Carousing in Cebu

The Village

CCTC Cebu City

IF you want to be seen in Cebu, Leo Sanchez and a

few locals said, "The Village is the place to go to."

Surveying the different bars and restaurants they had

lined up, I said, "So, this is like Cebu’s Malate?"

Although many of them agreed, two said, "No!

The Fort." But since The Fort is almost dead

(although according to very reliable sources, it

will be resurrected soon) and The Village is

definitely alive, then I still prefer to think of it as

Cebu’s Malate area.

The name is no problem. It’s called The Village

because it’s a one-stop place. Because everything you would want on a

night-out is there.

Yo! Latino, Soap and Club Fuel

The Village

CCTC Cebu City

Mario Colmenares is a man of great concepts. The transition of the three places

listed above strikes me as nothing but pure genius. You’d go for dinner at Yo!

Latino and enjoy the music. Then you’d want to cap your meal with a nice

dessert, and wait till you start digesting the good meal you’ve had. That’s what

Soap is for, the chill-out bar, which is right next door. And when you’re heated

up, you have Club Fuel where you can dance till early morning. It can even

become a cycle. After dancing, you can move back to Soap where you can

catch your breath and actually have a conversation. Then eat at Yo! Latino.

And then start over again.

The interior of the three bars, which are managed by Mario and his partner

James Gaite, are as diverse. Yo! Latino is all orangey, Soap (and I love this) is

a calming mixture of blue and purple and Club Fuel is a fiery red. You can get

drinks in all three places, Asian food and desserts in Soap, and different

meals--from Mexican to Cuban--in Yo! Latino. Fuel opened in November last

year while Soap and Yo! opened in December.

The idea for Fuel started because of Mario’s love for music. "During that time,

bars in Cebu played R&B --kung ano yung maririnig mo sa radyo." He

decided to take a gamble, by introducing something different--techno-, house-

and UK-based music. Soon, radio stations started to play the kind of music

Mario played in the club. Since then, Fuel has become almost a tradition. In

fact, Cebuanos say, "You haven’t been to Cebu if you haven’t been to Fuel."

Fuel has been home to many big events. On April 27, Mario will hold the

"Boracay Goes to Fuel" party. This, he says, is an event to watch out for. There

will be white sand, lifeguards and girls in bikini (sounds like a major party).

Ask Mario about the names of his bars and he’d shrug and say, "We just like

them." Regulars in these venues have given their own meaning to the names. "A

car needs fuel to run. If you want to run in Cebu, go to Fuel," says one

Manila-based regular.

Yo! Latino is open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day, Soap on weekends from 6

p.m.-6 a.m., Fuel on Wednesdays to Saturdays from 9 p.m. till there are

people.

High Life

Crossroads Mall

Banilad, Cebu City

The first thing that struck me when I walked into High Life was the architecture.

The two-story structure has a different kind of setup--the stage is elevated right

behind the bar, the DJ’s box is hanging from the second floor and there is a

veranda where people can enjoy Cebu’s night breeze.

Owner Neil Labrador, a bank executive who chose to invest in the nightlife,

was partying, too, that night.

People filled almost every inch of the place that Friday night. SRO (Cebu’s

Side A) was onstage, performing ’80s hits and ballads. Male lead singer Bono

is also 101’s DJ Johnny Loco.

The crowd was receptive and very, very enthusiastic. Everyone was singing out

loud and dancing nonstop. People were greeting each other left and right--it

was one big party. And despite the fact that it was my first time to be there, I

felt completely at ease--and I had a blast.

The band was really good--so good that the people started groaning and

screaming when they started to leave. They wanted more.

On other nights, people enjoy the loud thump-thump of techno music.

Zero Below

1142 A.S. Fortuna Road

Mandaue City, Cebu

"I haven’t been here in six months," Francis Magalona, part owner of Zero

Below, said. Michael Ong, his partner, was also there.

People started to stream in at 2:30 a.m. When we left at past 3, the place was

still packed--and the people were still so energized. "Hanggang mga 6 a.m.

pa yan," Mon Escaño said.

All around the bar that was in the center of the venue, people were dancing and

drinking. On one side, people were cheering the brave souls who were

downing alcohol with the beer bong.

Zero Below, according to Francis, is where Cebu’s "vampires" gather. It is

home to DJ War and female DJ Wang Lim.

The bar is spacious--you can dance comfortably without knocking over tables,

as they are positioned on one side of the room. On the wall are constantly

changing projected pictures--nude bodies, artworks, photography--eye candy.

The bar is also a venue for artistic shows. Last January, they hosted a sight and

sound event, featuring a mixture of artists from Cebu. The first one featured

Francis’ photography and artworks.

"You know another reason people come back here?" Francis said, with a

twinkle in his eye. "The buffalo wings. You want to try?"

Try I did. The ZB wings were hot--really hot--and flavorful. People would

come back for more. No big surprise there.