Greens, meat and sweets with Mama Hen

 

Turning at the Highlander Steakhouse driveway, this was all I could see. The dense fog blocked all view from the ridge.

  

The Highlander Steakhouse interiors has that authentic log cabin look.

  

The restaurant's antler chandelier got dressed up for the season!

IT FELT like we could make it a scene straight out of a Western or of a 15^th century vagabond roasting meat over a roaring fire.  It was the really dense fog that conjured up these images in my head.

Stepping out of the car, the chill in the breeze pierced through my pique polo shirt and I knew I was back to a familiar place, unforgettable to me for their 20-oz. dry-aged certified U.S. Angus Beef Rib Eye Steak – the Highlander Steakhouse at Tagaytay Highlands.  I first wrote about it here.  But unlike in that first experience, my lunch last December 21^st was embraced in the thickest concentration of water droplets suspended so near the ground it rid me of all visibility.  It took our hostess’ generosity to warm the surroundings and my heart, making me truly feel it’s already that time of the year.

The hostess with the mostest happens to be Mama Hen, our top legal eagle at both multinational companies I have had the pleasure to work in.  To a certain extent, I feel like she is my adoptive mother.  But her interest with me came much later so her family’s looks and her flawless complexion have never rubbed off on me.  Hahaha!

I espied Mama Hen's brand spanking new Tod's bag!

Bling it on! I couldn't help but ask for a shot of that diamond. It was he size of my thumbnail! Probably bigger.

A tight shot of that bling bling!

Everytime we share a meal, I feel so taken care of.  She never fails to remind me of that first dinner we had together and how it has brought about the lasting impression she and her husband has had about my legendary appetite.  In the small details – she sharing her pot of tea with me, she asking me if I prefer rice over the potatoes, she allowing me to get served first, she asking the wait staff to tell me about the dessert options, she constantly referring to me as “growing boy” – I can’t deny just how much premium Mama Hen puts to valuing her friendships.  And just how much – even in all my decades of existence – she still sees me as that shy, unassuming boy who needed at least six cups of rice to feel satiated.

Mama Hen always remembers and can make anybody feel so loved.  Thanks for always remembering me (the same goes out to the one person who always makes it a point I make it to these get-togethers – Ms. Jo!).

The complimentary bread – a small French Baguette and a small Tuscan Round – came stylishly nestled on a cutting board with a knife dramatically wedged in.

A slice of the baguette. I finished almost half the bread!

 

A slice of the Tuscan round, which I liked better than the baguette. I finished almost one whole of this.

 

Salad of hearts of romaine lettuce with smoked salmon, bacon bits, croutons, and freshly saved parmesan cheese in a light vinaigrette.

 

A tight shot of the yummy smoked salmon.

 

A portion I served myself. I had a couple more helpings after this one!

 

The Steakhouse Clam Chowder

 

The star of the lunch – the fabulous air-dried aged U.S. steak! This was my first serving. Hahaha!

 

The steak with a side of sweet grilled vegetables. My favorite was the zucchini.

 

The sweetness of the grilled roma tomato went perfectly with a cut of steak doused with A1 steak sauce.

 

The steak came with plates of grilled vegetables – green beans, eggplant, carrots, onions, and zucchini.

 

... and the crunchiest French Fries!

 

Plenty of steak sauce options – mushroom, pepper, and a red wine reduction.

 

I had this Flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert. It had the most delicate texture and flavor, with the subtle hint of orange.

 

Mama Hen asked for this Apple Tart with a yummy steusel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

Others favored the Blueberry Cheesecake.

 

I washed everything down with Hot Green Tea infused with Jasmine Blossoms. The lady at the background is Ms. Jo – simply the most thoughtful colleague there is!

 

I sipped cold water from this lovely crystal.

 

I couldn't figure out what the stamps were on my dessert fork.

 

My Western-themed main course plate.

 

The very lovely and gracious Mama Hen (fifth from left) with the rest of the gang – Vi, Glendz, Vic, my good good friend Ms. Jo, Cynch, and Gus.

 

On our way out, it finally cleared.

 

View at the top, where the Steakhouse is.

 

I took this shot while we were speeding off... Wow, my Canon Digital IXUS 860IS has a good stabilizer!

 

All throughout the meal, I'd keep on glancing at this window beside me. I found the play of light through thick fog, through the frosted glass poignant and melancholic.

 

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

I didn’t guess who else was coming to dinner

This display on the second level greets shoppers from the escalator landing.

 

Victorinox Swiss Army wristwatches has an ongoing show at The Podium.

 

I love all the drama of these golden Christmas trees hanging from the ceiling.

 

ONE THING that people get about me off the bat is that I am unorthodox.  But that is not to say that I’ve totally broken all sense of convention and tradition.  Because I haven’t.  One such tradition that I’ve observed since a couple of years ago is a December dinner night out with The Dark Knight – both because it’s his birthday on the 21^st and it’s Christmas time.

