They lost ‘it’ at Virgin Cafe
September 26, 2001 | 12:00am
Virgin Cafe (a purely Filipino enterprise and not a franchise) is turning out exactly the way Orly Ilacad envisioned it to be – a sound investment, literally and figuratively.
Barely two years after it opened in the Timog-Tomas Morato areas, the current entertainment hub of Quezon City, Virgin Cafe is more than just a "cafe." In fact, it’s just an incidental cafe because its main fare is music, attuned to the taste of people of any age. And Orly has begun calling Virgin Cafe "a sound investment," because the sweet success of "sound" has been ringing merrily in his cash register.
"I can’t go far from my roots," confessed the soft-spoken and self-effacing Orly one Monday afternoon, as we leisurely consumed a table-ful of Filipino goodies from Virgin Cafe’s Filipino Grill which opened just a few weeks ago for lunch and dinner. "Music will always be a part of my life."
And business ventures, I should add.
Perhaps the new generation of music buffs has no idea that the "Boss Orly" known as the head of and brains behind the OctoArts Group of Companies started his career/business back in the mid-’60s as leader of a combo named Orly Ilacad and the Ramrods. That was the time when combos were lording it over local soundsville, dominated also by the likes of Jose Mari (Gonzales) and The Electromaniacs, The Tiltdown Men (with Senator Tito Sotto as member), The Hi-Jacks, The Moonstrucks, etc. Orly was very much a part of that musical era marked in history by the greatest group to emerge in the world music scene – the Beatles.
The Ramrods were active from 1962 to 1966. Then, Orly hooked up with cousin Vic del Rosario Jr. (now widely known as "Boss Vic" of the Viva Group of Companies) to put up Vicor Records from which the cousins split, Vic to put up his own compan(ies) and Orly also his very own – first the OctoArts Records in 1978 and, more than a decade later, the OctoArts Films which temporarily suspended production in 1999 (after doing more than 70 films, the last having been the Jessa Zaragoza starrer Bakit Pa?) due to the unchecked and worsening film piracy, among other reasons, that is, which has been eating up profits that should be going to the coffers of legal/legitimate producers.
Not one to rest on his laurels or to simply "while away" the fruits of his labor, Orly explored new territories, so to speak, which was anyway part of his original plan when he put up the OctoArts Group of Companies. Three years ago, he put up the first Virgin Cafe in one of the buildings forming a circle in front of Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City. That Virgin Cafe was doing very well, make no mistake about it (that happens to be the favorite phrase these days of US President George W. Bush, in case you haven’t noticed), but the rent was so prohibitive that, after two years-and-a-half, Orly opted not to renew the contract and close that Virgin Cafe which disappeared from that section of Makati’s own entertainment center at the same time that Giraffe, Streetlife and Fashion Cafe did.
It’s a good thing Orly had by then already opened this Virgin Cafe, sitting on a 720-square-meter lot, just beside the 12-storey Imperial Palace Suites (owned by Regal matriarch Lily Monteverde and theater magnate Ng Meng Tam) at the Timog-Tomas Morato rotunda. The vacant lot used to be Imperial Palace’s pay-parking space, until Orly thought of putting it to better – and more profitable – use, thereby also turning an "eyesore" into what is now a favorite hangout among yuppies, teenagers and even "older" folks.
"The place is open even to non-virgins," jokingly quipped Aster Amoyo, loyal Octo PR lady and Orly’s good friend. "Everybody is welcome here."
In fact, a lot of people have lost "it" at Virgin Cafe – their inhibitions, I mean, and not what you have in mind.
For example, Saturday nights when Virgin Cafe features a band, you can’t help but let yourself go and move to the beat. A few Saturdays ago, when Aster A. invited us to watch the Side A perform "live," I was amazed by the energy of the people who showed up, occupying not only the 300 seats (around tables) downstairs and the additional 150 at the balcony but also extra chairs put up along the aisle. It was SRO. When the Side A guys started playing, everybody lost themselves in the frenetic music and the place was instantly transformed into a disco, which is how Orly, as I’ve been saying, envisioned the place to be – a swinging-swaying place throbbing with the "in" sounds.
At lunchtime, like that Monday we dropped by, beautifully-designed dividers cordoned off a considerable portion of the ground floor to form a cozy dining area, with soft music piped in from a state-of-the-art sound system. The prices from the Filipino Grill are affordable. Take your pick: baked clams for only P90, lechon kawali for P100, Bicol express for P85, inihaw na bangus for P110, sisig rice (good for two) for P70 and dozens of other mouth-watering choices on the menu. (Warning: Make sure you bring an empty stomach because Virgin Cafe serves very generous amounts per order to satisfy even a giant’s appetite.)
