Escolta

When the Manila Peninsula opened, if I remember right, the coffee shop was the La Bodega. As I was only able to eat there maybe a couple of times, I don't have much recollection of the interiors, except that I found the lighting a bit on the dark side.  Kong Kong and his friends were more of mainstays at the Manila Mandarin and at the Philippine Plaza rather than at the Pen.  Years later, in the nineties, the restaurant concept was changed, and the coffee shop was renamed after the Neilsen Tower (if you will recall, the Ayala Triangle was once an airstrip).  Just a few years ago, the concept was again overhauled and the restaurant was christened Escolta, in homage to Manila's business district right after the war.  The interiors feel very much like a large family villa, and the use of plenty of wood (wall panels, flooring, furniture) made me fall in love with the place.

It was a leisurely evening with Vicky, Monique; this time we asked Bryan to join us as he was off from work early.  It was a Friday night and we got there at 7 pm, just before the mad rush of diners coming from the nearby offices.  We started off with crab claws and oysters, and quickly made our way to the appetizer section, raiding the sashimi as we walked by.

I quickly noticed that the Asian food section had crispy pata, which I had to forego.  Too much cholesterol, I told myself.  I was a good boy.  However, the roast beef was a different story, as the bursting aroma had already captivated me as soon as I sat down.  I loved the way they grilled my slices; the sizzle shrank the accompanying fats and the marbled meat became hot and juicy! Vicky on the other hand spent some time nibbling on her favorite cheeses, rolling her eyes in joy with every bite.

Dessert anyone?  As usual, I skipped the pastries, but Monique and Bryan tried a few interesting choices.  Gelato was excellent, and we couldn't help but go for seconds.  Take a look at my plating below, yum yum, di ba?

Prepare something like P2,000 per head as the buffet price doesn't come with drinks.  I know it's placed on the higher rungs of the chow-time ladder but for special occasions, it's worth it.  For corporate meetings or intimate group dinners, they also have a function room (see below) that pays homage to the heritage of Philippine aviation (pre-war and post-war photographs of Philippine Airlines--of course everyone knows that PAL is Asia's first airline). 

I'd love to take Kong Kong to this restaurant for the memories.  You see, he honed his driving skills around this airstrip when he was flying Manila-Camp Floridablanca (in Pampanga) route after the war.  This was almost on a weekly basis, when he worked as batman to General Lewis Beebe, a survivor of the Bataan Death March.  Really cool!