Rational Insanity
Arts venue for you
We all have our individual preferences for the places we go to. Personally, I would like a place that is conducive for whatever I am doing, which is, most of the time, write. My definition of a good 'tambayan' so to speak, is a place with good, relaxing music, good food, good coffee, and a slew of people with excellent conversation skills. I may be asking for too much, had I released my criteria a month ago, but now, my criteria has become a reality. Right in front of CPU, smack in front of the old Florete Arocera is a quaint place called Kafe Binalaybay – the first and only arts venue in Iloilo City . It is owned by my friend Marcel Milliam, an excellent writer himself, a law student, and a very aggressive entrepreneur.
When we spoke about his plans of opening the café, I was apprehensive at first, considering that the people of Iloilo might not really buy the 'arts venue' concept. Now, that his café-bar has opened, I admit that my entrepreneurial skills are really untrustworthy. I can't quite memorize the address of the place yet, but you will surely pass by it when you go to or are coming from CPU. It's a wide resto-bar with a 'zen-like' feel, they serve wonderful, affordable meals, and of course, best of all, they have great brewed coffee for 25 pesos a serving. They also have an enclosed study area that students can rent out. The more artsy feature of the place is that the you can display your art work at the place for free, your poetry on the freedom wall, also for free, have shows in the place, or use the place as a venue for everything artsy (I think for this particular feature, the owner asks for a fifty peso per head minimum order). There is no catch to anything that I said, and I believe that artists of all types and chosen genres know fully what I mean.
It's a refreshing development having a place such as Kafe Binalaybay right in Iloilo City . After all, the arts scene is really getting to be more dynamic nowadays, what with the emergence of new and more innovative forms of expression. Artists, regardless of genre, are sometimes very selective of the places that they go to, and it really helps that the person who came up with the concept and opened Kafe Binalaybay is an artist/writer himself. He has already made a name for himself in his own field of expertise; very recently, he was named the grand prize winner of the Global Meritage Poetry Awards for his poem 'O.N.S. – Oras ng Silakbo', along with Naya S. Valdelleon who tied with him. How more artsy can a place get when it is run and owned by a full blooded artist? The answer to this question is infinite and is only limited to the capabilities, the capacities, and the creativity of all the Ilonggo artists as well as other artists from the region. Even as Marz has jumpstarted the operation of the café, it is always the clientele that will dictate what the café will eventually evolve into. Of course, it wouldn't go from prehistoric to modern, I'm just excited how the arts scene would grow in the region now, with a place like Kafe Binalaybay.
Currently, the management is still in the process of testing its menu items, so expect something new every time you drop by. Don't be bothered though, that what might hit your palate is a product of rash experimentation – trust me, there are really good chefs and cooks behind Kafe Binalaybay's menu. Some even have to ship their products to the place from as far away as Roxas City (hehe). All in all, let me just tell you that the food that you get from Kafe Binalaybay is food created by artists for artists, so if you are someone with a tongue for creativity, the good food is definitely for you.
I do hope that with the support of the various art communities in Iloilo and in the region, Kafe Binalaybay will soon become a staple for every Ilonggo artist and art patron. For the students, the place is also replete with all types of intellectual stimulation making it a great exercise for the mind – good conversationalists are always instrumental to more comprehensive learning.
Hope to see you all at Kafe Binalaybay – the first and only Arts Venue in Iloilo City !
Be rational; be insane…every once in a while! TTFN!
I love you all! Byers!