Good Food Trips: Politics Cafe + Our First Cebu Trivia Night Experience

Every once in a while, it's always good to try something you've never done before. Whether you want to cross something off your bucket list or you're looking for a life changing experience, there's nothing stopping you except your own self. And in truth, these experiences are the ones that you treasure most and will keep looking back to. At least once in your life, you did something out of the ordinary and out of your boring daily routine.

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to join Trivia Night. But I never had enough courage to come up with a team, especially when I was still in Manila. I've been meaning to start Bacolod Trivia Night with a group of friends. Sadly, I moved to Cebu and the plan never took off. Given the past week's experience and a one-way ticket home, however, this might actually push through. (More on that soon).

Recently, my friends in the office and I joined Cebu Trivia Night in Politics Cafe. To say, at the very least, that it was fun is just an understatement. The experience, which was a first for us all, was completely enjoyable. And definitely, it won't be the last! Team Tagolilong (our team) is already gearing up for next week's event. This time, we'll be more prepared and (hopefully) will have a better sounding team name. After landing the 6th out of 11th spot last week, we already know what to expect and we'll be putting our friendly game faces on.

Kyjean, Daniel, Sekki, me, and Guile

Cebu Trivia Night is actually held two nights per week: Wednesdays at Alejandro's and Thursdays at Politics Cafe. We chose Thursday night as our first try but next week, we'll be at Alejandro's. As it was our first time at Politics Cafe, we decided to go early and have dinner there. Here's a review of our experience at Politics Cafe.

Adorned in a man-cave style bar filled with black and white portraits of famous politicians the likes of Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Hillary Clinton, and more. Politics Cafe exudes a modern vibe to an upscale dining experience. Doing my research, I discovered that the establishment is actually operated by the daughter of former Cebu provincial governor, Gwen Garcia. Sticking with the family's interests in politics, the establishment is inspired by all things related to this controversial world; even their menu is designed as a ballot sheet and the waiters would list down your order as a 'vote' instead of an actual order.

Politics Cafe reminded me of the second floor setting of Cafe 1771 in Ortigas center-- a posh bar laden with hardwood floors and interior colors of brown, white, and wood. It felt like the typical destination of hard-working bankers and businessmen, after a long day hunched over their desks and intense discussions. However, on that particular Thursday night, it transformed into the breathing space of young professionals of all sorts of industries with one goal: to geek out and have fun while doing so.

On our visit, we were too (hungry) excited to eat a decent meal. So we decided to order dishes from the menu and share the food amongst ourselves.

Big Fish & War Chips was okay. Despite its interesting name, the fries was actually lost on us. Sadly, it lacked personality and flavor, unlike its name.

Red Shirts Thai Spring Rolls, a dish too familiar upon us, consisted of ground pork and thinly sliced vegetables wrapped in lumpia wrapper and fried to perfection. An absolute and instant favorite amongst ourselves!

Another favorite was the Carter's Chicken Cordon Balls, breaded chicken breast rolled with ham and melted cheese inside, shaped into balls for easy eating.

All in all, the experience at Politics was fun. The food was a hit and miss yet its intelligent interior was something to rave about. But definitely, it was the Trivia Night experience that made everything all the more memorable!

Politics Cafe and Bar is also known as Politics (Cafe + Public House). It is located at Escario Central Mall along Escario Street, Cebu City. They are open Mondays to Saturdays from 11:00 am to 4:00 am. For reservations and inquiries, call 032 236 6572.