Cafe Juanita: Not as I remembered

It was Mr. P’s day off again…from me.

The first time I mentioned this to Blue Sneakers was to confirm that I was free to see her for afternoon coffee and dinner.   She asked that shouldn’t I spend time with Mr. P instead as it was his day off?  Answer: Nope, I will just cramp his style. 

A short note about Mr. P’s day off is thus in order:  It happens every Saturday.  A day totally devoted to himself, during which he wakes up at the crack of dawn to go to his beloved golf course.  The same ends at around 1 p.m., after which he heads to his hometown, outside Metro Manila, to play basketball with his childhood buddies.  It is usually capped with dinner with the guys or a body massage in his favorite spa.  He thereafter goes home rejuvenated (and I hope healthier) regaling me with the latest news on whoever.  This wasn’t a well-thought of arrangement, it just happened.  I give him this as I know that we both need some space to grow on our own despite our couplehood.  He in turn shows his appreciation by calling me “the coolest wife ever”.  😉

But as it is his day off, so it is mine. 

Ibyang jets me off to Cafe Juanita to treat a balikbayan friend. 

 Cafe Juanita is a privately run restaurant secluded in the heart of Pasig.  The first time I went there I was tickled by the fact that it was more of an antique shop rather than a restaurant, old knick knacks strewn everywhere, mirrors and chandeliers reminding us of our lolos and lolas houses, the emroidered doillies and hanging beads seeming to confirm that yes indeed we have just entered a different era.  Company that time was excellent that I honestly don’t remember much of the food. Or maybe the food was such a good complement to the company, I have nary a criticism? 

I thus grabbed on Ibyang’s invitation to remind myself.

The place has transformed.  It has maintained its antique ambiance but the owner has chosen to add a few red frills and boa feathers here and there, plus extended the place to the inner parts of the house.  Kischy to some maybe, but totally not my style or taste. The yellow light emanating from the chandelier reminded me of european brothels and I wouldn’t be amazed if a pipe-holding hippie were to come out from its inner sanctum.

Ibyang ordered the Two-way adobo, her friend had seafood pasta (and excuses herself for being less of an adventurer), while I ordered their much vaunted kare-kare.

I didn’t bother to try the seafood pasta.  I instantly dived into the two-way adobo, curious to see what’s the twoness all about.  Turns out that the adobo is served the normal style, the first way, boiled in vinegar, soy sauce and pepper.  But this one’s served a little sweeter, almost liked honey spareribs.  It is topped with  shredded portions of fried adobo, the second way, that lent the dish its european flair. Definitely good with rice!

The kare-kare though was such a disappointment I don’t know where to begin. In a bowl of peanut sauce, the peanut flavor one can hardly discern, floating were about 3 pieces of meat.  The pieces were cut so small that I can hardly tell whether its the shank, the pata, or the tuwalya.  Around it were about two to three pieces of green beans that were tied into a bow and about two to three pieces of cut eggplant.  I honestly didn’t know what to think!  Was a mistake made or was the chef merely trying to be funny!  It was such a fiasco of a dish, I was honestly ready to bolt out the door!

Good thing that it redeemed itself through the desserts.

 

The crepe samurai could do some work, I’ve tasted better.  But the toffee pudding served with vanilla ice cream was heavenly!  Served hot, sticky and just the right amount of sweetness, I could singlehandedly finish this off.  It was comfort food to the highest level.  Not shown here is the cassava cake that was so buttery that it just melts in your mouth!  Another winner in my book.

All in all, the experience was… an experience.  Cafe Juanita didn’t live up to its name and reputation in the entrees but properly redeemed itself in the dessert section.  If ever I would come back, you know in which portion of the meal that would be.  🙂

(Note: Pics lifted from the blog of wysgal.  Forgot my cam that time.)

It’s Baby Shower Time!

The day dawned on me bright and sunny.  Warm sunshine pierced through our window, the kind that tells you that its gonna be a beautiful day.

A smile crept up my face – it’s the day of the Baby Shower!  

About a month or two ago, Blue Sneakers told me that she’ll be hosting a baby shower for me.  I was overjoyed!  Dyahe but overjoyed!

Ibyang later joined the bandwagon and said she’ll take care of the invites and the games.  I couldn’t have asked for a better set of party planners and coordinators! Ang saya!

