And it’s in Tandang Sora, not the North Pole

THERE’s a wonderful expression in Filipino that goes, “Hindi araw-araw ay Pasko (Not all days are Christmas).” Aside from it being a wagging finger to manage expectations, it also acknowledges what a great day Christmas can be. At actor Ken Chan’s Christmas-themed Cafe Claus, located in Tandang Sora, maybe this expression loses its power, and yes, every day can be Christmas.

Mr. Chan, star of shows Destiny Rose and My Special Tatay, has a childlike glee in expressing his love for the holiday during an interview just about a month after Christmas. Appearing at a Zoom meeting dressed in the café’s uniform (a chef’s jacket embroidered with sprigs of holly), he positioned himself in front of a television screen showing a roaring fire, with a Christmas tree somewhere in the background. “I love Christmas,” he said. “Sobra.” (A lot.)

The presence of family, as in the holiday, is strong in the cafe: “’Yung family ko kasi, mahilig sa Christmas talaga (My family really likes Christmas),” he said. This is why Mr. Chan, along with his brother Mark, and their business partner, model Ryan Kolton, decided to open a Christmas-themed cafe. Most of the recipes come from their families, including Mr. Kolton’s (his contribution was a Ukrainian-style roast chicken). Mr. Chan also notes that just like the rest of the country, they begin to celebrate Christmas as early as September. “Hanggang January, nagse-celebrate kami ng Christmas (we celebrate Christmas until January),” he said. In fact, Mr. Chan says that the decor for the restaurant comes from their own home: from a Christmas tree he bought 10 years ago, as well as trimmings and baubles he has received from friends and fans. “Gusto kong maramdaman ng mga tao na bahay rin nila ’yung Cafe Claus (I want people to feel that Cafe Claus is like their home).”

The menu has the dishes named after elements of Christmas (no surprise there). BusinessWorld began with Mushroom Soup, listed as “Myrrh” (as in one of the gifts of the Three Wise Men). It was hearty, thick, creamy, and wonderfully earthy and bursting with flavor with the taste of roasted mushrooms. It makes one wish for colder days just so the soup could be eaten with the right weather. It is, however, very heavy, and someone could tuck into this and call it a day: good and all, but maybe avoid it if you’re staving off the holiday weight.

“Uriel’s Love” (as in the angel) is a beef lasagna topped with mesclun greens, and layered with a meaty red sauce with a strong flavor of bacon. Like the soup, it was intense and heavy.

The food has a quality of dishes served at holiday tables — festive, rich, and designed not to be eaten very often. You’d be fat as jolly old St. Nick if you eat like this every day. Still — the dishes have a fighting chance against those from more well-established restaurants.

Furthermore, each dish is imbued with some sort of story from Mr. Chan’s own holidays. He notes that the puto bumbong (a kind of rice cake) hold a memory of his grandmother. “’Yung lola ko noon, lagi siyang bumibili ng puto bumbong sa labas ng simbahan (My grandmother used to buy puto bumbong outside church),” he recounted, sharing a memory of the traditional midnight mass. Even the times that he couldn’t make it to mass, his grandmother still brought home some to him. He pays tribute to this story by naming the puto bumbong after his lola: “Soledad’s Munting Pasalubong” (little gift).

“Everytime matitikman mo ’yung meron sa Cafe Claus, maaalala mo ’yung pasko dati (everytime you taste what we have at Cafe Claus, you’ll remember a Christmas from the past),” he said.

Cafe Claus is at the Genito Apartments, Tandang Sora, Quezon City. For details visit the café’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CafeClaus), its Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/cafeclaus) or send a message by e-mail (cafeclausmanila@gmail.com). — Joseph L. Garcia

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