Coming back to Manila one of things I was most excited about was visiting Serendra again. Serendra is such a pretty place. It truly is one of my regrets that I didn't set up a Nana Meng's here. The night that I first had dinner at Serendra again (Mezza Luna last week), all the restaurants were packed and it was just a Thursday night, not even the weekend yet. I had to park two blocks from Portico, thank God it didn't rain. Xocolat was full as well as Mary Grace. (Of course seating capacity here isn't that much either.) Weekdays, though, are a different story. I'm at A Different Bookstore now as I post this, enjoying an iced tea, free wifi and pretty people watching ... there not that many people here for lunch. Probably also because not all the restaurants are open by noon. I arrived ten minutes to noon and Mezza Luna, Balducci, Xocolat, ... maybe 60% of the restaurants were still closed. A Different Bookstore opened their lunch menu only at 1 p.m.
At Mezza Luna, it was great to see that true to his word, Carlo Miguel has changed the menu. Unfortunately, the gorgonzola souffle, which I went there for, was gone with the old menu. In its place was a forgetable appetizer that I dare not recommend. Our family friend Tito Chippy had the wagyu baby cheeks for his main course and said that it could have been much better. My fish order was forgettable as well. I would recommend that he select an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert that would be his signature ones for the entire year, and the rest of the menu can follow his policy of variation. Because this last one did not fare as well as the opening menu which impressed the wits out of me.
The following week I visited the newly opened Chelsea. The night we dined at Mezza, I was actually more inclined to eat at Chelsea but it was full. The reason I was drawn to Chelsea was because (1) the name sings New York (and you know how I love New York) and (2) it reminded me of Dean and Deluca, the first store I visited in the City with my love at the time (extremely romantic fat bald guy who shared my love for chocolate). Finally dining at Chelsea, I was quick to note the hints of the City: jazz and blues in the background, paintings that screamed New York, wall decor that had that rough French feel. But it didn't cut NY for me. It felt more like New Yorker in Tondo. Although the tables were nice marble, the shelves for the food are that silver Play and Display type; the paintings were too clean to be edgy (although very appealing) and then of course there's cake display fridge that is very Bizu/Coffee Bean/every other kiosk in Glorietta-ish. Come to think of it, the place is very like Bizu except with a different theme.
However, the food is fantastic. Try the Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare, a superb "explosion of flavors" as my friend JC calls it. It had every fruit and vegetable plantable in the tropics - pineapple, mango, watermelon, onion, green and red bell pepper bits - with the tuna neutralizing the "explosion". The squash soup was spicy enough that there was no need for the waiter to offer any more pepper. The quiche was a generous slab of fine salmon pie. The pizza - I had the mushroom pizza - was amazing - the juiciness of the mushroom appreciated alongside the sourness of the white cheese mixed with it was awesome. The pasta did not lack in any element in the taste department, plus the texture of the linguine was impressive, probably because it was made in the kitchen by the staff themselves.
Tomorrow I'm having lunch at Fu (if that pushes through). Tell you about that in another post!
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