Discovering Adarna

There's this relatively new, quaint place tucked along Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City, just a few brisk strides from UP Village which happens to be my regular retreat whenever I find myself in Manila. Last Valentine weekend, my sisters introduced me to this restaurant curiously named Adarna Food and Culture, which apparently is building a fanbase in the online community for its old world charm, Pinoy pop culture memorabilia, heirloom pieces and recipes, as well historical regional specialties.

As its name obviously suggests, the resto got its name from Adarna the mythical bird of our favorite Filipino folktales which has the power to heal with its songs. The restaurant was named as such to stress that to dine at Adarna is to experience Filipino heritage.

For the culinary experience, Adarna's menu offers the region's best such as the Piassok (P304), an exotic Sulu dish made of beef chunks cooked in smoked coconut cream and 10 spices; the Leyte Humba (P185) which is topped by slices of fried bananas and nuts; Tagalog Pochero with roasted eggplant dip (P291), which is reportedly Gat Marcelo H. Del Pilar's favorite Sunday repast; as well as the Batanes Yellow Rice.

Aside from the food and the restored old house look of the place, what also fascinated me was the resident collection of heirloom antiques as well as Pinoy pop culture artifacts. They have function rooms spruced up with photos of Carnival Queens (beauties of pre-World War I and 2 pageants) and of the very mestiza actors and actresses during the heyday of Sampaguita Pictures. Looking at these vintage photographs, you'd realize how much the showbiz standards of beauty have evolved through the years. Another standout was the collection of rare movie memorabilia of Nora Aunor, including photos of her portraying superheroine Super Gee, as well as photos of her with then perennial loveteam partner Tirso Cruz III.

Apl De Ap's heartbreaking loss

On a sad note, making news in the global entertainment scene last week was the murder of the half-brother of Black Eyed Peas member Apl De Ap (whose real name is Allan Pineda Lindo).

According to print and TV reports, Joven Pineda Deala was gunned down while parked in front of his girlfriend's house outside of Angeles City in Pampanga. The hip-hop singer himself flew to the country last week to pay his last respects as his half-brother was laid to rest.

Apl De Ap himself revealed in interviews how he has remained very close to his family here in the country, despite having lived in the US since his teens when he got adopted at the age of 14 through the Pearl S. Buck Foundation. It'll be hard to imagine how he is taking this loss, to think this is not the first tragedy in the life of Apl de Ap.

Another brother, Arnel, committed suicide several years back. That heartbreaking loss even prompted Apl to explain his rollercoaster of emotions through the "Apl Song," which became part of the Grammy-winning and best-selling 2003 Black Eyed Peas album Elephunk. More recently, he also composed another song, "I Cry," still dedicated to his late brother. 

His bandmate Fergie recently told People.com: "Apl is such a family guy. He had to leave his family at 14. To lose a brother and then lose a second brother-how much more does this guy have to go through?" 

This latest news about Apl actually reminds me of his unannounced visit to Cebu one random night last December, wherein he dropped by VUDU and even entertained the people there with some impromptu numbers.

VUDU's Jaja Chiongbian-Rama related that of all the international artists who visited Vudu (Dennis Rodman, The American Idol finalists, etc), Apl was "the most accommodating, friendly and grounded." She recalled talking a bit with the singer, who shared that he was spending the New Year with his family in Pampanga, that his favorite Filipino food was Bistek Pampanga, and that he would soon be releasing a solo album tentatively titled Jeepney (loaded with tributes to his Filipino roots, no doubt).

During his visit, he also performed "Bebot"-another song that paid tribute to his being Pinoy-changing the lyric "Filipinos" to "Cebuanos." For someone phenomenally popular and unabashedly proud to be Filipino, we can't help but feel really sorry for his loss and hope that justice will be served.