by Jing Ramos

This iconic restaurant was named Hill Station because of the building’s personal history. Casa Vallejo was built in 1909 as a dormitory for Japanese engineers and workmen who were responsible for the construction of Kennon Road under the American regime at the turn of the last century. The Americans invested in road construction to improve Baguio’s infrastructure.

The upholstery of the dining chairs similar to the color palette of the curtains are a suggestion by Lulu Tan Gan.

Hill stations were usually located in high-altitude areas with a predominantly subtropical climate, similar to other hill stations found in Sri Lanka and India during the British colonial period. Baguio was established as a hill station by the Americans primarily for its cooler climate, which proved ideal for their military servicemen in need of rest and recreation. The hill station also served as a recovery location for men stricken with viruses such as dengue and malaria, often picked up in the lowlands.

Owner and chef Mitos Benitez-Yniguez.

“So my concept for the restaurant—being inside and part of an old historical building such as our setting—was to build a menu that reflected the times when indeed it was a hill station,” owner and chef Mitos Benitez-Yñiguez explains the challenge of creating the restaurant’s fabled menu. “Spanish and Mediterranean food for Spanish colonial times, American colonial when it switched over, Filipino with a twist reflecting our mestizo roots. And basically, I like to introduce certain dishes from my travels around the world. Hence, some entries are North African, some European, Sri Lankan, Thai curries—whatever was inspirational in my travels and the taste of their local food.”

The curtains in swaths of grey and burnt-sienna fabrics are by Jiro Estaniel.

The interior décor of Hill Station Baguio harks back to the American colonial period: painted in all white, with high ceilings and exposed wooden beams in natural tones. This time around, the space has a spruced-up look, with the ceiling redone in a deep shade of taupe. The drapes around the restaurant were designed by interior designer Jiro Estaniel in swaths of grey and burnt sienna fabric. The upholstery of the dining chairs, in a similar color palette, was suggested by fashion designer Lulu Tan Gan.

The buntings hanging on the wooden beams are called banderitas.

There were also multicolored buntings hanging from the wooden beams, called banderitas. Installed by the waitstaff and some bakers from the kitchen every summer for a festive touch, Mitos explains the process of seasonal changes in the restaurant’s look:

“When the monsoon season begins and it starts to pour—usually around July and August—we change the look to classic off-white curtains to brighten up the entire floor. At Christmastime, the restaurant’s look changes again, and we set it up with vintage Capiz shell lanterns in diamond shapes for a totally festive look.”

Hill Station has an extensive collection of black and white photographs by important artists.

The most important facet of the restaurant’s décor is the extensive black-and-white photography by Mitos’ husband, Boy Yñiguez, and his friends and colleagues—giving the space a deeply personal touch. The photographs mounted on the walls are silver prints from the 1970s to the 1990s, all of which are valuable and irreplaceable.

There are works by Tommy Hafalla, famous for his images of people and rituals from the Cordilleras; portraits by Wig Tysman; architectural photographs by Boy Yniguez; and a striking series by Charlie Lenoir featuring Ifugao women and traditional huts. There’s even an Ansel Adams original tucked unobtrusively among the artworks.

The restaurant has a view of a pocket garden right in the midst of Baguio central.

by Mia Durano

After a period of reconsideration and restructuring, Qube Gallery opens its doors once again at Crossroads, Cebu — its original home — with a new curatorial direction. This reopening signals a clear shift from event-driven programming to purpose-fueled representation and deeper cultural engagement. With a focus on long-term artist support and a commitment to thoughtful, locally grounded art exhibitions, Qube Gallery repositions itself as a platform for contemporary practices that speak with clarity and intent.

We Are So Much More Than Our Scars, 2021 | Sio Montera | Mixed Media on Canvas; Seek What Sets Your Soul on Fire, 2023 | Sio Montera | Mixed Media on Canvas.