Barring all the draining effects of the recession, I’ve managed to get two gifts still for Batman.  I wrapped the presents myself, bearing in mind just how finicky he could be with the gift-wrapping.  That’s yet another tradition I keep.  Gift-wrapping everything by myself, that is.  I’m saving talking about that on another post.

Normally, in the grand scheme of things, one would think that the balance is tipped favorably to Batman’s side as he gets two gifts against one he gets me for Christmas.  But no, once I put onto the scale all the other gifts he would give me just because, the balance tips my way.  But no, I’m not in the business of counting gifts.  It just so happens that I’ve never met anybody else who could put my own brand of generosity to shame.

Batman's gift!

Yet another one of Batman's great book gifts! Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point.

Here are two gifts I myself wrapped for Batman!

Presenting to Batman the second gift.

We met up at the Megamall like we usually do, then walked our way to The Podium.  His cellphone rang and that was when I realized that the gifts weren’t the only surprises for the night.  There was a mystery guest.  I checked my personal cellphone and saw seven missed calls, all from the same number which wasn’t on my directory.  All from the same person speaking with the Caped Crusader at that very moment.  All from someone who came all the way back home from Korea – the Harryboy himself!

Crossing St. Francis Square, I glanced at Batman and before I could even finish my asking as to where we’d have dinner, my tongue curled from the last consonant sound I made and in one smooth rolling action said, “Indian!” in unison with the superhero to my right.  So off we went on our way to The New Bombay Authentic Indian Cuisine at the topmost level.  But not without first making requisite stops at shops I love – the Philip Stein boutique being foremost on my list.  With the ultimate “kunsintidor” (loosely translates to “enabler” in Englsh) beside me, I feared for my own limited resources.  Hahaha!  After the amiable sales associates rattled off the retail prices of two models I loved from the Prestige Collection, I knew it was time to remove myself physically from the premises.  Besides, they were still out of the yellow lizard leather strap I’ve been lusting after.

Comfortably seated at the restaurant, Batman and I first asked for drinks.  As expected, he asked for just house water, while I asked for steaming hot Indian tea with condensed milk.  Exchanging of gifts was the first order of business.  I hope Batman liked the simple gifts I came up with – with one actually taking more than two hours of unceasing staring at a host of options at Powerbooks at Town weeks ago.  Looking back now, I think I kept on babbling about all the effort I put into the gift-wrapping.  Hahaha!

We were in the middle of really animated conversation – one of my “binabasag ang katahimikan” (shattering my silence) moments – when a celestial being deigned to finally grace us with his glorious presence.  The Harryboy had landed.

Batman captions this photo: "Nagpapaliwanag."

Yes, that's the Harryboy. And Batman captions this one: "Nagpapaliwanag pa rin!"

Harryboy's wristwatch has my name written all over it! I want!

Harryboy and his wristwatch. Me likey that bling!

Unfortunately for Batman, I got gifts from the Oil Rigger.  (Hahaha!  Sorry, Batman.)  Finally, I laid my eyes on red string, rock crystal and sterling silver bracelets he got me from an online store in Korea.

Reminiscing seemed to be the theme of the night as we recollected good times from when we were all still working at the same company – where and when I wasn’t friends yet with their circle. But I knew them from afar and they knew me from afar.   I couldn’t imagine there was that time!

As Batman and Harryboy launched into catching up – as they really do have a lot of that to take care of – I took it upon myself to do all the ordering.  It was easy because The New Bombay happens to be a fave.  At one point, they even joked that I didn’t allow them to have a say on the evening’s gastronomic delights.  Anyway, I just made sure Batman and my usuals were part of the spread, plus a couple of new items.

We started with Chicken Soup (Php 85.00, already good for the three of us) and Butter Tandoori Roti (Php 75.00).  The soup was like a stew with the perfect blend of soy sauce and vinegar – but more on the sour side.  It was chockful with white chicken meat.  The chopped coriander leaves perfumed the dish with just the right amount of pungency.  I loved it.  And I think Batman did too (as Harry kept offering him his share.)  The bread was the traditional roti, baked to a chewy crisp in the tandoor.  Soaked well in good butter, it was good on its own.  But nothing prevented us from mopping the plentiful curry sauce with each piece we tore from the huge roti.

For our main courses, we asked for the Chicken Tikka Masala (Php 195.00), the Shrimp Goan Curry (Php 195.00), and the Mushroom & Green Peas Masala.  Of the many rice options, we decided on the Saffron Basmati Rice (Php 175.00).

