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The Breakfast Club

How to Start Your Day

Breakfast or brunch? In Cebu, there’s always time and room for both.

Breakfast is defined as breaking the fast of last night’s slumber, whereas most take brunch to combine a late breakfast and an early lunch. Either way, as first meal of the day, Cebuanos like to have their fill. Think double servings of danggit (dried fish), sunny side up eggs, garlic rice, with a mug of sikwate (native hot chocolate).

But be it traditional or unconventional, take your pick from our list of tongue tickling choices guaranteed to perk your day.

How to Start Your Day: Breakfast or brunch? In Cebu, there’s always time and room for both.

Breakfast is defined as breaking the fast of last night’s slumber, whereas most take brunch to combine a late breakfast and an early lunch. Either way, as first meal of the day, Cebuanos like to have their fill. Think double servings of danggit (dried fish), sunny side up eggs, garlic rice, with a mug of sikwate (native hot chocolate).

But be it traditional or unconventional, take your pick from our list of tongue tickling choices guaranteed to perk your day.

UCC

In Japan, breakfast is said to be the most valued meal of the day; so it’s no shocker they go gaga for their coffee. One of the best imports from the land of the rising sun, UCC Café stands out from other coffee shops for its fine dining aesthetic and Japanese-meets-Western menu. The coffee is somewhat pricier than other cafes’, but only due to the tedious measures undertaken to siphon-brew the Japan-cultivated beans to produce a cup that coffeeholics would swear by. Even their lemon iced tea is prepared similarly and poured over ice. Pair this with a shitake mushroom omelette, anchovy fried rice or a waffle with frankfurter. UCC even adds a twist to Filipino classics like the healthy oats caldo in place of the traditional arroz caldo (rice porridge). Another rendezvous that executives prefer, this mall cafe has a flat screen TV forever tuned to CNN and a closed second-storey loft that offers privacy for business meetings. After you’ve selected an equally delectable confection as a topper to your breakfast meal, just press the button on your table for the waiter to bring you your bill.

UCC Café, The Terraces, Ayala Center, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City
Business hours: 7:00am to 11:00am on weekdays, 7:00am to 12:00mn on weekends
Tel. 6332. 417 1344

A CAFE

Unassumingly nestled behind a thin curtain of bamboo and jessamine shrubs, A Café serves a fine breakfast anytime of the day. The restaurant welcomes you to a spacious enclave whose mix of lime veneer, wood and leather furnishings mimic having your morning meal in an unpredictable setting. The all-day breakfast menu is for the breakfast lover who enjoys a perfectly poached pair of eggs benedict with a rich hollandaise sauce, smoked ham, and potato hash, or a stack of hot and fluffy blueberry pancakes topped with butter. There are of course the lighter options of fresh salads with portions good for two, soups, and sandwiches. But do take your time with the heartier dishes like the eight-ounce angus beef burger, or the hefty skillet breakfast of two fresh farm eggs, bacon, grilled sausage, potato hash, and beans. A Café is one way of enjoying the Abaca Group’s top-caliber food and service in the heart of the city.

A Café, Crossroads, Banilad, Cebu City
Business hours: 8:00am to 10:00pm on weekdays, 7:00am to 10:00pm on weekends
Tel. 6332. 505 5692
www.theabacagroup.com

FERIA

In the Roman Rite liturgy, they call the days after Easter, “Feria”—signifying a day of celebration and feasting in all of Rome. Indulge in a hefty feast fit for a Caesar in the luxurious hotel, Radisson Blu. From the moment you walk into the swanky dining room that seats 300, you are greeted by a sweet aroma of freshly baked bread, not to mention a very courteous and interactive staff. Featuring an assortment of local and international cuisine, Feria is well known for its Super Breakfast Buffet. Jumpstart your morning by making your way to the multi-cultural stations: Asian, International, Mediterranean, and Continental. There are also separate stations for egg omelettes and dessert. Have their Chinese dimsum and roast pork drizzled with a saccharine pineapple sauce, or concoct your own soup with your mix of ingredients. It’s never too early in the day for a bowl of their special ice cream. Guests checked in at Blu’s business suites have the option of “breaking their fast” at the Radisson Club Lounge, the executive lounge on the 20th floor with a panoramic view of the neighboring Mactan Island and Channel. Nothing like starting your day with a gastronomic tour around the world in your choice setting.

