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1. Hit the midnight buffet
Somethin’ Fishy is the perfect place for those who love eat-all-you-can deals but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for them. This restaurant has a unique proposition: a buffet spread that starts from midnight and lasts practically the whole day. There are more than 20 Filipino dishes on offer — from chicken adobo and daing na bangus to beef mami. Eastwood City Walk, Eastwood Ave, Libis, QC; +63 2 4216412 to 13. Daily 12am-10am, 11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm. PHP169 on weekdays, PHP179 on weekends and holidays.
2. Revisit an institution
This Persian restaurant has been serving hungry tummies from this location since 1985, back when there was a music venue around the corner. People would come here to pick on the tender kabab (charbroiled beef; PHP100) after watching a music gig, but it’s the chelo kabab barg (rice, beef tenderloin, grilled tomatoes and butter; PHP350) that’s the real scenestealer. The beef tenderloin has a rich aroma, and the taste of butter on rice is heavenly — no wonder people keep coming back for it. 63 Sct Tobias St, Bgy Laging Handa, QC; +63 2 3743242. Daily 11am-5am.
BPI HOT TIP: Behrouz is cheap and good — and close to two BPI automated teller machines. Need cash for that extra order of kebab? Locate the nearest ATM via the BPI Express Mobile app.
3. Tuck into a healthy burger
Originally a mushroom supplier, Mushroomburger hit upon the idea of mixing ‘shrooms with their patty at the random suggestion of an executive chef from a Manila hotel. Their West Avenue branch may show its age — it’s been around 22 years — but it’s still popular with those craving for a healthy burger. There are seven types on offer, including the double patty Mushroomburger King (PHP133). For vegetarians, there’s also a pure Mushroom Sandwich. 91 West Ave, Bgy West Triangle, QC; +63 2 8828888. Daily 7:30am-11pm.
BPI HOT TIP: This restaurant has free Wi-Fi. If you have a BPI Prepaid Mastercard, this is where you can check your balance and load it on BPI Express Online.
4. Pizza and games with the barkada
It’s hard to find anyone who does not have a memory of growing up eating Shakey’s Pizza Parlor. Its thin-crust pies, not to mention its fried chicken and mojos, have turned simple gatherings into awesome parties. At this 24-hour branch along Quezon Avenue, not only can you indulge in an Angus Steakhouse pizza — it’s got thinly sliced Angus beef, roasted onions and sliced mushrooms and crunchy potato strings on top — there are also arcade games that will make you forget the time of day. Quezon Avenue cor West Avenue, QC; +63 2 77777. Daily 24/7.
BPI HOT TIP: Pay your share of the bill via the BPI Express Mobile app. You can transfer funds from your enrolled accounts to any other BPI, BPI Family Savings, or BPI Direct deposit account.
5. Be a chairman of the board
Who said one can’t enjoy Japanese food while playing a board game? At Ludo: Boardgame Bar & Café, you and your friends can relive your favorite childhood board game and at the same time enjoy a nice bowl of katsudon or toridon for PHP195. Ludo is every board gamer’s paradise as it has a selection of more than 480 titles that you can borrow, or purchase if you like it that much. There are also cocktails and beers. A word of caution though: Fun and noise are inevitable when you’re here. Scout Fuentebella cor Scout Torillio Sts; QC; +63 920 9218482. Daily 4pm-12am
BPI HOT TIP: Keeping track of your play money while playing Monopoly can be a hassle. Good thing that, in real life, BPI Express Online displays all your funds in just one screen — from peso and US dollar accounts to time deposit and investment accounts.
6. Have a cuppa tea
Go to any Starbucks and you’ll see a gaggle of students nursing their coffee with their thick textbooks. Antiteasis, a homey joint on Maginhawa Street is the antithesis of that: guests here order a cuppa tea, find a quiet corner and read novels from the small library. It’s a great place to lose yourself in the moment. Unit C 154 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. +63 906 3424599. Daily 1:30pm-10:30pm.
BPI HOT TIP: Have a cup of tea and retreat to your quiet space before tackling all your bills via BPI Express Online! You can pay bills, check the peso-equivalent of that impulse Internet buy, and reload your prepaid account.
7. Drink your milk
Milk tea shops are such a huge success that you can find a store with a clever “tea” name on virtually every street. The challenge for these shops is to come up with an innovative take on the well-received drink. One shop that’s succeeded in doing that is Cobo. Its Bubble Burst Tea (PHP75-PHP85) has fruit juice pearls — mango, lychee, passion fruit — that burst in your mouth, releasing flavors that complement the tea of your choice. 96 Sct Gandia St cor Tomas Morato Avenue, QC; + 63 2 7365621. Daily 8am-12am.
