If I could rewrite what I wrote ...
There are times when a writer comes to a crossroad between saving a story and sympathizing with a source. I was at that crossroad for SIM's Manila issue, when Ivan Dy, who had taken me on a food tour of Chinatown, requested that I not name the stops we visted to protect the "mystery" of the tour. Like a brainless virgin I obliged.
A couple of weeks later, Menu is released ... now I'm the bitter fool and disappointed at the outcome, with no one to blame but myself.
My other mistake though is that I put all my eggs in the Chinatown basket, not doing my own trolleying around the city to visit the ten million and one food sites that Manila has to offer.
I remember Cosa Nostra (Remedios St.), which brings back many a date memory. This is a restaurant that made Italian cuisine the menu of choice for romance for Filipinos way before Italiannis or Cibo took over that industry. My first real date, back in 1996, was at this restaurant. Come to think of it, so was my last real date, before the May elections. It put a big smile on my face to see that the maitre d today is the same maitre d in 96, pulling out orders from that little window at the back of the room to bring to your table. And I remember my date saying he liked the place a lot because it reminded him of that scene in the Godfather where Al Pacino "made his bones."
Harbor View (near Manila Hotel) is another restaurant that has been in existence for over ten years and to this day maintains its appeal as an out-of-the-way great-for-seafood place. Manila Bay might not smell like the morning breeze sometimes but the sunset will always be beautiful and the air here will always be a relief from the city's fumes.
Hizon's (by the Court of Appeals) still offers the best ensaimada ...
The original Aristocrat (Roxas Boulevard) still offers the best chicken barbecue ...
Becky's Kitchen (Bautista) offers the best prune walnut cake and lemon squares ...
Shawarma Center is one of the country's best shawarma places ...
Ilustrado (Intramuros) I will always remember for their Sampaguita Ice Cream ...
La Cocina de Tita Moning brings you back to the days of true aristocracy and has an amazing quezo de bola cheese spread ...
And I haven't even gotten to the new restaurants yet: Li Li at the Hyatt for a very regal Chinese experience with straight up no nonsense Chinese cuisine, and Century Tsukiji for no nonsense Japanese specialities (you must try the fresh abalone).
And these are just off the top of my head ...
4 comments:
Thank for the rundown. Planning a trip to LiLi soon.
The restaurants at the Hyatt Manila are so rarely talked about...
Cosa Nostra, yes! Must manage a trip to Malate to taste the Pomodore and be served by Lito, the maitre d, again!
Lito! THAT's his name! I couldn't remember it - THANK YOU! You just made me smile :-)
that was quite nostalgic! I have sweet memories of Cosa Nostra especially. :)
Post a Comment