Chicken Soup (with lots of fresh coriander leaves)

Butter Tandoori Roti

Shrimp Goan Curry

Chicken Tikka Masala

Mushroom & Green Peas Masala

Saffron Basmati Rice

As this dinner was Harryboy’s third of four mall stops for the night – having first gone to Galleria, then to TriNoMa – we had to let him go ahead to meet The Girlfriend at the nearby Megamall.

Batman and I continued our own catching up while taking a leisurely stroll of the fantabulously decorated The Podium.  At one point, I even managed to squeeze in checking on the services of a watch repair store at the basement as I have been meaning to have a vintage automatic wristwatch serviced.  But first we had to get Starbucks – really hot Starbucks.  I earned yet two more stickers on my way to snatching myself their 2010 planner.  No, two plus those that were already on cards Batman and Harryboy gave me over dinner.

This is it!

The best part of the night?  Harryboy demanded that he’d pay for dinner.  And Batman wouldn’t hear a word of me arguing the point as to why I should pay for coffee.  Oh, the joy of friends!

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

I heart kutchay

Mongkok's Kutchay (Garlic Chive) Dumplings

TO FEEL the love of the people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life.  Pablo Neruda said that.  (And Summit even posted it on facebook.)

But when all else fails, there’s always food.

After self-control won over the debate on whether or not I should get the Chotovelli I’ve been eyeing for months now, I figured that only food could give me comfort.  There were too many voices in my head – the kind that would make the House of Tudor send me to be burned at the stake – that I realized only a familiar taste to the palate could calm me down.  Oh yeah, and tell me that I made the right decision to put off yet another wristwatch purchase.

I gave T750 at Glorietta 5 a final heartbroken – almost longing – glance and then I went on my way to dinner.  There, my choices would always be a toss up between The Soup Kitchen and Mongkok – funny that these two are actually across each other.  Mongkok won me over by virtue of having booths.  I thought that I could just get slumped onto the cushioned seat in a sulk.

At Mongkok I already have my usuals.  So I would politely motion with my hands that I don’t need the menu anymore.  But this night being an unsuccessful shopping night, I thought about asking for something new to me.  I guess I just wanted something new.

So after asking for Stuffed Tofu (partially hollowed out tofu squares stuffed with a ball of siomai ham) and Beef Tendon Noodle Soup (extra-thin Hong Kong-style egg noodles in a steaming hot beef broth with braised gelatinous beef tendon and fresh vegetables), I finally decided to try the Kutchay Dumplings for the first time.

Stuffed Tofu in a yummy brown sauce

 

The tofu is partially hollowed out to accommodate the siomai ham stuffing.

 

Beef Tendon Noodle Soup

 

I loved the very crisp baby bok choy!

And boy was I glad I did!  Each plump dumpling – a serving has three – was encased in translucent rice paper wrapper, teasing my eyes with the mosaic created by the deep green kutchay (garlic chive) leaves, minced pork and shrimp.  The perfectly steamed slightly thick wrapper wiggled as if mirroring my own excitement, as I took one dumpling in between my chopsticks.  I dunked it in the sauce I made out of calamansi, chili and soy sauce, and bit off half.  Though it was a huge dumpling, I could fit it in my mouth!  But I exercised self-control yet again because I wanted to see how the inside looked like.

My new-found love – Kutchay Dumplings!

Mongkok’s kutchay dumpling was a study in contradiction.  Kutchay being garlic chives, I expected to be assaulted with a really intense, almost pungent flavor, totally relying on my dipping sauce to temper the sensation.  Instead, what I savored was a subtle fragrance that brought hints of celeriac to mind.  The greens were still a bright green, with a give to the bite – not mushy at all.

I enjoyed the dumplings so much that one serving was not enough.  While I chewed, I felt a calm wash over me.  Best of all, they prevented me from doing what I intended to do to myself for being so indecisive about Chotovelli.

That is, get a plate and bust it over my head.  Hahaha!

I washed everything down with Pineapple Juice! I love it for the fiber!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

All about loving myself

SATURDAY TURNED out to be all about loving myself.

For one, I made good on my promise to treat myself to Cibo’s Panna Cotta Ciccolato (Php 143.00).  But that’s getting ahead of myself.

My table for one at Cibo in Glorietta.

The night before, I had a great dinner with Kakel at Cibo in Town.  On Saturday night, I went back to the same restaurant, but at their Glorietta branch.  While I enjoy being in the company of family and friends over good food, I don’t have even the faintest hint of hesitation – even an iota of indecision – to dine on my own.  When the very comely wait staff welcomed me by saying, “Sir, table for…”  I cut him short with, “For one, please,” before he could even finish his question.  It wasn’t a curt reply at all.  I do remember beaming from ear to ear.  Especially since I was already toting in my hand my Christmas present for myself.  Hahaha!