Feria, G/F Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, Sergio Osmeña Boulevard cor. Juan Luna Avenue, Cebu City
Business hours: 6:30am to 10:30am daily (breakfast buffet)
Tel. 6332. 402 9900
www.radissonblu.com/hotel-cebu

THE MARRIOTT GARDEN CAFE

Parking at the Marriott Hotel has never been more convenient with the new, shaded walkway from Ayala Center that cuts straight into the hotel. When it comes to hotel breakfast buffets in the city, it is common knowledge that the Marriott’s is among the best. Their buffet is a combination of Filipino, Japanese, American, European, and now, overseen by Korean culinary students, Korean—breakfast elements with general favorites being their chicken tocino, steamed garlic fish, omelettes, a variety of fresh breads (including luscious ensaymada), and a mean bulgogi. Be brave to order something that’s not on the regular buffet menu like a refreshing smoothie made with fruit of the season. The restaurant blends with the garden and al fresco deck area where you may enjoy your meal, and feel as though you are dining in an oasis tucked in the heart of the city. There are also sumptuous options for vegetarians and picky eaters so just notify the very attentive staff of your preferences. The Marriott’s latest promo to BPOs in the area also lets one avail of a 50% discount off of brunch, but that in itself is a whole other story.

Cebu City Marriott Hotel Garden Café, Cardinal Rosales Avenue, Cebu City
Business hours: 6:00am to 11:00am daily (breakfast buffet)
Tel. 6332. 411 5800
www.marriottcebu.com

THE BEVERLY CAFE

Beverly Café is an all-time favorite breakfast haunt in Cebu. Formerly known as Eddie’s Hotel, this restaurant is the closest we can ever hope to having an American diner. The no-nonsense coffee shop décor is agreeable with a breakfast menu that brings in a totally authentic Cebuano clientele. The service is reasonable, and before you can sink your teeth in the homemade goodies, coffee pours endlessly in an atmosphere that is best described as mild breakfast chatter. High on the list is the smoked milkfish with fried eggs and your fruit of choice. Not to miss are the corned beef and the homemade country sausage topped with southern style milk gravy.

Beverly Café,  Beverly Boutique Business Hotel, F. Manalo St., Cebu City
Business hours: 6:00am to 11:00pm daily
Tel. 6332. 254 857
www.beverlyboutiquehotel.com

THE PANTRY

Entering The Pantry is like stepping into Grandma’s kitchen and getting a whiff of whatever she whips up best. Not surprisingly, this was exactly what the couple who opened the deli-dessert café last year had in mind. The Pantry is designed where you’re free to roam and point to what you’d like for breakfast from their wide selection of savories and sweets, making it oh-so-enjoyable for families and friends. Heavy morning eaters will get a kick out of their Dmitri sandwich, which is packed with a beer sausage, maple smoked ham and pepper lyoner, with veggies and a honey mustard dressing. Their Spanish chorizo, which you can have with rice or bread, is sautéed in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) from Spain. You can have it with native eggs that are delivered regularly from an organic farm. Those with a sweet tooth can choose from among twenty flavors of cupcakes to go with their coffee; the rich peanut butter cupcake is a must-try. With just a transparent glass separating the dining area and the kitchen, diners can watch how their orders are prepared, then purchase the ingredients from the shop.

The Pantry, The Gallery, J. Luna Ave., Mabolo, Cebu City
Business hours: 8:30am to 10:00pm on Sundays, 9:00am to 10:00pm from Mondays thru Thursdays, 9:00am to 11:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays
Tel. 6332.268 9300
www.thepantrycebu.com

PANCAKE HOUSE

“Flat as a pancake” is the last thing you’d say to describe the new Pancake House at Oakridge Business Park. They’re fast becoming another favorite breakfast spot in the city evident through their regular market base—corporate groups for early morning meetings, parents after driving their kids to school, BPO employees straight from work, and even the after-church crowd. And though they serve great pancakes from opening to closing, that’s not all they’re about. Their menu is so diverse that you can swap a traditional breakfast meal for steak. While it’s comforting to know that sumptuous steaks can be had that early, their breakfast bestsellers are still their beef tapa, which most Filipinos enjoy, served with a choice of rice, fried egg, and atchara (pickled papaya), as well as their crispy golden brown waffles topped with whipped butter, and hot syrup on the side. The orange interiors also add flavor to the experience with diner-like booths that give a sense of privacy for meetings or special dates.

