Ruby's: A Cool, Heartfelt Homage To A Legend Of Pinoy Dining

(SPOT.ph) The Scout Area in Quezon City has gained a new secret watering hole and it’s in one unexpected location. Tucked in the back of the very first outlet of legendary Max’s Restaurant along Scout Tuazon, it's a beautiful jewelry box of a space called Ruby’s.

With the bar, a bakery, and conference room have also taken space in a pretty sizable portion of the Max's property, a section redesigned with the help of Sarah Canlas, creative director and principal architect of Greener & Partners/CAN Concepts.

Ruby’s is all but 48 square meters but what it may lack in space, it makes up for in style and coziness. Its walls and ceiling are paneled in warm narra plywood. Local bricks line the floor while a brush-hammered concrete counter holds a salvaged wood plank as ledge. The space is concise and deeply considered, with touches of nostalgia here and there—an antique mirror hangs on a column, a pair of vintage chandeliers illuminates the space the way they would an old home.

Also read: 10 Most Beautiful Bars in Manila, According to Design Professionals

And then there's the formal portrait of Nanay Ruby whom the bar is named after; she is the creator of the beloved Max's Fried Chicken recipe.

Everyone seems to know who Maximo is - the patriarch Maximo Gimenez, namesake and founder of Max's, the nearly 70-year old Filipino restaurant chain. But clearly, this bar wants to pay tribute to the lesser known co-founder, Maximo's niece Ruby Trota, who came up with the "tender, juicy and crispy" chicken recipe enjoyed by Maximo's GI friends back in the day and by generations of Filipinos since Max's opened for business after the war.

What to order at Ruby's  

The Ruby’s menu is short, with only four signature cocktails and some classic ones to start. Mandrake Ferrer was enlisted as consultant for the drinks and he took inspiration from the rich heritage of the mother business. Maximo, their take on a dirty martini, is a potent concoction with a surprising and almost savory finish.

“It feels like a boss drink,” Ferrer adds. “We made a mirepoix infused gin which means it has carrots, celery and onion. We butter wash the gin, steep it overnight and strain everything out for the base spirit. We added orange liquor to balance the funkiness of the onion. What we did with this one is instead of the classic dirty martini where you add olive juice, we added chicken broth as an homage to the fried chicken.”

It’s definitely for the adventurous but not to worry: it tastes better than you imagine and we definitely recommend trying it.

In many of the Max’s restaurants, you may have noticed Maximo’s old letters on the walls. A closer look would show you he always signed off with the words, “Forever Amber”. “Basically it means cheers," says Paolo Salud, Max's marketing manager and great grandchild of Ruby. "When we saw that, we said, ‘Hey that’s a great story to tell.’" Forever Amber is now a Ruby's drink and so far the most ordered, Salud says.

Forever Amber takes on, but naturally, an amber tone, thanks to a bit of amaretto. The gin-based concoction infuses egg whites with angostura bitters for a well-rounded drink. Meanwhile, The Scout boasts a house-made horchata—a toasted rice milk that carries a scent of nutmeg—mixed with Islay Scotch, Orgeat syrup and lime. The 1945, named after the year Max’s started, is a light, bubbly, and refreshing drink incorporating tequila, mezcal, and basil.

Everyone's welcome at Ruby's

Although the menu lists only a few items, customers can ask for the bartender to make them a bespoke drink. “We’ll make it for you," promises Ferrer. "It’s a very quaint space so more than the drinks, we want to focus on accommodating everyone, just like how Nanay Ruby did it. The beautiful thing about bars is that welcoming vibe that makes you want to stay.”

And Ruby's design is just that: warm and familiar despite its modern, cosmopolitan touches. “I merely helped re-frame the space, so that Jim (Fuentebella, board director and chief marketing officer for Max’s Group, Inc.) and his family could make the small space come alive with mementos from the early days when things were done slowly and purely," says Canlas. "Although I had not met Nanay Ruby or Maximo, through the generous stories told to me, that spirit was familiar to me through my own experience. Once that was defined, it became clear that rather than adding more flash, all we had to do was dim the lights."

Canlas continues: “The materials are humble and honest in keeping with the rest of the space. I wanted Ruby’s to feel as if it was always there from the very beginning.”

Jim Fuentebella, grandson of Nanay Ruby, wanted to be clear that although the new space bears a fresh, updated look, the people behind the company still hold its good old values close to heart. “I think it’s also nice that even though we were spending and building, it didn’t have to mean we’re gonna serve you expensive food. I think that goes against the values of Max’s. It’s like when you come into a Max’s store, Lola [Ruby] said that they always had to come out with change. We keep that to heart talaga. We know how expensive it is to celebrate and we want to make sure that more people get to celebrate.”

The irony of it all is that Nanay Ruby wasn’t much of a drinker. “If we could go back in time we should have called all the restaurants Ruby’s," Salud says in jest. "And since Maximo was the drinker, this bar should have been called Maximo."  

Ruby's is at 21 Scout Tuazon Street, Diliman, Quezon City, and is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 5 p.m. onwards. 

Also read: This Max's Branch in Taguig Serves Yardstick Coffee