Crema Di Zucca

This particular dinner was all about comfort so I asked for my usuals – the zuppe di Crema Di Zucca (soup of summer squash, cream, and slab bacon, Php 185.00), the Spaghetti Alla Romana (spaghetti with sardines in oil, extra virgin olive oil, fennel, chili peppers, and red pesto, Php 225.00), and the Panna Cotta Ciccolato.  Of course, my drink could only be Tomato Juice (Php 90.00).

Spaghetti Alla Romana, my favorite!

 

That fennel frond on top was just so tempting I munched it first! The sardines were perfect, a far cry from the usual bottled variety at the grocery (though there's one brand I hold dear!). And the shredded fennel bulb was just the right sweetness!

The star of this dinner was the pasta, to which the kitchen generously added extra fennel.  I was so excited to get my fork into the dish but not without first snatching the fennel frond that prettily sat on top of the mound.  As I played with it in my mouth, shredding the pin-like succulent foliage with my teeth, I got an arresting shot of an almost-licorice essence.  It was all good.

Each strand of the al dente spaghetti was perfectly coated with the glorious melding of extra virgin olive oil and the oil in which the sardines marinated.  The chili peppers and the red pesto provided a pow-wow layer of heat that developed as I savored the dish.  But the shredded fennel bulb – the white part – provided the perfect counterfoil to this spiciness.  I couldn’t think of anybody else delivering such a great pasta creation for the discriminating Filipino palate.

I started harping about panna cotta ciccolato and ended up raving about the pasta.  Oh, life!

The Panna Cotta Ciccolato that I love!

 

Two receipts from two wonderful dinners!

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

Cibo is necessity and indulgence

That's my reflection on Cibo's mirror wall.

THE NICE thing about food is that it is both a necessity and an indulgence.  Even better, it can be both at the same time.

There was no stopping my dinner plans last Friday night.  Earlier in the day, my friend and fellow engineer Kakel and I floated the idea of treating ourselves to a great dinner – should we survive the day.  You see, where we work, something really major is happening.  We’re in the process of totally asserting our independence from the two parent companies that brought forth the business venture we are in.  Think Y2K all over again – only this time, with real drama.  I was waiting for a chasm to open up from right under me.

But with all that we had to go through and take care of, we realized that a great dinner was a non-negotiable.  On the drive to Town, I was quick to recommend Pepper Lunch.  But when we were greeted by the velvet rope upon which was a sign that said, “Line starts here,” I had to seriously reconsider our restaurant choice.

Good thing that right next door to Pepper Lunch is Cibo!  It was also full but I immediately radar-locked unto the last remaining free booth seating.

Spinaci Gorgonzola

The spinaci gorgonzola comes with a generous pile of the best melba toast!

While the usual accompanying melba toast is nice, I prefer my bread soft. So here's my own "soft" melba toast. Finished this off!

We started with the Spinaci Gorgonzola (spinach and gorgonzola cheese dip, Php 218.00), served with melba toast.  I’m not fond of bread sliced thin then toasted to a crisp so I asked for a side serving of soft melba toast (Php 18.00).  Even with what I had in mind for dinner, I managed to finish the whole serving of the bread!

Farfalle Genovese

One of Cibo's strongest points is their presentation. The la famiglia serving of their farfalle genovese comes in a huge pristine white serving platter placed on top a thick slab of wood. The plentiful portion of their fresh bread is neatly piled up on the side.

A tight shot of the farfalle genovese. See the generosity of the restaurateur in this dish. You see all the components – the fresh basil pesto, the wild mushroom cream sauce, and the freshly grated parmesan cheese – all completely coating each piece of bow tie pasta.

Just one of the many helpings of farfalle genovese that I helped myself to.

I then asked for the la famiglia serving of Farfalle Genovese (farfalle in a fresh wild mushroom cream sauce and basil pesto served with a generous grating of well-aged parmesan cheese, Php 465.00).  This dish has long been touted as one of the bestsellers at Cibo.  And I had it for the first time that night.  With the first bow tie pasta I picked from the huge platter, I instantly fell in love.  I could imagine the chef slaving over a mortar and pestle – all the way from Romblon – making the basil pesto from scratch.  Only a fresh and intensely flavored pesto could conjure that image in my head.  It was mixed well with the mushroom cream sauce, coating every piece of pasta.  For presentation and added flavor, a dollop sat right on top at the center.

The mushroom cream sauce perfectly tempered the full-bodied purity of the basil pesto.  The dish had a liberal amount of sliced fresh mushrooms – lots of shiitakes, white buttons, and oysters – that I was sure to hit thick and juicy slices of these fleshy fungi everytime I stuck my fork through.  The very generous dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese only managed to elevate the dish to an astral plane all its own.  But I managed to remain on the ground as the faint hint of nutmeg in the cream sauce reminded me of Christmas.

I’ve never been one to salivate over pasta with a cream-based sauce.  But Cibo’s Farfalle Genovese eradicated whatever shred of skepticism I had.

