manila: shopping at cardinal ceramics.

ornaments

miss gail once asked me where i find my dishes--of which you've noticed i've an abundance--so i thought i'd let you know about one of my favourite crack dens: cardinal ceramics factory store, tucked in a mostly residential neighbourhood in makati, around the corner from the national shrine of the sacred heart. more of a shop of overruns than defective/rejected pieces, it is a hidden gem for bargain ceramic, porcelain and stoneware dishes.

cardinal is a local company of fascinating origins and with an interesting history that manufactures wares for international companies like dansk, villeroy and boch, lennox, various house brands (last time i was there, i found a whole line of habitat products), and my personal favourite, restaurantware for hotels (circles at the shang commissioned some very nice pieces, and i just found some crazy random pieces for lawry's prime rib restos).


click on each pic for details

prices are reasonable to downright cheap during sales. it's a nice place to stock up on basic whites, and they always have an abundance of various leaf patterned plates (banana is the most common, but lotus and gingko appear regularly), but they also have provincial styles (both european and asian), and unusual pieces (my neighbour covets white porcelain hanging pendant light fixtures, similar to those you can just make out here). if you are lucky, you'll catch the wares at the end of a firing run and pick up some of the more exclusive pieces. i don't know exactly what their schedule is, but a reliable source tells me i should make some time available at the end of march if i want my table settings to match those of a international "hip" boutique hotel chain's restaurants. stay tuned.


i'm contemplating buying some of this line, what do you think?



cardinal ceramics
SACAP bldg
121 dao street
san antonio village
makati
632.816.1983