Director of Qube Gallery, Maris Holopainen, is emphatic:
“This isn’t just a reopening — it’s a return to intention. At Qube Gallery, we have chosen to move more deliberately, with focus and care. It’s no longer about keeping pace, but about creating space for artists to grow, for ideas to deepen, for practice to unfold with meaning. Cebu remains our anchor, but our conversation is widening — reaching across disciplines, communities, and contexts. This moment is a distillation of what matters: a commitment to clarity, care, and presence in the works we show, the people we stand behind, and the stories we choose to tell.”

Stillness, 2025 | Xandrine | Acrylic and Oil on Canvas.

Spotted gum, 2025 | Francis Dravigny | Handwoven Fabric, Abaca, Raffia, Buntal, Antique Pinoy tribe fabric, hand embroidery mercerized cotton.

The reopening exhibition, Unscattered Voices, sets the tone, featuring works by Sio Montera, Francis Dravigny, Jewelle Yeung, Amanda Luym, Golda King, Janine Barrera, and Xandrine. The show brings together seven distinct voices whose disciplines are rooted in material, memory, and form.
This moment marks more than just a return — it’s a reset. Qube Gallery moves forward with a curatorial mandate that extends beyond the gallery walls, emphasizing artist-led narratives, cross-industry collaboration, and meaningful placement within both local and global contexts.

Interconnecting | Janine Barrera | Oil on Canvas.

📍 Qube Gallery, Crossroads Mall, Banilad, Cebu City
📞 +63 956 839 4598 | ✉️ info@qubegallery.ph

by Jing Ramos |

Oj Hofer, our fashion contributing editor, is a Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines. Though he began painting at the age of eight, his artistic journey took a transformative turn in 2013. While volunteering as a costume designer for Siddhartha: The Musical, he encountered Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s One-Stroke Calligraphy, sparking a deep devotion to Japanese sumi-e painting and kanji calligraphy. Over the years, he refined his craft, using his art to share the Dharma through exhibitions while supporting the Hsing Yun Educational Foundation. In 2022, his spiritual path deepened at Nan Tien University, where he embraced Zen and Humanistic Buddhism, shaping his artistic philosophy.

“Plum Blossoms in Moonlight.” Serigraphy on abaca.

In his recent works, Hofer merges traditional calligraphy with serigraphy, drawing inspiration from his friend Charles Lahti—an internationally recognized New York-based painter and printmaker. Lahti, known for his collaborations with post-war American artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, and LeRoy Neiman, introduced Hofer to silkscreen techniques. Through a workshop Lahti conducted in Cebu—arranged by their mutual friend Greg Urra—Hofer integrated silkscreen into his Zen artworks, particularly those on abaca.

“The Circle of Harmony” Serigraphy and Calligraphy on abaca.

Hofer’s cross-disciplinary approach challenges conventional Zen aesthetics. His layered paintings on abaca may seem far from tranquil at first glance, but closer contemplation reveals a meditative core. His serigraph of an Enso circle, for example, initially appears chaotic, filled with Tang Dynasty poetry and overlapping, repetitive forms. Yet, by focusing on a single calligraphic element, the viewer experiences a moment of clarity—a glimpse of awakening within the visual complexity.

“Monkey Mind” Serigraphy and Calligraphy on abaca.

Even more engaging is his diptych Monkey Mind. At odds with the traditional Zen emphasis on negative space, this piece is deliberately busy, reflecting the restless nature of the mind. A distracted viewer may struggle to find a focal point, but one attuned to emptiness and presence will perceive clarity amidst the seeming disarray.

Ink and intention—creating calligraphy in support of one of my advocacies.

By fusing Zen philosophy with the discipline of serigraphy, Hofer invites his audience to look beyond surface impressions and discover stillness within movement, balance within complexity. His art does not merely depict Zen—it embodies the paradoxes at its core, offering a path to mindfulness through the act of seeing and the experience of doing.