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Here’s where you’ll find the best Eggs Benedict in Cebu

A charmingly quaint café in the heart of the city is where you’ll want to have breakfast all day.

Alyssa Lao, for as long as I’ve known her, has been very picky about how her Eggs Benedict are done. “The egg has to be cooked perfectly so that it’s just runny enough,” she’d told me once, after I recommended another brunch spot’s version of the dish that she hadn’t been impressed with. “There also has to be the perfect ratio of the hollandaise with the rest of the dish. It’s all the little parts of it that come together.”

Birdseed Breakfast Club's Eggs Benedict (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

Birdseed Breakfast Club’s Eggs Benedict (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

The cozy interiors of Birdseed. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

The cozy interiors of Birdseed. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

It’s easy understand, then, why Birdseed Breakfast Club + Café‘s Eggs Benedict is pretty good stuff. Drizzled with a generous serving of hollandaise, the yolk is rich and thick when it breaks open, spilling over the homemade bacon, wilted spinach and toasted English muffin.

Having opened earlier this year, Birdseed has been tempting diners with its hearty breakfast favorites throughout the day, and many have been giving in. The items on Birdseed’s menus are hearty enough meals for any time of the day, and explore flavors that some dinner outlets may be afraid to tread.

(Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

Kimchi silog. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

The Chicken Log is bacon-wrapped chicken breast, stuffed with Japanese mushrooms, cashew, red pepper and spinach—a filling but incredibly tasty combination that works well with the brown rice pilaf its served with. The Beef Brisket and Kimchi Silog brings spiciness by way of the kimchi fried rice with toasted sesame, while the US beef brisket itself is slow-cooked and is so tender that it’s easily pulled apart with a fork.

The eggs at Birdseed, of course, are masterpieces in themselves. They’re sous vide at 63 degrees, so each one spills perfectly into your rice for what seems like optimal yolk flavor. It’s even more perfect with the Mom’s Beef Tapa Silog. The restaurant’s best seller—and for good reason—the dish features tender and flavorful slices of the Filipino breakfast staple, a family recipe that Alyssa says her mom keeps strictly under wraps. “I have no idea how to make it actually,” she admits, sharing that her mother makes all the tapa herself.

(Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

Third-wave artisanal coffee. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

For something sweet, have the waffles. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

For something sweet, Birdseed’s chocolate waffles is the way to go. (Photography by Nath Ybañez/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, April 2016)

Breakfast isn’t complete without a cup of coffee, and Birdseed serves up drinks that are strictly third-wave, meaning high-quality artisanal coffee. With beans from Plain Sight Coffee for their espresso blend and EDSA Beverage Design Studio for their drops, the restaurant has all the usual coffee-based drinks but follow a strict standard for how it’s made. Their cold brew, created via a fancy-looking three-level contraption at the bar, takes 32 hours to make by steeping coffee grounds in room temperature or cold water.

Wrap up the meal with the Chocolate Waffles, where not only is the treat topped with Chantilly cream, shaved chocolate and toasted cashews—it’s also stuffed with chocolate ganache. If every day started like this, then there’d be no problem about getting up early. Birdseed Breakfast Club + Café makes me especially thankful that Alyssa Lao is such a breakfast snob.

Axis Entertainment Avenue
Escario Street, Cebu City

6332. 254 9463 | Facebook

 

photography Nath Ybañez

Arts & Culture

Queer Coding in Cinema: The Best Shows to Binge for Pride Month 2025

compiled by Edge Javier

As Pride Month 2025 goes into full swing, the best way to celebrate LGBTQIA+ voices is with a binge-worthy lineup of shows that center queer stories, joy, love, resilience — and yes, of course, drama. From groundbreaking recent series to must-watch staples and fan favorites, here are the top shows to stream this June that reflect the vibrant spectrum of the queer-coded experience.

