Marina

An old grade school classmate came in to town from San Francisco, and a gathering with friends was held at the Marina grill restaurant along Timog Avenue in Quezon City.  My last recollection of this restaurant was that the location was somewhere near the Tomas Morato rotunda, but apparently they have moved, and the place is currently more like an ihaw-ihaw beer spot than the family restaurant that I remember it to be.  The specialty--oysters!  Very fresh, very plump, reportedly from Roxas City.  We had them both blanched and topped with cheese, and I can say that this makes such a great beer match.  The rest of the seafood dishes--grilled squid, shrimps and fish are de rigueur items for most grill restos; it's the oysters that set this restaurant apart from the rest.  Prepare around P500 per head for an all-night affair over drinks and pica-pica.  Some acoustic acts share the stage on most nights, mostly easy listening and folk tunes mixed in with some light rock.