Big 20 opens new outlet

Title

Language

English

Source

Business Day XIV (99) July 15, 1980

Year

1980

Subject

Restaurants -- Philippines

Big 20 Restaurant

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

Tuesday, July 15, 1980 Business Day 1SCalling all ‘breakers’: there’s a CB Country hangout just for you PORTA, PUEO Y CIA., INC. 1354 PEREZ ST., PACO, MANILA ...and non-CBers are welcome, too “Hey good buddy, make a 10-22 over to CB Country Steakhouse, we’ve got some 10-17 going on here." And that, in CB lingo, is a call to all "breakers" to a restauraht along West Avenue that, not only has its own rig, but also has lots' of room either for an "eye ball” (meeting) or simply a round of beer with fellow breakers. As far as breakers’ hangouts go, there are several; in Quezon City, for example, there are Macky's restaurant and the Aberdeen Court dimsum kiosk, to name a few. But these are mostly a circumstance of accident rather than of design: CB Country Steakhouse is the first ("as far as we know," according to its owners) to use a CB-motif, down to its place mats and its a la carte items ("CB Special Hamburger Steak” is one offering on the menu). OWNERS. Four couples make up the. brains and brawn behind the new restau rant: Alejandro and Liz Panlilio, Ben (Liz’s brother) and Maricel Victorino, Jess and Mila Arnaldo, and Dong and Juliet Panlilio. Of the eight, only Jess -and Ben are trueblue CBers; and the idea for putting up a CB-style restaurant is credited to Jess, who not only has a bravo (base station), but is also "governor” of the so-called "Pineapple Country" (West Avenue and its environs). Since its opening last May 19, there have been a good many "eyeballs” held in the roomy, 85-seat capacity restaurant ("Breakers hold ’eyeballs' at the drop of a hat," says Liz, a non-CBer). There are meetings over codes to be used, rules of conduct, and other such matters as are part of CBing, all held over rounds of beer and tasty pulutan. Liz reports that breakers come from as far away as Makati, and even Big 20 opens new outlet The Big 20 Restaurant chain is putting the finishing touches on its Greenhills outlet, in time for its formal inaugura tion in the first week of August. The Greenhills Outlet features a "Western Look,” complete with ranchhand-type waiters, murals depicting Western scenes, and other decor rounding up a Western motif. Adding color to this will be “Big Bob,” who will be arriving soon from abroad to welcome guests at the Greenhills Big 20 during its “dry La Union. And while other CB hangouts may be said to be exclusive territory to any one CB group, CB Country has made it a point to let it be known that all groups are welcome, Ben says. That has been easier to achieve'than an initiate may think possible: when two breakers meet, the kinship of language is an instant bond, no matter which group each belongs to. And the restaurant's "bravo" rig is right there for breakers to call their fellows over for a drink. DISADVANTAGES. Catering to the CB crowd has its obvious advantages, accord ing to Ben, but it also has some after effects that its owners didn’t quite anti cipate. For one, the majority of the CB crowd filters in for after dinner drinks; and as Ben points out a 75%-filled house of breakers partaking of beer and pulutan doesn’t quite make for the same margin of profit as a smaller crowd taking a full course dinner. But this minor disadvantage is more than offset by the fact that the outlet's link to the CB crowd has been responsible for its enjoying a full house almost every night — an important factor, Ben points out, for a new restaurant for whom the sight of empty tables is a particular stigma. A more serious disadvantage — and one that CB Country’s owners admit they didn’t foresee — is that non-CBers, thinking that the restaurant is "exclusive” to CB owners, tend to stay away. “We’d like to stress the fact that we welcome everyone,” say Ben and Liz. At present they're bridging this particular gap by sending out flyers, inviting non-CB people, and generally putting out the red carpet for any obvious Ultimately,^ ne airaeci, sporting the Western look, patterned after the Greenhills outlet. CB Country. “Ben and Jess, the CBers, take care of welcoming the breakers," Liz explains, "and we see to the non-breakers.” Sometimes parking space can present a problem, too, since every breaker, by logical conclusion, has his own car or "Charlie" (mobile rig). By inference, a CB dining crowd of 10 people will jam the parking lot with 10 cars - each with its own CB antenna. But Liz prefers to look at this problem from a rosier point of view: "When people go by and they see a lot of cars, they tend to think ah, it must be a good place to eat in." True enough, and CB Country’s menu makes good on its promise. There are a variety of reasonably priced steaks, ape ritifs and sandwiches — plus the house specialty, Crispy Pato — which Liz des cribes as Peking Duck, Filipino style. seVnd%utforV10-22.UndS 9°°d 6n°U9h t0 SPACE AGE COMBAT RATIONS - In this technological day and age, combat rations couldn't be more appetizing for the Australian soldier — who now gets a choice of six meals, ranging from roast pork and gravy to spaghetti bolognaise. It's all the work of the Armed Forces Food Science Establishment (AFFSE) at Scottsdale, near Tasmania, where scientists have developed a patrol ration pack using fast freeze-drying methods. Modern food processing techniques have led to the development of lightweight, dehydrated aluminum foil laminate ration packs which are nutritious and easy to prepare. Above, AFFSE food technology section head Dr. Graham Driver examines trays of freeze-dried rice ready for packaging at the establishment. HOTEL HAPPENINGS California wine (from E. V. Gallo winery), and all-American ice cream (courtesy of Coney Island). The grand US feast is on daily throughout July at the Sheraton’s Cafe In The Park. The buffet costs P52 per person, not including tax and service charge. Designer Eddie Chua’s midyear collection, entitled “Romantique Direction," is the daily lunchtime feature this month at the Manila Hilton's Top of the Hilton. Tickets to the luncheon show at P85 per person, all inclusive. A series of advanced seminars on hairdressing techniques starts July 22atthe Manila Mandarin Ho tel's Rever Salon. London-trained hairstylists David Charlton and Stephen feradley will conduct the seminars. Ongoing at the Hyatt Regency Manila, fashion wear by Joe Sason in a daily luncheon show at the La Concha. The show is highlighted by a raffle, at which the top prize will be a roundtrip ticket to Bangkok/Cairo/Rome courtesy of EgyptAir. Tickets at P80 per person, plus tax. At the Philippine Plaza on July 21 to 25, a Food Asia (Philippines) festival featuring cooking demonstrations and Asian cuisine from five countries. The festival is co-sponsored by the Plaza and Liberty Flour Mills, and is being coordinated by well-known culinary expert Nora Daza. Ongoing at the Sabungan coffee shop of the Manila Midtown Ramada, a Spanish food festival. Executive Chef Niklaus Durrer presides over a buffet table filled with such fare as “Besugo al Horno.” WienerwaldM The ideal setting for your next FAMILY AFFAIR Greenbelt Park, Makati Ave., Tel. 86-51-79

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