Old Manila

It was time to have a quiet dinner with Monique's ninang Marianne.  Vicky and I chose the Old Manila, the fine dining restaurant at the Manila Peninsula for the intimate setting.  If I recall right, the lighting was originally dim and the place had heavy furniture, but the present iteration has bright wood as interior background and a few colorful artworks which both laid contrast to the black and white tables.

The degustation menu started off with an interesting mouth amuser, which I, not knowing the chef's approach and style, could have sworn was a prawn ball.  Of course it wasn't, but I never got around to ask what the chef prepared.  Trasmanian trout and asparagus soup followed; both were satisfactory, but Monique was quick to ask for her favorite, lobster bisque.

While foie gras is usually forbidden to cholesterol watchers like me, I just couldn't resist having a small bite!  Heavens, ang sarap!  The passion fruit sorbet was a welcome intermission that made me feel that my sins were washed away.  After a brief washroom pause, the main courses that followed gave us several options, which we freely intermixed and matched (the dining formalities thrown out the window!)

The ladies, on the one hand, were quite adventurous.  The lamb tenderloin was selected by Monique while both Marianne and Vicky ordered the seafood mix.  I, on the other hand, thought I would play it safe by ordering a veal steak.  I should have known better; while veal is tender, the meat is practically tasteless, as the muscles have not aged enough to gather that real down-to-earth meaty flavor.

Desserts anyone?  We were quite full, but the sweets just kept on coming.  The whole meal took almost 4 hours to finish, and during this time, we were able to catch up with each other's lives.  Good food, good company.

Prepare something like P3,500 per head here.  That's on the high side of the dining totem pole, but for special occasions--those one-of-a-kind moments--I'm sure the flair and the drama will be well worth it!