My first glass of their tomato juice!

Before long I already needed a second glass!

Notice the freshly cracked black pepper on top! Just got to love this drink!

To wash everything down, I had Tomato Juice (Php 90.00) – all two tall glasses of it!  I love tomato juice, the only drink I would keep on asking for on board flights.  While all people shamelessly gulped down all the free champagne that flowed incessantly – in an obvious attempt to take passengers’ minds off the frightening turbulence on a Malaysia-to-Singapore flight – I just asked for my glass to be freshened with tomato juice!  Cibo’s presentation was lovely, complete with a celery stick and freshly cracked black pepper on top.  I like all the quiet drama involved with freshly cracking black pepper tableside.  I would often wonder if the pepper mills were part of the restaurateur’s famed collection.

Kakel's Penne All' Amado. He ate this all up!

While I shared my farfalle with him, Kakel for his part ordered the Penne All’ Amado (penne with slow simmered beef sauce and tomatoes, Php 218.00).  It was the first time I heard of it, and while the description was pretty straightforward, I couldn’t help but assume that the dish could have been named after the owner’s son.  For his drink, Kakel asked for peach-flavored iced tea (Php 90.00).

I wanted to have my favorite Panna Cotta Ciccolato, but decided against it for the time being as Starbucks was part of the dinner plan.

A couple of Dark Cherry Mochas!

In this one, I like the watch better than the drink. Hahaha!

So off we went to Starbucks and ordered two Dark Cherry Mochas.  “I shall have my Cibo panna cotta on the following night,” I told myself.  The two stickers I got for the coffee drinks were enough to make up for it.

And the great conversation too!

Kakel by the Rustan's display window at Town.

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

New kid in Town

Now this is really really good news!

I GOT this text message last week and have been meaning to make a post about it here.  I stumbled upon it once again as I clean up 3175 messages in my inbox – 700 in this phone and 2475 in the other.  Without a doubt, the sender knows just how much I love love L-O-V-E Cyma.  One of my most memorable nights out with Superheroes was a dinner at this restaurant’s Greenbelt 2 branch.

Memorable Cyma dinner at the Greenbelt 2 branch

Town is getting more and more exciting.  Pepper Lunch.  Cyma.  What’s not to love?

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

 

Thankfully it’s just fish that exploded

THE WEEKEND before last was quite busy.  It involved visiting a patch of earth, taking measurements, looking at designs, and signing some papers.  It wasn’t as easy as it sounds.  By the time signatures needed to be affixed for the n^th time, I had practically tuned out, absent-mindedly measuring and realizing that the car in front of me was about 15 to 16 feet from the hood to the trunk.  Yeah, I measured with an actual steel measuring tape.

Naturally I was famished.  So off we went to one of our regular haunts – Max’s!

Ampalaya Con Carne

 

Kare-Kare

 

Half of a family-sized Fried Chicken

We asked for the usuals – Ampalaya Con Carne (bitter gourd with beef in a fermented soybean sauce), Kare-Kare (oxtail stew in a peanut sauce with fresh vegetables), and their house Fried Chicken.  But for the first time, I asked for their Pinaputok na Tiyan ng Bangus.  “Pinaputok” loosely translated, could mean popped or exploded (fish).  But actually, all it means is grilled.

Pinaputok na Tiyan ng Bangus (simply, grilled milkfish!)

Max’s version is one whole fatty belly of a milkfish.  It was so huge anyone would be so inclined to suspect that there was something in the water the fish grew in.  The dish had a deboned premium milkfish belly stuffed with chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, and garlic, wrapped inside a banana leaf then grilled.  A spicy fresh tomato salsa topped everything for a perfect piquant finishing touch.  I liked it!

A spicy fresh tomato salsa tops the grilled milkfish

 

Copyright © 2009 by eNTeNG  c”,)™©’s  MuchTime™©.  All rights reserved.

 

A day’s catch and a harvest of greens to satiate two superheroes

ONE WOULD usually need a searchlight with a bat-shaped insignia over the lens to shine into the night sky the “Bat signal,” so that The Dark Knight will know he is needed.  And sometimes, one would usually have to shriek like a damsel in distress so that this bespectacled newspaperman will step into a phone booth to change into The Man of Steel.  Lucky for me, all I have to do is send a text message and they will show up – superhero costumes not required.  Though I will have to admit that the stars need to be aligned for both of them to be available at the same time.

Dinner with the (almost) Justice League – eNTeNG with Batman and Superman!

It was a starlit September night not too looong ago when both Batman and Superman arrived divine – an homage to their demigod-like provenance.  As I was the mere mortal in the triumvirate, I took it upon myself to choose where to dine.  Superheroes have far bigger cares than I do so I thought it was too much already to busy their minds with the perrenial question that has plagued mankind – “Where do we eat?”

