from the comics, introduction of unexpected mentorships, and significant changes in the characterization of its iconic heroes, just to bring us what we are meant to see on the big screen today.

The final chunk of Phase 3 is where we rediscover the joy of understanding the grander scheme of things. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe lost a great leader in Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), we are sent back to a world that is desperate for a new hero to step up. It is in one of the MCU’s closely intertwined stories where we find a young hero forced to emerge as a reassuring new beacon of security. It’s a role that has been passed on, decided by Stark himself. Yes, even in death, Iron Man’s the hero.

L’Oreal’s Rouge Signature line is the most underrated makeup release you should get your hands on

Having a handful of lipsticks has never stopped us from adding a few more shades to our current makeup arsenal before. But what if I told you I’ve found an essential gamechanger that’s bound to be part of your collection?

Enter L’Oreal’s newest Rouge Signature line. With the dual promise of being unbelievably lightweight while giving ultra-pigmented shades, it was only right to hold on to our reservations. But it was nothing short of a delightful experience for our skepticism to be proved wrong as I discovered that the brand’s newest lip innovation does deliver what it promises.

The Rouge Signature creations are a hybrid of the versatility of lip stains and the diversity of the liquid lipstick’s colors. It’s a long-wearing, nondrying, nonsticky, and pigmented formula. Because it is effortlessly buildable, you can go for a naturally blotted lip, trendy ombre lip, or a bold intense semi-matte one.

The truth about the Bo Gum magic

Park Bo Gum’s got range. It’s no secret that the Korean heartthrob’s biggest dream is to become a singer-songwriter, and there was nothing quite like the charisma he had shown on stage.

When he met his Filipino fans during the Good Day in Manila fanmeet, the crowd was prepared to be disarmed by his charms. What they didn’t expect, though, was a 2-hour concert. Bo Gum introduced another side to him, one that is perfectly comfortable being the center of attention—his usual timidity disappeared as he performed song after song.

We got used to Korean celebrities singing a handful of tracks when we meet them, but Bo Gum does things differently. This multihyphenate took no breaks, except for a few wardrobe changes. Every one of his numbers were adorably sensational. His notes had power. His moves were filled with energy. It certainly wasn’t like those cutesy performances on Music Bank.

Pancake House’s unlimited spaghetti is a real steal

Pancake House’s signature spaghetti is easily a hybrid of bolognese and the flavors of a children’s party staple. 

It’s what I enjoyed and loved as a kid, the plate of pasta that I looked forward to during weekend family meals and province-bound road trips. It’s still a favorite dish I crave from time to time, easily dreaming of its sweet and chunky meat sauce topped generously with cheese.

Now here’s the good news: You can enjoy as many plates of your favorite spaghetti this coming June 24 to 29. It’s the first time Pancake House offered this promo which actually costs less than one large serving of spaghetti (P309) on regular days. Honestly, it’s such a steal!

You only have to pay P299 for unlimited servings of Pancake House spaghetti. You’ll be given two full hours to eat to your heart’s content. When you finish two plates of pasta, you’ve already gotten your money’s worth, as these equal to the restaurant’s large serving.

This promo isn’t made for those trying to watch their carbs intake, but it does sound like a perfectly sinful cheat day option. I suggest you skip the garlic bread and order some ala carte chicken (P89 each) to make the most out of your meal instead. It’s simply a match made in (foodie) heaven.

Each serving will take 10 to 15 minutes before it gets to your table, which conveniently gives you short breaks in between the plates of spaghetti—it’s just enough to make you crave for more. For the cheese lovers, Pancake House’s staff will happily give you a bowl of extra cheddar if you ask for it.

The bang-for-the-buck promo also comes with a glass of iced tea. I only managed to order 3 spaghetti servings each, so I’m bound to challenge that personal record once again.

One thing’s for sure: I’m already marking my calendar for its next run.

Of all things, why be a writer?

My father isn’t the number one fan of Journalism as a profession—that I’ve been certain since he dropped me off in front the CAL in Diliman on the day I took the UPCAT.

After all these years, he doesn’t make me forget about his opinion on Journalism either, with his usual comments on the newspaper’s decline in sales, relevance, and even it’s credibility.

But he’s always been keen on reminding me to keep on writing my ideals, maybe in the hopes that I may not forget them.

Why do you even write? I ask myself whenever I had the courage to confront my motivations and goals.

The answer is never because I think I have the talent—because I am certain there are still endless lessons to be learned and countless ways to tell stories, and countless even more so are the stories that are left untold.

Writing has always just been something I was comfortable doing, but the more I do it, the more I realize the complexities of its delivering.

But why do you write, and why do you choose to keep writing? I ask myself whenever I feel stuck in my comfort zone, lacking a dose of ambition that propels most people to achieve greater things, pushing for greater stories.

I still don’t have definite answers, but each time I try to face questions of relevance and worth there are moments—conversations, specifically—that immediately flash before me.

“Now I need to have this article framed so my kids can read it when they learn to,” one of the best photographers in Asia told me after he has read my article.

To this day, nothing compares to the way these words warmed my heart, fanning desires to meet new people to get to know the stories each is well capable of sharing—and making sure that these are told.

“I do not write to win, a writer should never write to impress,” a National Artist told me as I sat across the dining table in his home. “I believe if you’re good enough, you’ll get them eventually.”

And man, I’m never winning an award but all I want to do is keep telling stories.

The X-Men hit self-destruct with ‘Dark Phoenix’

Well, Marvel had to screw up at one point.

Sure, it’s easy to dismiss it as another Fox superhero film that flopped, but such great injustice have been committed against the mutants (yet again). As the credits of “Dark Phoenix” took over the emptiness of the screen, my brows were knit in a tight furrow, wondering which element of the film’s convoluted plot I can tag as the culprit of its demise.

Perhaps the high expectations for the film were rooted in the fact that Simon Kinberg was in control, the so-called X-Men architect in the realm of films. However, his directorial debut was riddled with muddled motivations for each character, that is, if they weren’t tossed in the sidelines.

Jean Grey’s transmutation into the Dark Phoenix felt flat. In the simplest words of the English language: It was boring. But it certainly didn’t feel that way in the beginning—the first moments of the film showed promise, depicting the poignance of trauma and feeling of isolation embedded in the character’s origin story.

Except they cut that narrative short. They give us another emotive and moving Charles X. Xavier speech—in which he tells Jean: “You are not broken”—to close that chapter. The film jumps immediately to the mutants donning their iconic X-Men jumpsuits, putting their lives at risk as they go on a space mission.