Pancake House, Oakridge Business Park, A.S. Fortuna St., Mandaue City
Business hours: 7:00am to 10:00pm daily
Tel. 6332. 411 1188

Vienna KAFFEEHAUS

In Cebu, the closest you’ll get to the famed Austrian capital is in Vienna Kaffeehaus. Apart from the obvious reference, it has been the go-to place for a steaming plate of Austro-Hungarian goodness for over 25 years. Businessmen and professionals on the go frequent Vienna Kaffeehaus for it opens as early as 6:00 am (in selected branches) and serves hearty breakfast meals any time of the day. Their Banilad branch has the ambience of a Viennese café-cum-diner and the warm-colored upholstery can lull you to relax or wake you up for a busy day ahead. The server ladies approach your table in hip kitsch Bavarian-inspired uniforms, and you are likely to order their new breakfast set which comes with two menus (their sausages are a classic), an egg done your way, rice or bread, and your choice of coffee or juice. If you like your coffee black, you will relish taking sips of their caffeinated drink brewed from Austrian coffee beans. Their succulent corned beef flakes that take a laborious two days to prepare are also a favorite.

Vienna Kaffeehaus, A.S. Fortuna St. cor. Banilad Rd., Cebu City
Business hours: 6:30am to 12:00mn daily
Tel. 6332. 505 3565
www.viennakaffeehaus.com

Other branch addresses: 
Pedro Calomarde St. cor. Gorordo Ave., Cebu City
G/F Orchard Hotel and Suites, A.S. Fortuna St., Mandaue City
Goldberry Suites, Quezon National Highway, Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City
The Gallery, J. Luna Ave., Mabolo, Cebu City 

DON MERTOS

If you can’t make it to Hawaii by morning, you can head down to Don Merto’s Restaurant located at Casa Escaño Bed & Breakfast and treat yourself for some Loco Moco. This is a great tasting Hawaiian breakfast dish that consists of rice, a very filling hamburger patty with brown gravy crowned with two fried eggs, and your choice of brewed coffee or juice. Don Merto’s is probably the only establishment in Cebu City with this high-protein dish on their breakfast menu, and their morning crowd, many among them early runners, find it perfect for storing up energy before they continue the rest of their day. The eclectic mix of dishes being served at Don Merto’s is inspired by old family recipes and Hawaiian cuisine.

Don Merto’s Restaurant, Casa Escano Bed & Breakfast
94 Juana Osmena St., Cebu City
Business hours: 6:00am to 10:00pm daily
Tel. 6332. 253 5563

Other branch address:
G/F SM Northwing, SM, North Reclamation Area, Cebu City

ILAPUTI

There’s one place in Cebu where you can find clubbers concluding an epic night out and business professionals getting started with their day, all having breakfast at the same time—ilaputi. From the modern, cozy interiors to the tastefully compiled music playlist, everything about this 24-hour restaurant appeals to the senses. But of course, the primary reason people flood to ilaputi is their gourmet comfort food. Have The Stroganov or Nonihm Thai and you will notice a distinct twist to these international hits. Get a great bargain by ordering the Big Breakfast and taste a sampler of nearly everything on their breakfast menu, with garlic rice and two fried eggs. And what is breakfast without a cup of joe? They serve unique blends of high quality coffee by Italian brand Illy. With these morning choices only a fraction of ilaputi’s eclectic cuisine, it doesn’t matter what you’re in the mood for; a culinary adventure awaits you.

THE TINDER BOX

Ask anyone in the city and they’ll tell you where The Tinder Box is. The ever reliable deli in Cebu for the past two decades, The Tinder Box is the ideal brunch venue for friendly and business meetings for its chic setting—glass walls that let sunlight settle on steel tables with punchy colored placemats, and chillout music that sounds from their speakers every morning. Take your pick from The Tinder Box’s extensive menu of sausages and pair this with their panini bread, omelette, and freshly squeezed orange juice for a European breakfast. The French Toast is sinful in its portions and comes with sliced fruit and crème brulee; the pleasant surprise of tart mango tucked in between the fluffy bread will make you smile. Watch out for new products in their deli next month, including 30 new cheeses to choose from for a mid-morning cheese platter.