On hand to help Orly entertain us were his beautiful and brainy daughters (the other Ilacad children are John, one-time actor, and Paul), Caroline and Catherine, who are both La Salle graduates. Caroline is a magna-cum-laude (Management) graduate, while Catherine is a Dean’s Lister (also a business course).
Some days, Virgin Cafe serves as venue for movie presscons, album launchings (Sharon Cuneta, Martin Nievera and Rosanna Roces are among the big stars who have "sampled" the place), birthdays or such special occasions and for showcases (during the media launch of the first staging of Little Mermaid, excerpts were performed on the Virgin Cafe stage by Carol Banawa, Dianne dela Fuente and Karylle).
"You see those floral hangings over the stage," Orly pointed out. "Those were leftovers from a party held by university students. Ang ganda, so we decided to leave them there."
The place has two bars and two cashiers, who can hardly cope with paying habitués especially on weekends. At the lobby, you can buy Virgin Cafe merchandise, such as mugs, T-shirts, caps, etc.
Then again, there’s a reminder of Orly’s "combo days" – a jukebox which he bought from his uncle and which he converted into a CD player. Drop a coin and it still plays as well as it did in its original form (playing 45 rpms, remember?). Inside, you’ll also find two guitars which Orly bought at a record bar, now turned into CD racks, complete with neon lights, both encased in glass.
"Our best feature is the sound system," said Orly who refused to reveal how much he has sunk into it. "I’m particular with the sound. Diyan ako nabubuhay, e."
Open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (for lunch) and then from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and until 3 a.m. on weekends, Virgin Cafe charges only a P180 entrance fee on weekdays, featuring various bands, and on weekends, from P280 to P300, depending on the group scheduled to perform, with one free drink.
"I used to pass by this place and see the empty parking space," mused Orly, "and I thought, ‘Why don’t I convert this to an entertainment venue?’ Mother Lily and Mr. Ng were easy to talk to," added Orly who, again, refused to reveal what his "arrangement" is with the Imperial Palace Suites owners. "At night after office hours, you can find me here. It’s one thing I enjoy doing."
By the way, why did Orly call it Virgin Cafe? Any, uh, sexual connotation?
Laughed Orly, "None at all. The name sounds good, doesn’t it? Virgin is a beautiful word, isn’t it?"
Barely two years after it opened in the Timog-Tomas Morato areas, the current entertainment hub of Quezon City, Virgin Cafe is more than just a "cafe." In fact, it’s just an incidental cafe because its main fare is music, attuned to the taste of people of any age. And Orly has begun calling Virgin Cafe "a sound investment," because the sweet success of "sound" has been ringing merrily in his cash register.
"I can’t go far from my roots," confessed the soft-spoken and self-effacing Orly one Monday afternoon, as we leisurely consumed a table-ful of Filipino goodies from Virgin Cafe’s Filipino Grill which opened just a few weeks ago for lunch and dinner. "Music will always be a part of my life."
And business ventures, I should add.
Perhaps the new generation of music buffs has no idea that the "Boss Orly" known as the head of and brains behind the OctoArts Group of Companies started his career/business back in the mid-’60s as leader of a combo named Orly Ilacad and the Ramrods. That was the time when combos were lording it over local soundsville, dominated also by the likes of Jose Mari (Gonzales) and The Electromaniacs, The Tiltdown Men (with Senator Tito Sotto as member), The Hi-Jacks, The Moonstrucks, etc. Orly was very much a part of that musical era marked in history by the greatest group to emerge in the world music scene – the Beatles.
The Ramrods were active from 1962 to 1966. Then, Orly hooked up with cousin Vic del Rosario Jr. (now widely known as "Boss Vic" of the Viva Group of Companies) to put up Vicor Records from which the cousins split, Vic to put up his own compan(ies) and Orly also his very own – first the OctoArts Records in 1978 and, more than a decade later, the OctoArts Films which temporarily suspended production in 1999 (after doing more than 70 films, the last having been the Jessa Zaragoza starrer Bakit Pa?) due to the unchecked and worsening film piracy, among other reasons, that is, which has been eating up profits that should be going to the coffers of legal/legitimate producers.