What followed was a flurry of activities that reminded me of the value of friendship and how blessed I am to be surrounded by good friends.

Blue Sneakers has been going through a crisis that has since evolved from being a mid-life crisis, a love crisis to a girly-girl crisis.  A corporate dragon lady, she keeps on telling me she’s out off her element on this one.  She’s been approaching the day with dread and trepidation but none was visible as she welcomed me on this gorgeous day!

 

Heaven & Eggs, Tomas Morato, was transformed! 

Theme was pastel hues of pink, blue, green and yellow.  The balloons and trimmings on the ceiling made for a good skylight!  The table centerpiece was a surprise – balloon pots filled with baby bottle, bear and candy shaped-cookies! Delectable food was elegantly lined up before the venue’s white and blue mural of the Eiffel Tower and the Tower of Pisa.

 

And the ultimate coup’ de grace’ – baby cupcakes that were all too adorable to eat! 

 

All due to the efforts of our grabegorgeous hostess!   

 

Ibyang, for her part, is likewise going through a love crisis but considered it therapy to put all her energy into designing the invitations, the placemat programme (which everyone took home and left me with no copy, buhuhu!), nametags, advise book and scrapbook. All hand-made by the way that she could easily put Martha Stewart into retirement!    

 

As the guests arrived, the party unfolded to one filled with fun and laughter.  

Ibyang was the ultimate Game Master as she introduced game after game that tickled our bones and challenged the creative part in us:  Guess who Baby Mom is, Guess Mommy’s Wishes, Guess How Big Mommy’s Tummy is, Guess the Gerber Flavor, Baby Bottle Drinking Contest, Baby T-shirt Making Contest and Baby Bingo. 

I have never seen a room filled with competitive women and endless chatter!  It was fun with a capital “F”!

Res ipsa loquitor, the pictures would just have to speak for themselves.

 

I have always loved parties.  I love the dressing up part, the eating and the merriment that comes with it. 

But, even more, I love the thought that comes into throwing it and the effort that comes into the preparation of every single detail.  It reminds me of how blessed I am to be surrounded by family and friends who love me and who are truly excited about the coming of the baby. 

This one is truly a labor of love…a story I would be eager to share my daughter one day. =-)

In-yo: A Celebration of Good Food and Good Friends!

I have been blessed with good friends.

More than that, I have been blessed with good friends who love to eat! 

Even better, good friends who love to feed me!

This is truly a delight and one I would wish for any pregnant woman. =-)

Early on, during my first trimester, my friend Blue Sneakers would regularly invite me for dinner and allow me to give in to my cravings.  Apart from the regular pasta craving, I would occasionally seek for a good slice of steak, lamb or apple pie.  Blue Sneakers would always oblige and, next thing I know, we have already scoured and tried most of the restaurants in Trinoma!

Fast track to my third trimester and my appetite has somehow stabilized.  Nowadays, I just eat for nourishment or to just lift up my mood.

Enter Ibyang!  Ibyang has been a dear friend since college, a sassy lawyer who might as well be a food critique or events stylist in another lifetime!  I remember us driving all the way to Batangas just to sample their lomi served with links of kikiam or native sausage, or taking a nine (9) hour trip to Vigan to have a go at their bagnet or famous longganisa.  Never mind that each trip always involved a boytoy, the native food fare always made up for any romantic frustrations we may have received from their locals.  Eventually, age and the consequent power of the purse improved not only our taste in men but in food as well.  Ibyang has since gone around the world and almost always gives me a pasalubong…though not the customary ones.  Instead, vignettes of famous restaurants abroad wrapped in copies of their menu or food pics with a promise of a visit together in the future.  Once, I was even lucky to receive a pecan pie (the best I’ve ever tasted!), a box of which she snucked in her lugggage and stained most of her clothes! 

Ibyang excitedly calls me and tells me we have to go to this restaurant, a new find.  She has made the reservations and is picking me up – “Now na. As in.” 

“Now na?” Never mind that I’m almost eight (8) months pregnant and occasionally get contractions. As ever, I readied myself.  “K” for kaladkarin afterall has been my middle initial way back in college. 

And I’m glad I did not vacillate.

 

 

In-yo Fusion Cuisine is an oasis, a haven in traffic-gnarled Katipunan.  The aged wooden doors and wooden bridge, flanked on either side by a view of the koi pond underneath, was enough to tell me that I was truly in for a special treat. 