For superheroes tasked to save this world, I’ve often wondered how anything will be enough to fuel Batman and Superman – if at all they need it.  They’re not exactly in want of sustenance.  Though I can attest to their fine tastes.  As I traipsed through the stretches of restaurant options in all the Greenbelt annexes – as I traipsed while they glided more than strutted – it suddenly occurred to me to treat these two to the cuisine of the gods and goddesses.  How fitting!

Cyma Estiatorio at Greenbelt 2 – now that’s Greek to me.  Opah!

If I had saved my dear superheroes precious neural traffic from having to choose the restaurant, I might as well extend it all the way to ordering.  Fortunately, they would always let me have my way.  We had a full table that night.  We asked for the Steak (Beef Tenderloin) Souvlaki, which is the traditional kabob, skewered with fresh vegetables and grilled to perfection.  In deference to the evening’s company, I told the kitchen to make ours medium-well.  I would’ve wanted medium-rare, really pink in the center of the humongous meat chunks.  The kabob came with warm pita bread and garlic yogurt sauce.  I tore the pita piece by piece as I went on munching them.  I totally ignored the yogurt sauce.  But that’s just me.

With protein taken care of, I veered to asking for carbohydrates.  At Cyma, it could only be Solomos Angel Hair for me.  And judging from the response I got from Batman and Superman – usually light eaters themselves – it was a runaway hit.  Anybody offering me pasta can stop at the mere mention of “angel hair.”  Angel hair?  I’m there!  But the Solomos Angel Hair warrants a full accounting of all the scrumptious ingredients that go into the dish.  Writing them down now, I had to glance at my expanded girth as culling them (the ingredients) from memory – one by one – seems to be adding pounds!  Each strand of pasta was generously coated with the tomato-cream sauce, then topped with the best crumbled feta cheese.  It was a wickedly perfect mound on a pristine white serving platter.  It was so good it felt like a sin loving it too much.

It may seem that satiation came to us by way of those two dishes.  Not.  Just.  Yet.  It really did come by way of an unassuming but arguably the best soup and the best salad I’ve ever had here at home.

The Roka Salata is a salad of fresh arugula and delicate hearts of romaine lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, and candied walnuts topped with shaved parmesan cheese in a special, original Greek vinaigrette.  I’ve taken great pride in my considerable success in reproducing restaurant-created salads – most notable my version of the Café Breton seafood salad with mangoes in a honey mustard dressing.  But I haven’t had success with Cyma’s yet.  I take it as a testament to the restaurant’s genius.  And oh yes, a testament to my failure as well.  Hahaha!

Roka Salata on a superhero's plate!

The ultimate in soups will have to be the Kakavia, or Greek Fisherman’s Soup.  Usually, this soup is made by fishermen from the day’s catch.  So imagine how all the more excellent this would have tasted if it were made a mere minutes from when the fish and the seafood had been caught.  After all, the best fish and seafood are the freshest fish and seafood.  Start with those and you can never go wrong.  Cyma’s kakavia was chockful with the freshest seafood, in a saffron broth infused with fresh herbs – I got the dill right away (I’m thinking it could be dill though most recipes call for thyme).  The thread-like foliage of the dill, together with the saffron, gave the soup its aromatic quality.  Each spoonful was a medley of chunks of vegetables and bites of fish, mussels and clams.  And with each (quiet!) slurp came the faint saltiness reminiscent of the seas, tempered perfectly by the natural sweetness from the juices of the shellfish and the fragrance from the herbs.

Kakavia – arguably the best soup I've ever had in a restaurant.

Cyma Estiatorio at Greenbelt 2 – now that’s REALLY Greek to me.  And with a couple of demigods around, I couldn’t help but say, Opah!

The representatives of the Justice League and I moved to Classic Confections for dessert.

First dinner with a superhero

One for The Dark Knight, one for me.

IT’S TRUE that God blessed us on those days we met our best of friends.  Some even say that they’re the siblings God has forgotten to give us.  Though I doubt that God in His infinite wisdom ever forgets anything.

And while our brain cells responsible for the cognitive processes on bringing back past experiences haven’t completely fried, it’s nice to see again flashing scenes of the definitive moments when our best friendships were forged.

Right now I feel like posting a few pictures from when I found a long-lasting friend in The Dark Knight himself.  I was going through discs of pictures and inadvertently stumbled upon those snapped on the night I first shared a meal with the guy.  Weird that we had Starbucks first – a couple of them fruit smoothies.

Halfway through our smoothies. It was potato chips and drinks before a light Japanese dinner!

Partner was with us but she had to rush to a family thing.  So while the rains came crashing down that starless night, the Caped Crusader and I hied off to a Japanese restaurant in one of the buildings in that Sta. Rosa, Laguna outlet store complex.

