Wooden Spoon

Mark's birthday was celebrated at the Wooden Spoon restaurant along Katipunan Avenue in Loyola Heights, right across from the Maryknoll (now Miriam) campus.  The restaurant is owned by Chef Sandy Daza, and the pedigree is very obvious in the menu, where Chef Sandy mentions how his dishes are influenced by those of his family's different restaurants.  Chef Sandy's late mother, the renowned host of the TV cooking show Cooking It Up with Nora, operated both a Filipino restaurant in Paris, the name of which escapes me, and a French restaurant, Au Bon Vivant, in Ermita.

We arrived with Kong and Gwammy quite a bit late, and the ground floor was already almost full. The spiral staircase to the second floor was pretty difficult for the senior citizens to maneuver, and luckily a table at the entrance was available for Kong and Gwammy.  The rest of the guests were seated at the second floor, and we started immediately with lunch. Salmon sinigang was just the right opener, and we proceeded to heap mounds of dilis-topped fried rice onto our plates.  I particularly liked the beef curry, which seemed more of a Thai dish, and the crispy adobo flakes, which was crunchy like chicharon.

We also had regular adobo, fried lumpia rolls (Vietnamese inspired, with noodle stuffing), and fish fingers.  One viand was unique--spinach rolls, which on the surface I thought looked like laing in coconut creme.  I understand this is a new concoction of the restaurant.  Overall the dishes were quite tasty, albeit a little bit on the salty side.

I'd say that you can have a real feast for around P600 per head.  The portions are meant for around 2-3 people, and if you come in a big group and order family style, it's best to ask the waiters if your orders would be sufficient.  Parking space, however, is pretty tight--you could end up along the side streets, so it's wise to come in early.  One drawback for me--the restaurant doesn't accept reservations, and it's open on a first-come-first-served basis.