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Arts & Culture

Kundiman–A Collaboration Between Charles Lahti and Francis Dravigny at the Qube Gallery

by Oj Hofer

“Collaboration is like carbonation for fresh ideas “-Anonymous

Kundiman—drawn from the Filipino tradition of lyrical love songs marked by longing, devotion, and emotional depth—unfolded not merely as an exhibition but as a dialogue between two artists whose practices, though formally distinct, share a common goal: that creation is never singular, never complete, and never entirely one’s own. The word itself carries weight. In the Philippine cultural imagination, kundiman is not passive sentiment but a mode of endurance—a way of loving what one cannot fully possess, of honoring what exceeds one’s grasp—and to name an exhibition after it is to make a claim about the nature of making itself: that art, like the song, is an act of devotion directed toward something larger than the maker’s intention. It is a form that does not declare but lingers; not spectacle, but the quieter and more demanding thing called intimacy.

The collaboration between Charles Lahti and Francis Dravigny operates at what might be called the threshold of language—the place where gesture becomes structure and structure, over time, turns into meaning. Their working relationship is less a merger of two styles than a negotiation between two modes of listening: one drawn to the decisive mark, the other to the patient accumulation of woven form. Lahti’s mark-making is grounded, deliberate, and unambiguous in its commitment to presence; his lines carry the quality of breath, each stroke an event rather than a flourish. Observers familiar with East Asian ink traditions will recognize this sensibility immediately, for in Zen ink practice and Japanese calligraphy, the practitioner does not decide what to draw so much as prepare the conditions under which something may reveal itself—the mark that emerges from this discipline is not decorative but testimonial, evidence of a moment of full attention. Lahti’s work operates within this logic even when the cultural references are Western, and what anchors it is not style but stance: an ethical relation to the act of making that distinguishes genuine presence from the mere performance of spontaneity, a distinction far rarer in contemporary visual art than it ought to be.

“The line is not drawn but revealed—through stillness, breath, and a quality of awareness that the discipline of reduction alone makes possible.”

Dravigny’s woven interventions introduce a different, though deeply complementary, temporality. Where Lahti works in the decisive instant, Dravigny works in accumulation—the slow building-up of material over time—and his use of abacá, a fiber indigenous to the Philippine archipelago, is not incidental. Abacá carries its own history: long harvested by hand, traded across colonial networks, woven into ropes and sails, and more recently reclaimed as a medium of cultural expression, so that to bring it into an art context is to activate this history without necessarily declaring it. In Dravigny’s hands, textile transcends its usual function as background or support and becomes instead an act of preservation—a material archive that holds within its weave the gestures of another artist. This concept, which the exhibition implicitly explores, speaks to something the atelier tradition has long understood: that a work of art may pass through multiple bodies and multiple intentions and still emerge with coherence, provided each maker brings to the passage not assertion but responsiveness, the capacity to receive another’s action and carry it forward without erasing it. Dravigny’s woven interventions propose a similar ethic, made visible rather than concealed.

What Kundiman ultimately stages is not the product of collaboration but its conditions: the particular quality of attention required when one artist’s gesture enters the field of another’s practice, and the willingness to wait that such attention demands. The Japanese aesthetic tradition names this interval ma—the generative pause, the charged space in which meaning gathers before it resolves into form—and the exhibition’s restraint is precisely its argument. There is no excess, no spectacle, no rhetorical gesture toward significance, only a sustained attentiveness to process that runs counter to the dominant logic of contemporary exhibition-making, in which legibility is prized and impact must be immediate. Kundiman refuses this, trusting the viewer to do the work of attending, and in this refusal it finds its deepest kinship with Zen aesthetics: the discipline of reduction, the clarity of intention, the respect for what is essential over what is merely present.

“What Kundiman proposes is more radical than most exhibitions dare: that the self, in the act of making, becomes temporarily permeable—open to the gesture, the material logic, the devotion of another.”

The concept of interbeing—rooted in Buddhist philosophy and carrying the understanding that nothing arises independently, that every form is the result of conditions and every maker is in part made by what they make—finds in this exhibition its material proof. What was created here does not belong to one hand alone. It emerges in the space between, where gesture is received, transformed, and returned; where material listens and form responds and meaning unfolds not as conclusion but as continuation. The exhibition ends. The dialogue does not. This is the space between hands: where making becomes meeting, and where interbeing quietly, insistently gives rise to form.

Charles Lahti with his latest works—layering print with bandana textiles to create tactile, hybrid surfaces where image, pattern, and material converge.

Francis Dravigny in his Cebu studio—transforming abacá and found materials into layered, sculptural weavings.

A wall of interbeing—where weave, gesture, and form dissolve into quiet harmony and non-duality.

A flat surface transformed into a quiet weave—drawing the eye inward, where structure softens into stillness and resonates with Zen practice.