Inside, we were ushered to our seats.  I was surprised to see that at 11:30 a.m. two of the five tables were already filled.  No wonder reservations were required!  I was later told that there’s enough room at the second floor that could easily sit 10 more people but this also is usually already reserved.  The ambiance was simple but warm, reminiscent of the old houses of our lolos and lolas, filled with wooden antiques and other knick-knacks collected through the years.  I later learned that the restaurant was a converted portion of Chef Nino Laus’ grandmother’s house.  This was a cool tidbit to learn.  Only proves that a multi-million investment for interiors is not necessary to start a resto business.  At the end of it was the glass-cased kitchen, house to about five (5) chefs busily preparing the ordered meals.

And, boy, did they not disappoint us!

 

 

First on the menu was a plateful of Wasabi Fried Oyster.  My parents are both from Capiz, the Seafood Capital of the Philippines, and oysters, freshly catched, opened, and seasoned with vinegar, is one of its specialties.  I was definitely interested how this one will turn out.  Coated in a perfect crisp of batter infused with wasabi, it was truly a surprise!  Although I would prefer a little bit more kick of wasabi, the batter did not take away the sweetness from the oyster.   This, I feel, could be easily dipped into vinegar and would taste good as well, but I didn’t want to ruin the experience by asking for one.  Instead, the chefs have included a dollop of Japanese mayo on each oyster which gave the dish just the right amount of sweetness and, yes, that Japanese feel. Suffice to say that Ibyang and I easily finished all 6 fried oysters between the two of us and we could have easily asked for more!  

For our main fare, we both wanted to try their Grilled Salmon with Miso sauce.  In the end, I opted for the Shiraz Braised Lamb Shank so that we can sample each of them.

 

 

 

The salmon sat elegantly perched on a bed of mashed potato with dollops of miso sauce around the plate.  Ibyang and I oohhd and aahhd over this, we both didn’t want to disturb such a perfect plating!  We both wanted to take pictures of it but, of all days, I forgot to bring mine!  (Pictures here, by the way, were all taken from In-Yo @ClickTheCity.com Metro) 

The salmon was perfectly cooked – sweet and tender, obviously a fresh catch.  The sauce was sweet and thick but unmistakably had that miso flavor.  To me, this was the perfect light dinner.

  

 

Next is lamb shank in red wine sauce.  Mine was served differently from the picture above but nonetheless still a masterpiece.  Strips of lamb, with their bones in tact, were elegantly spread over a bed of mashed sweet potato (or was it camote?).  Done medium well, with no “lansa” at all, it was perfect even without the usual mint jelly. The only downside in this was that I wanted more!  Wished that the portion given me was a bit more meaty…=P

 

We had more than ample room for dessert.  And like most girls, we want ours sweet, delectable, with coffee on the side.

 

 

 I ordered chocolate lava cake (The name on the menu escapes me!).  The ones I’ve tried so far in restaurants around Manila tend to disappoint, with the cake inside rather dry.   This would either break or make it for me.  The chocolate cake was served in a rectangular plate combined with a shotglass of milkshake and tropical fruits sitting on a bed of sweet cream.  The idea was to have a slice of oozing molten chocolate cake together with the cold milkshake and walah!  A masterpiece!  The burst of flavors, the textures, in this dessert was unbelievable!  

Paired with a cup of Vietnamese brewed coffee (a no-no for pregnant women, by the way, but one I can’t resist.  Vietnamese? I have to try it!)  this was truly such a delightful experience!

And just when we thought that the experience was over, a plate of three (3) flavors of creme brulee was sent to our table courtesy of management!  Turns out, they noticed that Ibyang has been there twice, with people in tow to boot, that they wanted to show their appreciation. (I wonder if they will show me the same kind of appreciation once I come back. =P)

First, there was the classic creme brulee; second, the chocolate flavor; followed by the cappucino flavor.  All were made silky creamy smooth that cracking the glazed caramelized sugar was like opening a gift from Santa!

 

Oh, what bliss! 

To have been born

And taste this yummy goodness!

 

In the end, I cannot but help but shout to the high heavens a prayer of thanks…for good food and good friends!  Truly, truly, a remarkable experience!