New Restaurant Alert: The Juice Pub in BF Homes, Parañaque
The Juice Pub
Unit A G/F Prime Elite Fitness Club Building, 243 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Parañaque City
Contact: 0917-676-6237
Open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Monday to Saturday)
(SPOT.ph) The principle of optimism dictates that we should ask how your 2017 resolution is going. The reality of human nature contests that it's probably been chucked out the window, especially if it's anything to do with your health.
But Rome wasn't built in a day, and resolutions are never a single deposit sort of thing—you need to get back on the horse! Nadine Baligod can maybe tell you this better than anyone, because it was her resolve to get healthy that would later materialize into her baby, The Juice Pub. Despite their busy day jobs, Nadine and her boyfriend Jeff De Guzman, along with other partners, manage the quaint health shack.*
She's not your typical health nut—in fact, she doesn't consider herself one at all—and says, "I'm not a dietician. I can't possibly presume to tell you what to eat, and I don't really understand these fad diets, but I do know about food that's typically good for you. And that's pretty much all I'm working around." Which is just as well, because not everybody can go vegan or Paleo or whatever it is we've got now.
Appropriately situated under a gym, The Juice Pub has the primary goal to fuel your body with all the good stuff, but it helps a lot that the place is easy on the eyes. With a clean, semi-industrial aesthetic and smatterings of medium-stained wood, anyone rattled by a few hours at the gym could suddenly feel at ease when they head downstairs for a drink.
(Left to right) Gramercy, Up Beet, Power Buster, Cit-Ups, Tropical Lush, Oh, Tomato!
And drinks they shall have—with cute names! Who doesn't love drinks with cute names? Power Buster and Tropical Lush are their best-sellers at the moment, which isn't at all surprising because of our island-loving, citrus-sweet-guzzling ways, but the Gramercy isn't far behind, at least for soy aficionados. And Oh, Tomato! isn’t just a declaration of a solo ingredient, either—a hint of strawberry sneaks up on you as you sip. On a terrible day, you can pretend you're drinking the blood of your enemies with the Up Beet. Thankfully, it doesn't taste like that—far from it, when you've got carrot and pear in there. And if, for some reason, you've got the feeling that you're severely lacking in vitamin C, the Cit-Ups pint will cure whatever ails you, bringing out your inner Aspiring Model in L.A. in the process with a dash of kale. All the drinks mentioned go for P155 a pop.
Quesadilla
Mexican Chicken Wrap
Sweet Mustard Salad
Now, nothing about the Pub's agenda is subtle; health is the priority. But whether it's the Quesadilla (P180) or the Mexican Chicken Wrap (P170), there is no risk of sacrificing gastronomic satisfaction. Even if you normally wince at the idea of a salad, the Sweet Mustard (P170) isn't to be scoffed at—served with tender chicken, crisp greens, and that subtly sharp dressing, you'll be glad you stuck to your diet. (For a while, at least. We're trying to be encouraging.)
Nacho Protein Grande
Kimchi-Wrapped Chicken Bowl
For some crunch, the Nacho Protein Grande (P190) is a big bowl of "Yes, Please!" with barbecue sauce, a little ranch, and all the tuna and chicken your gains could ever want. Speaking of which, the Kimchi-Wrapped Chicken Bowl (P180) has that great savoriness and real kick that you wouldn't normally expect from a place that promises what the Juice Pub does, but there we are.
Ham and Cheese Omelette
Don't think it's all work and no play, either—they're introducing Cheat Days on Saturdays, and an all-day breakfast menu really soon, so keep an eye out! (There's a Ham and Cheese Omelette, P120 that you might be interested in; it's deceptively simple, but so good in all the perfect, breakfast-y ways.)
Overall, we feel like The Juice Pub is very much on the right track to making health-consciousness an easier thing for a lot of people. "No one said it can't be good," chimes Nadine, "You just have to experiment." We're calling this one a success.
Update: The previous version of the article did not state The Juice Pub's other owners. As requested by a brand representative, the story has been edited to reflect this.
Photos by Majoy Siason
