New Gimmick Spot: Casa Nami

Before I discovered dancing and, consequently, shifted to hiphop music, I was a bit of a rocker. This was back in late grade school and early high school, when I was heavily into bands like Nirvana (I cried when Kurt Cobain died), Suede, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Guns N' Roses, Smashing Pumpkins, U2 (my all-time fave), and to some extent, Metallica. (I drew the line at Pantera.) I was heavily influenced by my kuyas, who had bands of their own, and who were regulars at Club Dredd. So, while I tend to move my boo-tey to a good hiphop beat, I also find myself bobbing my head when I hear the rock songs that were the anthem of my early teen years.

Which is why Casa Nami is the kind of place I don't mind chillin' at for hours on end. (The boys over at the hilarious Amats Project--one of my current favorite blogs--seem to like it too.) This relatively new pub plays purely rock music, whether via playlist or live band, and has a decidedly older clientele than those found in the trendiest gimmick spots. Here, I can just sit back without bumping elbows with customers who look like they're below the legal drinking age, or enduring the sight of college girls grinding against each other to the latest Top 40 Hits to get attention for fun. Some of the live bands, while playing unfamiliar songs, can tap into my dormant inner rocker and capture my attention for a set.

The interiors are made up of light wood and concrete, and bar stools are the order of the day. I love that there's barely any smoke, since the smokers are contained in one area. I love that I can wear flipflops, and can walk in without people giving me the once over (there's bound to be someone way more dressed down--and who couldn't care less). It's a surf-themed bar, with surfboards mounted onto walls, and surfing competitions showing on the flat-screen TVs--seeing the world's best surfers in action kind of encouraged me to give it another shot. We'll see.

Hamil loves their ice-cold beer, served in frozen mugs. Lightweight drinker me liked their Blue Hawaii (or Hawaiian? One of those!): a large glass of pineapple juice, blue Curacao, coconut rum, and an umbrella for good measure. And even after having a big dinner at neighboring Portuguese resto O'sonho, we couldn't help munching on the Kelaguen, their version of kilawin, made of chicken and served with chips. Yum!

I thought I was done going out, staying up late--my eyes and my lungs just can't take the smoke anymore, and the dressing up, and the standing around for hours in heels. But with a place like Casa Nami, I think I still have it in me to rock on!


Casa Nami is on Jupiter Street, Makati City (near Starbucks and Whistle Stop).