We had a good meal of maguro sashimi (tuna), tekka maki (rolled sushi with centers of tuna), miso soup, and my favorite zaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles served on a bamboo sieve called “zaru”).

Somewhere between extolling the subtlety and the nuances of buckwheat noodles dipped in a mirin-laced sauce spiked with wasabi and chopped green onions, and that long drive through Tagaytay in the pouring rain… I knew I had found a friend I’d keep for life.

The same one who gave me the biggest scare when I couldn’t get hold of him during the onslaught of the typhoon.  Well, he knows that already.

The receipt. The restaurant's Umenoya. Only 664.90 pesos for a really delicious and quality Japanese dinner for two.

The Caped Crusader in person at Pepper Lunch

Just another night at the mall with the camera-shy Batman!

THE LINE became so quiet that I thought we got cut.  “St. Francis?”  the person on the other end of the line asked, not a hint of exasperation was even detectable.  “I thought you said Shangri-La Plaza?”  he continued.  It was one of those moments that allowed me only a few minutes to look up in the sky and scratch my head, freezing me exactly where I was standing.  Which, in this case, was right smack halfway through crossing from SM Megamall Building A to St. Francis Square.

The text message that I thought the Caped Crusader didn't answer... causing all the confusion.

“But you didn’t text me back if it was ok with you!”  I attempted to protest, while I scrambled on checking in my other cellphone if I unwittingly marked as read his response.  I heaved a sigh of relief when the contents of my inbox – at least the most recent 20 of 2389 messages – acquitted me on any impending charges of gross dedma.  Calmly, I asked for a new set of directions as my current predicament disoriented me big time.

Before long – and with beads of perspiration forming at my temples – I found myself within the round enclosure of the mall’s grand revolving door, right between the panels that have the newly opened Penguin® Munsingwear’s ad on the door’s central shaft.  I dialled my friend’s number and before I could even finish describing – in sooo many words – where I was standing, I turned around and he was there.

Finally, after quite a while, Batman the Caped Crusader in person!

Yes, it has been a while since I last met up with one of my bestest superhero friends.  I was all too excited, especially since his schedule has been so swamped (that’s an understatement there!) eversince his MBA program at the country’s foremost university went full swing.  For last night’s dinner plans, he was just so willing to oblige to make it a Pepper Lunch dinner per my request.  You know how much I (heart) Pepper Lunch.  But this particular trip was all because of their new DIY Pasta Bolognese with Grilled Sausage.

The very spacious Pepper Lunch branch at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

And since Batman hasn’t been to Pepper Lunch, I just felt that it was my duty to introduce him to one of the most pioneering and best casual dining options ever to be made available to the discriminating Filipino palate.

The predominantly orange-hued interiors of Pepper Lunch. I'm so loving all the lamps (chandeliers). They kind of remind me of this all-stainless-steel-and-orange Alessi wristwatch I love!

Batman said he was a little full – he doesn’t usually have rice in the evenings – so he initially just asked for the Chicken Teriyaki Rice and kept repeating: “Pwede ba walang rice?  Pwede ba walang rice?” (Can I have it without rice?) that I almost felt he was reciting a mantra.  While I was kind of happy that he didn’t take the usual Beef Pepper Rice route, I was really kind of hoping he’d opt for either Tokusen or Shimofuri Pepper Steak.  I wanted his initiation to Pepper Lunch to be quite the experience.

Batman perusing the menu. I waited patiently on the side, keeping my fingers crossed that he would zoom in on the Tokusen or Shimofuri Steak!... Then he said Chicken Teriyaki Rice!

After extolling the virtues of excellently marbled Shimofuri Pepper Steak – and yapping at his ear to no end – he finally allowed to be egged on trying this instead of his previous chicken teriyaki preference.  But not without again saying, “Pwede walang rice?” (Can I have it without rice?).  As I would almost always have my way when it comes to food, I just asked our very pleasant order-taker Joan to keep the rice, even requesting it to be turned into Mixed Pepper Rice.  I wagered with myself that Batman would clean up his bowl of rice in no time.  And as for myself, I asked for what I came there for – the Pasta Bolognese with Grilled Sausage!

Our dinner bill total. So worth it!

 

The receipt for our dinner

 

For those not as ardent a lover of Pepper as I am, you have an option! But then again, Pepper Lunch uses only the outermost shell that is most fragrant... what's not to love?!

 

They (Joan, Aisa & Jhon) sent all the wonderful food to us at Table# 52!

I thought it was only the rice that was to be the subject of Batman’s skepticism.  But the very moment the hot plate landed on our table – Table# 52 – he just had to ask, “Is that butter?” pointing to the beige colored floret of cream sitting on top of the succulent fresh meat.  He was setting it aside, and I let him to, but not without appealing for him to reconsider basting his sizzling steak with Pepper Lunch’s secret creamy butter.  I thought I made my puppy face while I pleaded so he did reconsider.

