Posted on October 7, 2011 - by Vic

Shut Up and Dance Retro Disco Bar opens in Malate

The variety of elements in contrasting eras, cuisine and looks makes these new combined establishment inviting and unpredictable. Indeed Malate continues to be the hub of night life these days. In the late 60’s, film director Ishmael Bernal opened “Gray November in my Soul” along A. Mabini street the corner of T. Alonso Street. Artists talk about life. Down the street near the corner of Remedios Street came along “Indios Bravos”(the brave natives) – a cafe owned and run by the couple Betsy Romualdez Francia, a poetess, and her husband, Henry Francia, the film maker. Flower power bloomed, the anti- Vietnam War rallies crowded America’s streets and the young strummed their guitars and sang in folk
houses.

Then came the disco houses in the late 70s. And in the 80s, Ernest Santiago opened Coco banana along Remedios Circle with Subway disco along M. Adriatico Street catching up to accommodate the late crowd. Twenty years later, businessman Joseph “Jong” Garcia revives a retro disco bar which he aptly calls “Shut up & Dance” retro disco bar along M. Orosa St. corner J. Nakpil St., in Malate. One can enjoy listening to original popular tunes of The Boss by Diana Ross, Kool and the Gang, YMCA by the Village People. Any visitor stepping in to this place will eventually notice that they
will spend more time enjoying their meals here as well. “I want to revive the good old days of the Malate area”, emphasizes Jong. “The dishes we serve at Shut up & Dance are familiar classical dishes.” We have lined up these dishes which our excellent chefs cooks to please, but not to impress, “ notes Jong Garcia over lunch. Three seasoned cooks manages the kitchen of Shut Up and Dance including Chef Alejandro Ricalde, Chef Angel Padon and Chef Louie Batalla. They have earned a sizable number of years of culinary experience working with other well known restaurants in Metro Manila as well as stints with reputable dining establishments abroad.

Besides Shut up & Dance retro disco bar, Jong has also opened Dematisse Cafe Bar & Diner and also Socialista Bar & Restaurant near each other along Remedios Street also in Malate, Manila. Socialista was the first of these three outlets to open with close proximity of each other and is now perhaps Jong’s most wide-reach-dining cum fun bar venture, praises for its food and service by everybody who had ever eaten there: the locals of Malate, Makati, traditionalist and international food and travel guides. Shut up & Dance Retro Disco bar is slowly garnering enough clients to sustain its status as a “destination,” or as described by Jong,” a dining jaunt, ” where people can have good food, excellent drink mixes and a home grown feel. “We are happy where Shut up & Dance is even just opened a few weeks ago where the feel of the good old 70’s and 80’s is with its music provided by Sonny Tugade who was a famous
retro DJ in the 80’s at Cocobanana and Subway Disco who is back manning the controls that would surely attract office workers and yuppies who will make it their watering hole, according to Jong.

During the luncheon preview, we were given a taste of Jong’s favourite dishes including Paella in various delectable variations of the valencia tinta(squid) and marinara(seafood). One should also try the tasty lengua, or the very oriental steamed fish with crab meat sauce, beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce plus other meat items like steak selections of porterhouse, sirloin and T-bone of imported angus beef. Jong thinks that these familiar dishes go extremely well with one’s palate and the attention to the dish’s consistency will always be there, added Jong. “We hope to maintain the consistency of the quality of our food in the menu. Diners can sense the effort put on the preparation of these dishes not only in the taste but in the presentation as well. Nearby Shut Up & Dance is Socialista Bar & Restaurant with Jong’s idea of recapturing the mid 80’s era. Like Marcel Proust’s own endeavour, the final product may be more romantic and lasting than the lost moment owner Jong sought to recapture. A melange of objects and music contrasting with things old and new, valuable or simply charming and a fondness for juxtaposing man-made objects with Jong’s personal touch is very much evident in Socialista. The food fare here is very much the same as Shut Up and Dance. No fancy reception procedure here, just genuine warmth; and simple attire for the staff, to make everyone blend in. All that was missing were the staple hugs and we’d be one big happy family. At night you can enjoy
some wine or coffee with close friends to catch up or bond with the rest of your family and remember an era gone by. Socialist can accommodate small groups of fifty to seventy and is ideal for reunions and intimate gatherings among close friends. One can enjoy their delicious meals where visits can remind us that the simple things oftentimes give us the greatest pleasure. It was not surprising that a lot of unforgettable parties were done here as the place can be closed just among friends. Last stop in the evening is at Demitasse Cafe Bar & Diner. A late entry into Malate’s night life scene, Demitasse is becoming synonymous as a place to chill out in the area and party till your dancing legs have no strength left. But if you can’t go all around Malate to party, here at Demitasse, one can spend just a few hours hanging out, worship or let loose of one’s self and party the night away with the latest techno music till the wee hours of daybreak.

Despite the dizzying rush of everyday life, some pockets of our metro Manila seem to be untouched by the net citizen’s mad dash for the future. For those better, simpler days, Jong Garcia’s three complementing fun establishments – Shut Up and Dance, Dematisse and Socialista are new places worth the visit as one feel time stood still for those better and simpler days. The city’s social and nightlife circuit will again be busy to check out these newest places in Malate. Lifestyle of Manila foodies and night owls will never be the same again.