It’s not every day that we get approached by a record label and asked to bring one of their talents to eat, Pinoy-style, in a carinderia. So when we got a call from MCA Music a few days ago, we grabbed the chance to give Andy, Adam, Joel and Ryan — from British pop rock band Lawson — something to write home about.
It’s the band’s second time in Metro Manila and since they liked it so much the first time around, they’ve been begging the label to bring them back here. This time around, they were willing to go out of their comfort zones and experience a most authentic Filipino culture first-hand.
“Last time we played, the crowd in the Philippines was one of the best crowd and still remain as the best crowd we’ve ever played to,” said Joel the guitarist. “We were gonna go straight to Australia…we really wanted to go back here so we made it happen,” Ryan, the bassist, echoed.
We took them to Caruz Eatery in Pasig, a not-so easy on the eyes eatery along Pasig Boulevard (something the Brits might call “charming”) that’s known for its beef caldereta and papaitan. We order those and throw in sinaing na tulingan and nilagang baka for good measure. We also showed the guys how to order Pinoy style, by pointing at the dish they want to eat (they chose ginataang puso ng saging).
“Where are the knives,” vocalist Andy Brown asked as he tucked into the caldereta — which turned out to be the band’s favorite (“like a very nice beef stew”). The tulingan reminded one member of mackerel, but it was the puso ng saging that got the most hilarious reaction (“I expected it to be banana!” “It tastes like vodka!” “My problem with it is that it’s got an unexpected taste.” )
The four-meal lunch, plus rice and soda, cost less than PHP800. “That’s like a tenner,” says bassist Ryan Fletcher, clearly impressed.
Caruz Eatery, 220 Hillcrest Drive, Bgy Oranbo, Pasig City; +63 2 6715277. Daily 24/7.
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