I remember back in the 90's when there would be rolling power outages during the height of summer, the nights were tirelessly long and achingly boring. There was nothing to do but make little wax figurines from the melting candle while tirelessly fanning oneself from the heat. On some nights, a few months after our aunt left for the States, my older siblings would bring out the Monopoly and Scrabble to break the monotony of those dull nights. Truth be told I was never partial to board games, I had played my fair share of snakes and ladders, but I was always a spectator during those epic market and word battles. As I grew up, board games took a backseat to other more entertaining avenues: the internet, consoles and eventually game apps. Needless to say our collection of Monopoly and Scrabble was relegated to the dustiest part of our room and stayed there even during power outages. Lately there is a growing phenomenon of board game cafes, the most famous is Ludo in Quezon City. Ludo is bringing back the allure and nostalgia of these boredom busters into vogue. Just recently another board game cafe popped up in my neighborhood, Dyce n Dyne, and for the first time in quite some time I had a few hours of simple fun and great comfort food.
If you've ever been to Hobbes and Landes or the countless hobby shops around the metro, Dyce N Dyne sort of feels like it. Instead of having shelves lined with interesting toys, collectibles, the shelves have all sorts of board and card games. This is a far cry from the snakes and ladders or even the Monopoly that I grew up with. To be honest there were a lot of board games that really really looked nice to play with.
Since I haven't played a board game in ages, I really didn't know what to pick. There were none of the classics and we were at a loss, but thanks to resident game guru Franco, he picked out the game titled "Camel Up". To explain the game would mean scanning the instructions kit and I would still be at a loss, but the gist of it is whoever has the most money at the end of the race wins. Camel Up is sort of like a video-karera's or OTB (Off Track Betting) for those who don't want to really gamble. As we set up the game, nostalgia hit me as Franco busied himself laboriously setting up the board. Opening up plastic bags, unfolding board games, choosing characters, setting up all manner of contraptions all of those familiar sounds and board game setup routines was nostalgic and made board games fun to watch.
With the rules explained, cards setup, the familiar dice and tokens in our territories, it was time to play to outwit my opponents. Along the way the nuances of strategizing, planning ahead and learning how to play advantages close to your chest came back. The catcalls and the bluffs were met with boisterous laughter as our camels tile hopped closer to the finishing line. But what is a night of board game fun without food, as we ate Dyce n Dyne served up delicious chili cheese fries which I maneuvered deftly lest I leave a cheesy fingerprint or smudge on the board game, the fries were followed up with with spicy gising-gising and rice.
When we ended our game of Camel Up (game guru Franco won without any problems), we moved up to the loft of the cafe for a game of Cards against Humanity. As we vied to give the wittiest, funniest, or even the most sarcastic/frank response, the food kept on coming amid the laughs. The second round was an unbelievable and most heavenly dish fit for early morning risers: imagine a pandesal sliced in half, stuffed with a slider, sandwiched between scramble eggs, a hashbrown, and served with potato chips. While I watched the people around me play Cards against Humanity, I busied myself enjoying every bite of this soft, crunchy, smooth dish that left me begging for more.
Now if that wasn''t bad enough, I just had to order a glass of naicha milk tea, whereas ordinary tea places serve their teas in those venti-sized plastic cups Dyce n Dyne goes nerdy serving their naicha in beakers. The beakers were an excellent touch to the place, it exemplified the absolute nerdy kick I got from playing, it also helped that their milk tea tasted really good; deep orange with hints of condensed milk, it wasn't too sweet nor bland they got it just right.
if there wasn't any work the next day, we would have continued on playing board games (by 10 we had moved on from Cards and onto Time's Up). The kick of playing board and card games was exciting, the cutthroat competition was thrilling, and the novelty of setting up games was certainly a good experience to remember.
Dyce n Dyne is located at 1st floor Elements Building, Pasig Boulevard. Pasig City
Average meal per person is approximately Php 700-900. The use of board games are free and some are being sold as well.
Average meal per person is approximately Php 700-900. The use of board games are free and some are being sold as well.