1. Heartstopper – Season 3 (Netflix)
Nick and Charlie are back, and the coming-of-age sweetness is stronger than ever. Season 3 explores deeper emotional territory while keeping the wholesome tone fans adore. Expect more queer joy, nuanced relationships, and tearjerker moments that feel like a warm hug.

2. Drag Me to Dinner (Hulu)
Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, this chaotic culinary competition pairs drag duos in a battle to throw the most fabulous themed dinner party. With outrageous challenges, surprise twists, and plenty of camp, queens serve up equal parts food, flair, and fierce shade. It’s RuPaul meets Top Chef—served with a side of sequins.

3. Queer Planet (Apple TV+)
Hosted by Janelle Monáe, this visually stunning docuseries dives into queerness in the animal kingdom and parallels in human identities. It’s smart, groundbreaking, and perfect for those who want to feel seen—and informed.

4. Fellow Travelers (Paramount+)
This period romance-drama set during the Lavender Scare continues to grip audiences with its tragic beauty and sharp historical insight. If you missed Season 1, now is the perfect time to catch up before the highly anticipated Season 2 lands later this year.

5. The Buccaneers – Season 2 (Apple TV+)
The unapologetically queer period drama returns with more scandal, sapphic yearning, and feminist rebellion among American heiresses navigating high society in 1870s London. Think Bridgerton, but with more edge and better sapphic representation.

6. Our Flag Means Death – The Finale Special (Max)
This fan-favorite pirate rom-com wraps up with a one-hour finale special airing this June. Whether you’re rewatching from the start or jumping into the last hurrah, this show remains a shining example of queer love told with heart and humor.

7. This Is Me Now… The Series (Prime Video)
Following Jennifer Lopez’s genre-blurring film-musical hybrid, the series version delves into themes of love, identity, and self-acceptance, and features cameos by queer icons and allies. It’s campy, messy, and made for Pride Month mood-boosting.

8. Sort Of – Final Season (Max)
This critically acclaimed dramedy about a gender-fluid millennial navigating love, grief, and identity in Toronto comes to a close with an emotionally rich final season. A thoughtful and often hilarious story that never loses its beating heart.

9. Red, White & Royal Blue – Limited Series (Prime Video)
After the hit film adaptation, the beloved queer romance returns in a serialized format, expanding on Alex and Henry’s story with new twists and deeper character arcs. It’s romantic escapism, elevated.

10. POSE: The Legacy (FX/Hulu)
This documentary miniseries honors the cultural legacy of POSE and the real-life ballroom legends who inspired it. Featuring interviews with cast, creators, and icons from the scene, it’s a must-watch tribute to queer history and resilience.

Whether you’re looking for laughter, tears, romance, or revolution, these Pride Month picks for 2025 offer it all—while honoring the complexity and beauty of LGBTQIA+ lives. So press play, turn up the volume, and let queer stories shine this June and beyond. Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

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Arts & Culture

Chaos and Clarity: Zen Aesthetic in Oj Hofer’s Art

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.

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Arts & Culture

What is Sappia? The Rice Myth Goddess of Bohol Who Helped Feed the People During a Great Famine

by Emma Gomez

The story began when the people of Bohol started to experience hunger and famine. All the livestocks were inedible and the fields were dried out leaving only weeds planted on the ground. The people prayed to the goddess of mercy, Sappia, to ask for food.

Sappia, the rice myth goddess of Bohol

Sappia, from the heavens, heard the cries of the people. She saw the dense population of weeds and offered to help them. Sappia thought of nourishing the weeds to be edible and healthy for the people of Bohol. Straightaway, she sprinkled the weed with milk from her bossom. She emptied each breast until blood came out. Before she left, she whispered to the weeds that they may be nourished and be able to feed the people.

When harvest season came, the people of Bohol quickly gathered the nourished weeds. They observed that the ones sprinkled with milk were white, while the other were red. They called the new plant rice and they replanted these in honor of Sappia, and for the people to devour.

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