What I thought to be one just
simple afternoon of food-tasting turned out to be one truly inspiring
gastronomic experience. I had so many questions in mind as I was about to enter
the two-month old FUEL.PH joint at Smallville. Why FUEL.PH, what makes it click
among the young, what are their specialties and will there be snow cones?
It was a scorching hot Thursday
afternoon (thus the thoughts on snow cones) when Hailey Barr, one of the owners
and the PR Manager of FUEL.PH, and I decided to finally met up, after almost a
month of delay due to both our busy schedules.
I got in and Hailey welcomed me
to what it seems to be an “expressionistic” bar - ambiance was light and cool,
creativity was in every corner, everyone seems to be enjoying what they were
doing. It might as well pass as an art gallery and a showroom, among others.
We settled in one of those
private hubs with cushioned seats and pillows with a blackboard that is a
freedom wall to the occupants. That part of the bar is made with recycled wood.
“FUEL.PH is more than a café. It
is a movement that seeks to insprie, encourage and provoke the youth to pursue
their passion” opens up Hailey echoing signs around the place. “We started FUEL.PH as a local brand
empowering everybody especially the youth not only to pursue their passion but
also be a responsible part of a community” she explains. They’re a group of
Americans who established themselves and this movement in Iloilo City a year
ago.
“After the branding came the
community building as we organized ourselves into a group empowering each other
to pursue our passion”. She then explains them going to various schools and
communities furthering their cause. With a bigger community in their midst,
they looked outside their “home”base and found Smallville – a perfect location.
“We just opened this restaurant around two months ago and everything just fit
into place”. Over a unique “bottle cup” of mint milk tea (PhP65) and a slice of
home-made carrot cake, the conversation continued.
She also said that Iloilo City is
their homebase for this movement and as early as now, people from Cebu and
Bacolod are very keen on having their own “fuel.ph”. “Franchising is in our
minds but we still have a long way to go”. They need to have a solid foundation
here in Iloilo and build a large community before going somewhere else.
“Isa or duwa” she asked me
referring their Indie meal selections. And I answered back “Food blogging is my
passion, so the more the merrier”. Among their most popular, these Indie meals
are a choice between pork or chicken barbecue-one piece (PhP40) or two pieces
of both or combination (PhP80). Served on what looked like a wooden chopping
board, it comes with plain rice or garlic rice and your choice of sauces
(spicy, tangy, nutty, curry and zesty) – one for each stick of barbecue.
“But since you’re our guest, I
let you try our five sauces” Hailey said with a smile. Starting from top-left:
Nutty – I assume it’s a mix of nuts, honey and soy sauce(?); Spicy – hot sauce
and maybe some vinegar which became my favorite; Tangy – reminds me of the
balsamic vinegar mix with honey; Zesty – I guess it’s vinegar with shredded
orange peel; and Curry – with light mix of curry powder. I can only assume as
these were secret recipes.
“What we serve are almost 100%
organic – from the ingredients to our preparation” she said. She also told me
their Mom meals. “We have partnered with the Sunshine Center and these meals
are prepared by the people in that community and for each order a portion goes
back to the center.” I made a mental note to try those next time.
A cup of cinnamon cappuccino made
its way to our table. “She’s Anna and she’s one of those featured on
our videos.” Hailey introduced the one who served the coffee. Through their website www.fuel.ph,
she showed me what was Anna's passion was and I would say she’s very good at it.
“She’s one of our interns here and by the year-end; we’ll have a new batch,
with the old ones getting a notch higher.”
Then came Mike, her husband,
shared more information and asked how the food was. The pork and chicken
barbecue were soft and flavored well that even without the sauce, they can do
well on their own. The garlic rice had some homemade flavour into it – just
like what we do at home. The carrot cake was dense and every bite yearns for
another that I finished them in not time. The mint milk tea was the bomb! An
atomic bomb, IMO, for I really, REALLY loved it!
I didn’t really got to see their
whole menu for there’s plenty to see around. They have a merchandise corner
where FUEL.PH brands come in t-shirts and other items. They’ve also made their
wall into a canvass where artist members transformed the bare wall into
something reflective of the movement.
And yes, someone who looked like our national here, Jose Rizal dominates
the scene.
It was also part of their
recently concluded event – I DARE YOU. Members were “dared” to show their
passion to the public – be it singing, dancing, painting, etc. “There was one
very shy member who put on the dare but still remained shy even onstage” Hailey
tells this anecdote. “The girl sang in front of the crowd while she was
covering her face with hands!” It was a well applauded number during the event.
“There will be more projects and activities as well as community outreach programs for fuel.ph” says Hailey. “Our next event is a follow up to I DARE YOU and it will be much more on a bigger scope but still it will be passion driven”. On weekend nights at the bar will continue with “open mic” nights (anyone who dares to sing can sing), plus there will times all the furniture will be moved giving the bar more space to have more people.”
Now, have you found your own passion? It’s not too late to have one.
Fuel.PH is a movement to inspire the people of the Philippines to have
a voice and seeks to encourage the passions, talents, and creativity that lies
within each individual to be heard, seen, experienced and shared. Whether it’s
through art, music, sports, journalism, or any other form of expression,
Fuel.PH desires to see talents, passions, and purposed provoked into action.
(www.fuel.ph)
Encourage. Provoke. Pursue! Only at Fuel.PH
FUEL.PH is located at the Smallville Complex beside the Iloilo Business Hotel. It is open from 3pm to 12 midnights Mondays to Saturdays.Check them out of Facebook.