Zuni

To welcome Caren and Pete to Manila, we called for a clan lunch at Zuni in the Greenbelt Mall the first Sunday that they were in town.  This is the sister restaurant of Duo in Serendra at the Fort, and I've always liked the simple but elegant interiors of Zuni.  We knew that Caren has some allergies to gluten, and since Zuni has some good steaks, we knew that we wouldn't go wrong.

Since we had everyone make to-each-his-own orders, I started off my meal with shrimp bisque, and continued with some prosciutto-topped salad.  I liked the bisque, tasty but not too salty.  For my main course, I had fish--sole with asparagus spears.

This dessert plate isn't mine--actually belonged to Pipsey.  She finished the ice cream and chocolate cake in around 5 minutes flat!  The kids were especially happy since Caren went around to distribute special pasalubong (this time they had mugs and stuffed Swiss cows, and they reminisced about the Swiss knives which were given by Caren's mom, Auntie Doris, the last time the family came over to Manila sometime a decade ago).  It is really nice to bond with much-loved relatives that you rarely see, and despite the passage of time and the distance, family bonds are still family bonds.

Prepare around P1,000 per head if you want to have a full-course meal at Zuni.  If you will have some wine to go with the food, your spending will depend on the quality of the wine.  The restaurant faces the Greenbelt garden, and al fresco dining can be arranged; this is especially a good idea for those of you who smoke.