Cover Chef Aris Tuazon, Marco Viray, Adrien Brody, Jason Soong, Markee Manaloto and Lee Watson
Chef Aris Tuazon, Marco Viray, Adrien Brody, Jason Soong, Markee Manaloto and Lee Watson
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Gugu Room owner and music director Jason Soong talks about opening a bar and restaurant and Filipino pride in the Big Apple
Music director and DJ of 19 years Jason Soong has mastered the art of setting the scene and winning a crowd with fresh beats to accompany good food inside the New York City-based restaurant Gugu Room.
Above An extensive selection of whisky, gin and sake
An extensive selection of whisky, gin and sake
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What was your earliest experience in the F&B industry?
The first time I ever had any experience with it [was when] my dad started a ribs restaurant called Racks in the Nineties and I remember serving tables.
I’ve always been an investor partner in a few bars, clubs and restaurants. I was a partner at Opus Lounge, and am still part of The Palace group in BGC...my brother and I had a bar in San Juan called Moksha before, and restaurants like Hungry Hound, Niner Ichi Nana, and Beso, to name a few. But the first time I became a music director was in Kampai in Poblacion, when my partner Mark invited me to join the group. So, from Kampai to Nokal, then Gugu Room.
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What’s the story behind the name Gugu Room?
It was inspired by the love story of Jose Rizal and his Japanese girlfriend. We liked the name, we found it quirky. “Gugu” is like a term of endearment of Jose Rizal for his Japanese girlfriend.
Who are the minds behind Gugu Room?
There are four of us managing partners: Marco Viray, who put the team together and handles operations, Lee Watson our beverage director, chef Aris Tuazon who runs the kitchen, and myself.
Above The Gugu Room neon sign
The Gugu Room neon sign
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What do you love doing at Gugu Room?
Through the music, I set the vibe of the place—the general atmosphere of the restaurant. We have DJs on weekends, so throughout the night, you will see the lighting will change two to three times, from well-lit to becoming a bit darker. Later in the night, we have a disco ball that we turn on to go with the red lighting.
For this project, I also enjoyed helping out with the design.
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What inspired you to become a DJ?
After graduating college, my older sister moved to New York and I joined her for a year. A friend took me to this now iconic intimate club in New York called Cielo, and there were two DJs—Louie Vega and Kevin Hedge who had a Wednesday party called Roots—and that’s where I really feel like I got inspired by music. After that trip, I wanted to be able to share that experience with my friends back home through the new music I discovered. And through a good friend and mentor DJ Benjo Marquez, I started playing more and formed a group called House of Soul, which brought in Louie Vega and other international acts from 2007-2010.
A delicious spread at Gugu Room
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How important is music in a restaurant or bar?
I think it’s a “make or break”. It sets the atmosphere, the vibe. In Manila, a lot of people always compliment us for having a good crowd in our bars, and I credit this to our resident DJs.
I’ve been a DJ for about 19 years, and there is so much good music out there to be discovered, both old and new. I like to get DJs that play music I’ve never heard before. I feel like it’s an art—what music you start with, what you end with.
Also, the sound system plays a big role. You want to be able to feel the music, but you want to be able to talk to your friends as well. We’ve been getting a lot of good compliments for the sound quality and music in Gugu Room.
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Who are your three favourite genres now?
I like hip-hop, disco, and techno.
Which Gugu Room specialities are your favourites?
For cocktails, a Yuzu Gimlet and a Langka and Lemon Grass drink. And we have a really good Japanese whisky selection. When people walk in—that’s what they notice—the very vast Japanese whisky selection.
I really like our Rock Shrimp Tempura and our Yakitori, the mixed Yakitori that we have in skewers.
Above DJ Daniel Klein (a.k.a. SIRS) from Berlin
DJ Daniel Klein (a.k.a. SIRS) from Berlin
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Do you have theme nights?
A lot of places are known to label nights with a certain genre of music, and this is something I had to explain to my partners even back home when I first opened Kampai. . .I really avoid [theme nights.] For example, if Friday is my hip-hop night, I don’t want people to be saying, “Oh I don’t wanna go on Friday because it’s hip-hop” or “I don’t want to go on Saturday because it’s house”.
Have you tried including OPM in your lineup?
I’ve thrown in a couple of old OPM disco tracks, sometimes while closing and we have Filipino patrons, I’ll throw in something from the Eraserheads or Up Dharma Down.
What’s an unforgettable moment you had at Gugu Room?
For our first Groove event, our guest DJ was Daniel Klein (SIRS) from Berlin. It was just such an awesome feeling seeing people moving and dancing in a space we created.
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Christine Andas is a features writer and the style lead of Tatler Philippines. She mostly covers style-related content but enjoys writing about space, sneakers, and her favourite stars. She acquired a master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Santo Tomas and has written young adult short stories which can be read online.
