88 – On Restaurants Closing Down: An Update

Walang forever (there’s no forever).

This infamous phrase has been thrown around like an overused rag across social media, perpetuated by clueless millennials who read the works of infamous writer Marcelo Santos III. Despite the misguided ideas underlying their use of this phrase, its essential truth remains; nothing lasts forever—even restaurants. Some close due to bad business, internal problems, and for some reason known only to the ones behind those places.

After more than 80 posts, it’s good to look back and find out if some of the restaurants I’ve been to are still there or if they have fallen victim to change and time. Regardless, this is to inform people who might be curious about how these restaurants fare—only to find a non-existent joint. I don’t want people coming over here and ranting about a certain establishment’s closure.

Korokke and fish katsudon from Meidolls cafe, circa January 2011.

Meidolls Cafe, Rizal

• Picking up from a 2011 visit, I wrote about this now-defunct maid cafe along Ortigas Avenue Extension last year. They closed down in August 2012, apparently to find a new location; it’s been three years since that, and most of the original crew members have moved on to different endeavors. Their Facebook page doesn’t seem to offer a glimmer of hope either; its last update was posted in December of last year, with no succeeding posts.

The Sci-Fi Cafe pull-up tarpaulin, circa January 2014.

The Sci-Fi Cafe, Robinsons Galleria

• I didn’t expect that my visit to this cafe last January would be the first and last time. The cafe ceased its operations in December 2014, apparently due to management issues and low customer traffic where the cafe is located. But just like those sci-fi and fantasy movies, there’s a positive note to their closure. They are “still hoping to be able to relocate the cafe given the right opportunities”, so let’s keep our heads up for this one.

Pink Guava storefront, circa October 2014.

Pink Guava, Quezon Avenue

• Pink Guava was one of the first places CJ and I visited as a couple. However, a quick look at the restaurant’s Zomato page reveals that it has been marked as “delisted”. And sad to say, I have confirmed that Pink Guava has indeed closed for good. I passed by the place multiple times while driving along Quezon Avenue – and unfortunately, the unit it occupies has been boarded up and deprived of its fixtures. The Pink Guava sign at the storefront hasn’t been taken down as of this typing.

At the Magnum Cafe’s front lobby installation, circa February 2015.

Magnum Manila Cafe, SM Aura

• We were fortunate to have visited Magnum Manila Cafe last February before they rolled down their shutters for good last July 2015. Opening last April 2014 with much hype, it was a pop-up store that would be open for one year. Due to insistent demand however, they extended the store’s operations for three more months. People have been flocking here for their make-your-own-Magnum (MYOM) fix, and if you haven’t tried out their creations—stop by their other location at the SM Mall of Asia before it’s gone.

I hope that enlightens you about the fate of some of the restaurants I have previously written about. It may be sad to see some of them shutter their doors for good, but that’s life. Nothing lasts forever. Change is the only constant thing in this world.

The only things that remain are good memories of those old joints, and a hope that some of the new establishments that pop up will give us good memories in the future (not to mention memorable food finds).

Until the next post.

(AUTHOR’S NOTE: The cover image for this entry was taken from the 10 Restaurants That Closed in 2013 article, published at Spot.ph.

EDIT: I redacted two restaurants from this entry—Press Cafe in Rockwell Power Plant Mall and Banapple along Katipunan—as they have re-opened already. Timestamp: 4 July 2016, 10:20 am.)

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