Not one to rest on his laurels or to simply "while away" the fruits of his labor, Orly explored new territories, so to speak, which was anyway part of his original plan when he put up the OctoArts Group of Companies. Three years ago, he put up the first Virgin Cafe in one of the buildings forming a circle in front of Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City. That Virgin Cafe was doing very well, make no mistake about it (that happens to be the favorite phrase these days of US President George W. Bush, in case you haven’t noticed), but the rent was so prohibitive that, after two years-and-a-half, Orly opted not to renew the contract and close that Virgin Cafe which disappeared from that section of Makati’s own entertainment center at the same time that Giraffe, Streetlife and Fashion Cafe did.
It’s a good thing Orly had by then already opened this Virgin Cafe, sitting on a 720-square-meter lot, just beside the 12-storey Imperial Palace Suites (owned by Regal matriarch Lily Monteverde and theater magnate Ng Meng Tam) at the Timog-Tomas Morato rotunda. The vacant lot used to be Imperial Palace’s pay-parking space, until Orly thought of putting it to better – and more profitable – use, thereby also turning an "eyesore" into what is now a favorite hangout among yuppies, teenagers and even "older" folks.
"The place is open even to non-virgins," jokingly quipped Aster Amoyo, loyal Octo PR lady and Orly’s good friend. "Everybody is welcome here."
In fact, a lot of people have lost "it" at Virgin Cafe – their inhibitions, I mean, and not what you have in mind.
For example, Saturday nights when Virgin Cafe features a band, you can’t help but let yourself go and move to the beat. A few Saturdays ago, when Aster A. invited us to watch the Side A perform "live," I was amazed by the energy of the people who showed up, occupying not only the 300 seats (around tables) downstairs and the additional 150 at the balcony but also extra chairs put up along the aisle. It was SRO. When the Side A guys started playing, everybody lost themselves in the frenetic music and the place was instantly transformed into a disco, which is how Orly, as I’ve been saying, envisioned the place to be – a swinging-swaying place throbbing with the "in" sounds.
At lunchtime, like that Monday we dropped by, beautifully-designed dividers cordoned off a considerable portion of the ground floor to form a cozy dining area, with soft music piped in from a state-of-the-art sound system. The prices from the Filipino Grill are affordable. Take your pick: baked clams for only P90, lechon kawali for P100, Bicol express for P85, inihaw na bangus for P110, sisig rice (good for two) for P70 and dozens of other mouth-watering choices on the menu. (Warning: Make sure you bring an empty stomach because Virgin Cafe serves very generous amounts per order to satisfy even a giant’s appetite.)
On hand to help Orly entertain us were his beautiful and brainy daughters (the other Ilacad children are John, one-time actor, and Paul), Caroline and Catherine, who are both La Salle graduates. Caroline is a magna-cum-laude (Management) graduate, while Catherine is a Dean’s Lister (also a business course).
Some days, Virgin Cafe serves as venue for movie presscons, album launchings (Sharon Cuneta, Martin Nievera and Rosanna Roces are among the big stars who have "sampled" the place), birthdays or such special occasions and for showcases (during the media launch of the first staging of Little Mermaid, excerpts were performed on the Virgin Cafe stage by Carol Banawa, Dianne dela Fuente and Karylle).
"You see those floral hangings over the stage," Orly pointed out. "Those were leftovers from a party held by university students. Ang ganda, so we decided to leave them there."
The place has two bars and two cashiers, who can hardly cope with paying habitués especially on weekends. At the lobby, you can buy Virgin Cafe merchandise, such as mugs, T-shirts, caps, etc.
Then again, there’s a reminder of Orly’s "combo days" – a jukebox which he bought from his uncle and which he converted into a CD player. Drop a coin and it still plays as well as it did in its original form (playing 45 rpms, remember?). Inside, you’ll also find two guitars which Orly bought at a record bar, now turned into CD racks, complete with neon lights, both encased in glass.
"Our best feature is the sound system," said Orly who refused to reveal how much he has sunk into it. "I’m particular with the sound. Diyan ako nabubuhay, e."
Open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (for lunch) and then from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and until 3 a.m. on weekends, Virgin Cafe charges only a P180 entrance fee on weekdays, featuring various bands, and on weekends, from P280 to P300, depending on the group scheduled to perform, with one free drink.
"I used to pass by this place and see the empty parking space," mused Orly, "and I thought, ‘Why don’t I convert this to an entertainment venue?’ Mother Lily and Mr. Ng were easy to talk to," added Orly who, again, refused to reveal what his "arrangement" is with the Imperial Palace Suites owners. "At night after office hours, you can find me here. It’s one thing I enjoy doing."
By the way, why did Orly call it Virgin Cafe? Any, uh, sexual connotation?
Laughed Orly, "None at all. The name sounds good, doesn’t it? Virgin is a beautiful word, isn’t it?"
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