BPI HOT TIP: The BPI Express Mobile app is bursting with over 300 partner merchants that you can pay online. Don’t have the app yet? You can enjoy mobile banking without data charges till March 15, 2015, if you’re with Smart Prepaid, Postpaid, Infinity or Talk N Text.
8. Play beer pong
There’s always a better way of drinking beer. And at enRoute Distillery, it’s by playing beer pong. It’s a game where players try to shoot a ping pong ball across the table and into a cup filled with beer. If it shoots in, the opponent drinks the beer. The team with the most cups left wins. 198 Tomas Morato Ave cor. Scout Delgado St, QC; +63 917 5805118. Daily 7pm-4am.
BPI HOT TIP: Check out the BPI Express Mobile app‘s promo section — you never know when one of the restaurants nearby has an ongoing credit card promo. We all love free stuff and discounts!
9. Sing the night away
For a nation that loves karaoke, nothing is better than..karaoke with drinks! Music Bank is the go-to KTV joint of local celebrities, whose photos and signatures are conveniently displayed on its lobby walls. It could soon be yours too; Its PHP90 an hour per person rate is pretty irresistible. Food and beverage are also available at affordable rates. Timog Ave, Bgy South Triangle, QC; +63 927 7262584 or +63 2 3324422. Daily 3pm-5am.
10. Adopt a preloved book
For those who love the feeling of actually holding a book and flipping through its crisp pages, a visit to Bookay-Ukay, a secondhand bookstore, is in order. It has a wide range of titles from classics to Filipiniana to young adult, which are sold for as low as PHP80. And you need not rush in choosing what books to purchase as it is open till late. 78 Maginhawa St, Bgy Teachers Village East, Diliman, QC. +63 917 6474956. Daily 10am-11pm.
BPI HOT TIP: When buying a book, it’s okay to take your time and linger. When it comes to your banking needs, you want it fast and efficient. With BPI Express Online there’s no need to wait for long queues just to pay your bills or transfer funds. You just need to be online.
11. Get pampered
It’s not every day that you can post a selfie of your new haircut or manicure at 3am — thank god for 24/7 spa Wensha. Apart from a massage, you can also get a bikini wax or an eyebrow tattoo any time of the day. Pasda Mansion, Panay Avenue cor Timog Avenue, QC; +63 2 3751398 to 99.
12. Get a hydrotherapy massage
We all deserve a break after a stressful week in the office. If you have four hours to spare, treat yourself to a hydrotherapy massage at Ace Water Spa. The spa uses an “ultrasonic jet system” which targets your tired muscles. There’s also a lap pool and an herbal tub to complete your short relaxation getaway. Rates are at PHP550 for adults and PHP250 for kids 4 feet below. 399 Del Monte Ave near cor Banawe St, SFDM, QC. +63 2 3678040 to 41 or +63 2 3678061 to 62. Sun-Thu 6am-10pm, Fri & Sat 6am-11pm.
13. Go jogging
It’s a scene right out of House of Cards: seemingly random people jogging in the UP Oval area in the dead of night, talking quietly about the weather while they circle the Sunken Garden. Thankfully there are security guards roaming this area so you’ll be safe. University of the Philippines, Diliman, QC.
BPI HOT TIP: When you’re exercising outdoors limit your valuables to your mobile and ATM card — and should you need some cash along the way, the BPI Express Mobile app on your mobile will point you to the nearest ATM machine.
14. ‘Strike’ the King
Modern bowling may have been formalized in the West, but it’s in Metro Manila where you can find the greatest international bowler of all time: Paeng Nepomuceno. This eponymous bowling and billiard facility has state-of-the-art facilities that’ll make you feel like a professional bowling player. And it’s cheap. A game per person ranges from PHP120 to PHP140. City Walk II Bldg, Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City; +63 2 6876424, +63 2 6876426 or +63 917 5269673. Sun-Thu 11:30am-1am, Fri & Sat 11:30am-3am.
15. Try your luck at bingo
Gone are the days of using chalk to mark the numbers in your bingo card. Now, bingo can be played digitally. At Bingo Boss, cards are electronically generated and you can play the game even if all you’ve got is PHP20. And the prize — as high as PHP 1,200. Thompson Square, Tomas Morato cor. Roces Ave., Quezon City. Daily 24/7.
