An earlier than normal start to my evening out yesterday. I had my reasons. For one, I needed to refill my wallet with cash which meant finding a functioning ATM. Not as easy as it sounds in this town. I prefer using BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) because they allow withdrawals up to 20,000 pesos ($400). The other machines are limited to 10,000 pesos. Since each ATM transaction costs 250 pesos (not to mention the fee my credit union back home charges) I prefer to limit my cash infusions as much as possible. Hence, better to take out 20,000 once a week than 10,000 twice. Well, my usual BPI ATM was at the 7/11 store on Baloy Road, which is relatively close to my house. I say “was” because for some inexplicable reason the machine was removed from the store. It was a very popular ATM with expats and locals alike. Maybe too popular and the store didn’t like all the non-customer foot traffic inside. Or maybe BPI is going to put in a new and improved ATM. Yeah, right.

Anyway, there is another BPI ATM on the other side of Barretto. It’s popular too, in fact, so popular that it is frequently out of cash. That’s a problem that will be exacerbated now that it is the only game in town for large withdrawals. Being that it was Saturday afternoon I figured it was likely going to run dry as people cashed up for the weekend. So, I hoofed it on over and was happy to see it was still in service. Punched in my numbers, and out came this:

The other reason for my early start yesterday was I had tentatively planned to do another bar review. Once I had the money in my pocket though I changed my mind. I knew this bar would be busy on a Saturday and that makes it more difficult to take photographs. I do try to respect the privacy of patrons in the bars and I just wasn’t feeling it yesterday. I’m planning to go there today for the review, so stay tuned.

And finally, I left the house about an hour earlier than normal because I was bored. I honestly do not like to start drinking much earlier than 5:00 p.m., but what’s a rule good for if there aren’t exceptions?

So, here I am on the highway on the far side of town and it ain’t quite four in the afternoon yet. What to do? I figured I’d pop into the Hideaway bar while I was thinking it over. The place was busier than I recall ever seeing it and I felt lucky getting a seat at the bar. Had a couple of beers and bought a lady drink for the only waitress I knew still working there. I decided to hoof it out to Baloy Beach and pick a spot there for dinner and beers. So, I said my goodbyes and headed out.

Along the way, I passed the Kitchenette and was surprised to see it open. It had been closed for a couple of days while the owner went to Manila to visit family. Yeah, unscheduled closures are a great way to keep regular customers coming back. I popped in to say hello and was not happy with what I saw. Only the owner and her friend were there, open beer bottles on the table, and no customers. I could see why; they hadn’t done any food prep. I shook my head and said “a restaurant without food?” and left in disgust.

I was in a sour mood now and no longer up for the longish walk out to Baloy. Instead, I popped into Mango’s. It wasn’t 5:00 yet and the back patio was drenched in hot sunshine, so I sat at the bar instead. Had a couple of beers and Norman, the manager, let me know they had pork chops ready to grill in the kitchen. Still wasn’t ready for dinner though, so I declined. Headed back out to the highway and on impulse decided to see what was happening at The Pub.

I was lucky to get a table. The owner, John Kim, has recently installed a sushi bar (and hired two sushi chefs!) and it is apparently very popular so far. I’ve never been big on raw fish though, so I perused the regular menu. I’ve never had a bad meal at The Pub, so it is just a matter of finding what you are craving the most. The waitress suggested the bulgogi but I didn’t want the rice it comes with. I considered Mexican or a French dip sandwich, and then I saw the steak menu. I’ve bought raw steaks from John but never had one prepared in his kitchen. I guess the reason why is they are pretty expensive–most of them over $20. But I had a wallet full of 500 peso notes and a desire to eat some meat, so I said “give me the ribeye”. Large or small, sir? Hmm, the difference in price was about five bucks but I wasn’t sure I was that hungry, so I went with the smaller one.

After my meal (and two beers) it was still too early to go home. So, I crossed the street to Outback. I didn’t do the regular bar there though, instead, I sat outside by the pool. Had the bar to myself, a cute bartender to serve me, and some bizarre music videos for entertainment. Enjoyed some more beer and alone time.

After a while, some Aussies came in and changed the channel to a cricket match (not the darts kind). I watched for a bit but didn’t find it particularly entertaining, in large part I suppose, because I don’t understand the game. It has a pitcher and batter like baseball, but that’s where the similarities end. I paid my tab and headed out.

I wasn’t much past 7:00 and I had nothing to do at home, so I crossed the street to visit Queen Victoria. Yikes. I was the only customer. There was some construction going on to repair an aircon unit. I did get a friendly greeting (by name) from a waitress I don’t remember, then she went back to join the rest of the staff singing (badly) karaoke tunes. There is a reason I don’t visit karaoke bars (they are called videoke here)–I find the loud music and poor singing to be almost unbearable. Unless I’m drunk enough to be singing too. And I wasn’t last night. One beer and out. Caught a trike and was home before eight and in bed before nine. Yeah, an old man’s Saturday night.

It was interesting revisiting some of the previously reviewed bars. I’ve also decided to consider my additional experiences in these venues as I continue the ranking process. Queen Victoria will be dropping down a notch or two. Maybe more. Tonight’s venue is one of my regular hangouts, so I’m expecting good things. I’ll post the review tomorrow before I Hash.

Hmm. Maybe I should get an early start again today…