C! December 31, 2015
BULONG PULUNGAN GOES ONE WAY
THE WORD way in Filipino is daan. No, this blog is not about the daan — straight or not— you’ve heard about the last six years and more of as Election 2016 began to roll in 2015.
Here, we focus on One Way— doesn’t really matter whether straight or not— the restaurant where the Bulong Pulungan’s Core Group held its last get-together for 2015.
Yes, it’s One Way at the end of the two one-way Salcedo and Benavidez streets in Legaspi Village, Makati.
Last December 30, our Bulong Core Group had lunch with Bobby Joseph who kindly invited us to One Way, with his brother Ralph Joseph, who owns the place where the restaurant stands.
Bobby (above left, with Julie Yap Daza and Frank Evaristo) has well served the country as Consul General of Latvia, and particularly, the restaurant and tourism industry as chair for the Philippine Wine Merchants and Ralph’s Wines and Spirits, Tourism Educators and Movers Philippines (TEAM Philippines, League of Tourism Students of the Philippines and Save Our Skies, and president of Skal International Philippines, Skal International Makati and Cebu, and Network of Independent Travel Agencies.
One Way’s Aligue Spaghetti with the crunchy sourdough bread
Sourdough Bread
One Way started out with the sourdough bread— called sour apparently because it is made by the fermentation of dough using lactobacilli and yeast, resulting in a mildly sour taste— not present in ordinary breads— due to the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli. One result is bread that’s crunchy outside but soft and chewy inside— the sourdough bread preferred by anyone who knows what’s really good bread.
Friends of the Josephs discovered sourdough bread in Pasadena, California, and so craved for it that they decided to have sourdough bread available in the Philippines. They found bakers who could make the sourdough. Then they built One Way on Ralph’s place at that corner in Legaspi Village with the two one-way streets. And made the sourdough as bread for pizzas, burgers, steaks, soups, and salads— the unique selling proposition of One Way.
Since the one-way street sign is with black text over white background, One Way settings are in black and white. And since the restaurant has to have a visible signage, the ONE-WAY sign on the corner of Salcedo and Benavidez streets is said to be the biggest in the world.
And swiftly, what has really become big in the restaurant business is fine dining in One Way.
To say goodbye to 2015 and welcome 2016, Bobby and Ralph treated the Bulong Core Group with samples of the best dishes One Way offers.
Margherita Pizza
Mussel Wine and Cream Mushroom Soup
Gravlax Salad
Lamb Shank
Coq Au Vin Chix
Which Way?
Before the celebration ended, Deedee Siytangco, Bulong moderator, thanked Bobby and Ralph for the sumptuous lunch, as well as the Core Group members who have devoted their every Tuesday to our media forum which will be celebrating its 30th year in 2016.
On second thought, this blog may be about a way — the way 2016 will go. Ending our Bulong Pulungan 2015 in One Way restaurant may just be telling where our beloved country is now as we bid 2015 goodbye.
Like One Way, we are standing on two one-way streets– or as many as we have candidates eyeing Malacanang. Which way we’re going? Only our voters can decide on Election Day 2016. And as one-way streets go, there’s no quick way of going back where you came from. So choose and choose well who you gonna vote for.
Bulong Pulungan in One Way, seated from left: Domini Torrevillas, Bobby Joseph, Jullie Yap Daza, Deedee Siytangco; standing, from left: Saeed Daof, Mila Alora, Ed Santiago, Pete Dacuycuy, Chay Santiago, Frank Evaristo, Joy Fong, Bob Zozobrado, Rina Jimenez David, and Sandee Siytangco Masigan.
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C! 