Batman's Shimofuri Pepper Steak! Yes, that's him setting aside the wonderful butter. He did reconsider spreading it on his pepper steak. Good call!

With his first bite, I could tell that an overwhelming wave of satisfaction had taken over Batman’s being.  Okay, that may be a stretch.  Hahaha!  Suffice it to say, he just immediately flashed his beaming smile, peppering his reaction with one-liners in the vernacular: “Sarap!  Sarap!”  and “Lambot!  Lambot!”  (“Delicious!” and “Really tender!”).  As he enjoyed his dinner, I pulled closer the condiment cluster and introduced Batman to Honey Brown Sauce.  Slowly, I saw his spoon inching closer to the bowl of the magical mixed pepper rice.  He’d scoop a little at a time, reminding me from time to time that half of it was mine.  After he bridged the demarcation line he had just set on the surface of the perfectly cooked and perfectly stained Japanese rice, he sheepishly glanced at me, probably waiting for me to quip, “I told you you’d love it!”

And he did.  He did clean his bowl and plate, as I had predicted.  (Save for the bean sprouts which he left for me to enjoy!).  And he loved the meat for its innate goodness.  He hardly used the honey brown sauce.

My DIY Pasta Bolognese with Grilled Sausage. Such a steal at Php 285.00!

 

A close shot of my pasta and sausage dish. Notice how truly "Bolognese" the sauce is! That's top quality beef!

The Pasta Bolognese with Grilled Sausage that I had was such a treat.  A huge departure from how I usually have my pasta – in terms of two areas.  First, I’m partial to purely tomato sauce, as in coarsely chopped fresh roma tomatoes that I would blanch, peel, seed, and cook myself.  And to perfect this sauce, all I would need are crushed red pepper flakes, slivered garlic, a little salt, lots of freshly torn basil leaves, and even more freshly grated or shaved parmesan cheese.  DEFINITELY NO MEAT.  Second, I have never served my pasta on a sizzling hot plate.  (Duh, I don’t have Pepper Lunch’s patented hot plates.  Hahaha!).

They win plus points for the lovely presentation. Notice the specks of herbs in the sausage. "Mas masarap pag real!" Hahaha!

I thoroughly enjoyed my pasta dish!  Given that it was nestled on a hot plate, I couldn’t figure anything else Japanese about it.  It was as Italian as Italian could get.  The spaghetti was al dente, which caught me by surprise given that the dish was sitting on something that was heated up to well beyond 200^OC.  The bolognese looked and tasted authentic.  I mean, true to the original sauce that came from Bologna, Italy, Pepper Lunch’s version was more “meat” than “tomato” sauce.  It was as if they ground up my steak and put it on top of pasta!  I loved it though that I could pick out from the sauce the actual bits of fresh tomatoes.  But clearly, the star of the generously sized dish – quite a steal at Php 285.00! – was the highest quality beef that Pepper Lunch has built its reputation on.  And the grilled sausage was good too.  I just let Batman have most of it as he undoubtedly favored the highly seasoned minced meat, full of real smokey goodness.

The really super affordable price belies the goodness of this molten chocolate cake a la mode!

We capped off our leisurely paced dinner with the Molten Chocolate Cake a la Mode.  I had Batman stab the top of the cocoa powder-dusted confection to let out the warm, smooth chocolate ganache.  All of my superhero best friend’s allusion to being already full vanished in thin air from when the chocolate and ice cream delight first gave him a delicious smack.

Pepper Lunch's Molten Chocolate Cake!

 

Did I say dessert was a la mode?!

 

I had Batman stab the cake with his spoon. Look at that generously cocoa powder-dusted cake top!

 

You should've seen in person when this warm chocolate goodness cascaded down the cake!

 

We let the the ice cream melt on the molten chocolate cake. This has got to be the best gooey treat I've had of late. Pepper Lunch sure is proud of their dessert selection!

Long after dinner was over and well within the stroll in the mall and the “window-shopping” that ensued, we continued catching up on and with each other’s latest goings on – both the good and not-so-good.  We promised to tick another date on our calendars to pick up where we later left off.  There were just so much to cover!  And last night was short.

A surprise gift from Batman!

Hopefully by the next dinner, I will have finished the book that he gifted me with last night – “Outliers – The Story Of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell.

I can't wait to devour this! It comes highly recommended by Batman!

 

Edit:  Here’s a response for the Mr. J. van Straten…  I don’t remember smiling or winking (hahaha!), but I guess my excitement when placing my order for the “new” pasta dish was so apparent that your friendly and pleasing counter staff turned a signage to show me this:

Pepper Lunch's new offerings. I... CAN'T... WAIT!