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Arts & Culture

Kundiman After Dark: Traditional 19th Century Filipino Musical Genre Continues to Inspire

by Kingsley Medalla

The Kundiman is a traditional 19th-century Tagalog musical genre that served as a profound source of inspiration for many sophisticated, classically trained artists. The name is derived from the Tagalog phrase “kung hindi man,” literally translating to “if it were not so.” These musical pieces were often performed as poignant love songs characterized by smooth, flowing melodies containing emotional depth. Originating as a serenade in poetic Tagalog lyrics, it features a minor-to-major key progression expressing longing, devotion, patriotism, and a yearning for freedom.

Sine Pop, a boutique theater in a 1948 post-war heritage house located in Cubao, Quezon City, serves as a charming venue for cultural events and intimate performances with a small ensemble. Recently hosting Kundiman After Dark, a recital honoring the legacy of Nicanor Abelardo (1893–1934), a highly esteemed Filipino composer and pianist hailed as the “father of the sonata form in the Philippines” and a master of the art of the Kundiman. Carlson Chan, founder of Sine Pop, clarifies their unique model: the performances are open to the public and are, as such, complimentary, as its primary focus is to promote the performing artists per se.

The performances featured beloved Kundiman classics including Mutya ng Pasig (1926), Naku… Kenkoy (1930), and a personal favorite, Bituing Marikit (1926). These musical pieces were brought to life through the solo acts and live vocals of tenor Erwin Lumauag, Japanese violinist Shiho Takashima (who has since made the Philippines her permanent residence), and the renowned composer, pedagogue, and pianist Augusto Espino.

“Nasaan Ka Irog,” written in 1923, drew inspiration from a romantic tale shared by Nicanor Abelardo’s friend, who went overseas leaving behind his beloved in the Philippines. Years after, this man eventually became a doctor and, upon his return, discovered that the love of his life had been married to someone else. He also learned that the letters he had sent were never delivered to her, as they were kept by the doctor’s family, secretly away from her. A classic case of unrequited love. Kundiman serves as the heart and soul and the pinnacle of Filipino musical artistry.

Violinist Shiho Takashima and pianist Augusto Espino

Tenor Erwin Lumauag

Art patrons; Pacita Agoncillo Sode, Marilou Khan Magsaysay, Patricia Cepeda-Sison and this writer Kingsley Medalle

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Arts & Culture

Art Beat: Scenes From the Manila Art Fair 2026

photography by Doro Barandino

“Art is unpredictable and goes in different directions. I have no idea. I would rather live the present moment.” —Bencab, National artist of the Philippines.

Vinta by Protegeri, collaboration art piece by Leeroy New, Solenn Heuseff and Vito Selma

Q&A with interior decorator and jewellery designer Doro Barandino

Which of the participating art galleries had the most unified and exciting theme?
Leon Gallery had the most amazingly put-together collection. Though the gallery engaged various artists, the overall visual effect felt like one unified theme. Leon Gallery used a sack-like cloth (most likely raw linen) as the background for the booth, and it brought the collection together. It had an old-world feel in a chaotic setting.

Who were the artists that were the most visually engaging?
The works of Carlo Tanseco were definitely my favorite. The artist used an eye chart (Snellen chart) as the background for the image of Dr. Jose Rizal giving us the middle finger—such an “in your face” message. The concept of our national hero as a modern-day provocateur was a wake-up call to everyone. Very subversive and underground material. I was also attracted to the works of Japanese artist Tadashi Kogure; they’re very architectural.

Was the choice of venue and its layout helpful in engaging the whole art vibe?
What I noticed was that the masters like Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, and Fernando Zóbel still attracted the most viewers at the art fair. People are naturally drawn to their masterful strokes and historical significance, or perhaps these artworks are not readily accessible for public viewing. Or maybe those booths that carried the masters’ works were strategically positioned right after the registrar.

The choice of venue at Center One was a good move—it created a total art vibe. Manila Art Fair remains the premier art fair in the country today, showcasing the finest modern and contemporary art while offering curated projects and immersive installations.

The Standard by Thai artist Pitchapa at the Triangular durational, performance art.

Bato Bato sa Langit by Filipino artist Carlo Tanseco

Stocking Proportions Menumpuk Proporsi by Indonesian artist Labadiou Piko

Untitled by Indonesian artist Yunizar

Filipiny, wool tapestry by national artist of the Philippines,Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.

Untitled by German artist Valentin Elias Renner

Interior decorator and jewellery designer Doro Barandino is also a regular contributor for zee.ph

 

 

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