Look who came in for beer and tall tales: Anthony Bourdain in Manila

We waited for about an eternity for the visitor to arrive. Most of the people who had gathered at this dingy bar called the Oarhouse had no idea who was going to show up and why Ben Razon, the owner, chose us to be part of the gathering.

Albeit having an inkling as to who the "big-time" personality was, I was still left in limbo about whether indeed he was going to show up. I told my friend Jimmy Yang, an old Oarhouse regular, that for me, to see is to believe. And that's what we were there for.

Social media went alive in the last few days after reports of him being spotted eating at a fastfood chain and in a Korean resto spread like wildfire, launching an informal manhunt for perhaps the world's best-known food connoisseur.

The rain spawned by Typhoon Nona made us a bit restless about whether this topnotch celebrity was indeed going to show up. I became worried about any flooding that might occur where my car was parked outside this nondescript melting pot where a group of foreign and local production crew where busy setting up their lights and equipment.

The rain continued to fall while everyone was already on their third or fourth bottle of sub-zero beer. Meanwhile, I was on my third tall glass of orange juice. It was gloomy outside.

Not long after I took a second sip of juice, I noticed a black Toyota Prado suddenly stopping in front of the place. From it a tall male Caucasian, quite recognizable from his countless appearances on television, emerged from the passenger side. He scanned the side street, then dashed towards the door followed by a hulking bodyguard.

Into the dimly-lit Malate pub came the towering 6-foot-3-inch frame of the three-time Emmy Award-winning host of "Parts Unknown," clad in khaki shirt, faded jeans and suede chuckas. He headed straight to the bar.

No introductions were needed as the forty or so invited guests knew who he was. Oh yes, we know who you are, Mr. Anthony Bourdain!

The chef and bestselling author took a seat at the gentlemen's corner where he was joined by Oarhouse owner Ben Razon and Cotabato-based photojournalist Mark Navales for beer and some local pulutan consisting of chicharon bulaklak, langgonisang Pampanga and kaldereta.

Earlier, the three spent a couple of hours at a shooting range in Pasay City to unwind. There they plotted the things they were gonna discuss here.

Those who were invited to meet Bourdain at the Oarhouse are regulars who are mostly A-listers in the photojournalism community and some med students from the University of the Philippines-Manila.

But why would Bourdain talk with photojournalists instead of fellow chefs?

Bourdain, Navales and Razon went on with their sort of low-voiced meeting while the camera kept rolling. My hunch was that Bourdain did not only come to the Oarhouse to talk about food or wine or the best dining place in town, he came to talk about the plight of journalists in the country. After all, the Philippines ranks second as the most dangerous place for journalists to practice their profession and that would be an interesting topic for the world-renowned TV chef and blogger.

Aside from it all, Bourdain also wanted to know about Filipinos' creativity and their penchant for good food. So as the afternoon dragged on and night crept in, Bourdain heard first-hand the real situation in Mindanao, courtesy of Navales.

After several beers, the meeting was over and all hell broke loose. Almost everyone left their seats to have groufies and selfies with Bourdain. 

It was quite a gathering worth remembering. Everyone who had the chance to meet and have a quick chat with Bourdain will surely treasure that moment.

Bourdain left the country on the 20th of December, but everyone awaits this segment which I believe will be aired next year on CNN. — BM, GMA News