Last Friday, Jun and I met up at the Mall of Asia (Jen couldn't make it) and had dinner at a Thai Restaurant (I forgot the name). I thought the waiters dressed up like the Burmese, and not Thai.
Anyway, the food was OK, except that the Tom Yum was so spicy, I felt like something exploded at the back of my throat.
The week before, I had Tom Yum as well, at Cafe Juanita with Tony somewhere in Pasig. Since the resto is obviously a converted old house with lots of antiques and old furniture dating back before the 2nd World War, with heavy drapes, lace and really outlandish decorations like feather boas and a year-long Christmas tree, it felt like the home of Madame Auring. I was pretty sure there's a crystal ball tucked somewhere. The inside feels like a transplanted house from either Hungary or Romania.
The pochero and afritada were all so good, I'm sure the meat was slowly-cooked for several hours. The pudding was out of this world. The only disappointing item was the saba bananas swimming in shaved ice and evaporated milk.
Back to the soup. Not as spicy, but there was an obvious hint of Bagoong Balayan, which was quite good.
Krung Thai in Marikina has still the best Tom Yum for me, although the cook can be inconsistent at times, with the torn lemon leaves and galangal giving that aromatic twist.
Yesterday, I was again invited for lunch near Malacanang (I'm not kidding) at La Cocina de Tita Moning. In fact, the gates of the Palace was just a block away! It was a different dining experience, very "stately" and "dignified", (in other words, a bit "stiff"), as if you were to attend a debut party in the 1800's where the girls are all wearing frocks and corsets (Ron, that is so Jane Austen!).
Customers are first led to the family living room and served lemon grass tea and bread sticks while poring over family albums, old books, magazines and staring at a rare painting by Resurrecion Hidalgo dating back 1901. You had to attend a 10 minute tour of the house, touching on family history and inevitably to events in Philippine history.
The whole thing felt like the 1920's, as if you were a haciendero and you had a bunch of people running your household. The meal was served in several courses and you had to make sure you didn't pick the wrong fork.
The menu consisted of stuffed chicken for the main course, which I thought was very good but not memorable. The squash soup was very creamy, ideal for cold, rainy nights.The salsa monja was a stunning house condiment made of olives meant to accompany the entire meal, reportedly served to Spanish friars during the olden days. Very different and delicious. The bread and butter pudding was amazing, very soft, as if it were dipped in vanilla sauce. I don't think you'll ever find that anywhere else.
I'm hungry.
Anyway, the food was OK, except that the Tom Yum was so spicy, I felt like something exploded at the back of my throat.
The week before, I had Tom Yum as well, at Cafe Juanita with Tony somewhere in Pasig. Since the resto is obviously a converted old house with lots of antiques and old furniture dating back before the 2nd World War, with heavy drapes, lace and really outlandish decorations like feather boas and a year-long Christmas tree, it felt like the home of Madame Auring. I was pretty sure there's a crystal ball tucked somewhere. The inside feels like a transplanted house from either Hungary or Romania.
The pochero and afritada were all so good, I'm sure the meat was slowly-cooked for several hours. The pudding was out of this world. The only disappointing item was the saba bananas swimming in shaved ice and evaporated milk.
Back to the soup. Not as spicy, but there was an obvious hint of Bagoong Balayan, which was quite good.
Krung Thai in Marikina has still the best Tom Yum for me, although the cook can be inconsistent at times, with the torn lemon leaves and galangal giving that aromatic twist.
Yesterday, I was again invited for lunch near Malacanang (I'm not kidding) at La Cocina de Tita Moning. In fact, the gates of the Palace was just a block away! It was a different dining experience, very "stately" and "dignified", (in other words, a bit "stiff"), as if you were to attend a debut party in the 1800's where the girls are all wearing frocks and corsets (Ron, that is so Jane Austen!).
Customers are first led to the family living room and served lemon grass tea and bread sticks while poring over family albums, old books, magazines and staring at a rare painting by Resurrecion Hidalgo dating back 1901. You had to attend a 10 minute tour of the house, touching on family history and inevitably to events in Philippine history.
The whole thing felt like the 1920's, as if you were a haciendero and you had a bunch of people running your household. The meal was served in several courses and you had to make sure you didn't pick the wrong fork.
The menu consisted of stuffed chicken for the main course, which I thought was very good but not memorable. The squash soup was very creamy, ideal for cold, rainy nights.The salsa monja was a stunning house condiment made of olives meant to accompany the entire meal, reportedly served to Spanish friars during the olden days. Very different and delicious. The bread and butter pudding was amazing, very soft, as if it were dipped in vanilla sauce. I don't think you'll ever find that anywhere else.
I'm hungry.
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