There's Another Secret.. Recipe

I had a movie date last Sunday with no other than... MYSELF. Pathetic isn't it? But honestly, I enjoyed that day with myself. Sometimes its also refreshing to go out on your own. You get to choose your own venue, own time.. you're free to do whatever it is that you wish to do. Two weeks ago, my friend and I planned to watch a movie, Inception. But it so happened that my friend has been suffering from a bad tummy. So I ended up being alone, all by myself, so eager to watch the movie.

The first screening was set at 1PM that Sunday afternoon but rain was pouring quite heavily that until noon and so I thought I will not be able to go to the movie anymore. It was a little past 12 when the rain finally stopped and i decided to prepare and go to RP. Yeah, I know, RP again. Well, it is my favorite mall. Anyway, it was already past 1PM when I got there so I was not able to catch the first screening. And I do not wish to enter the dark cinema and not able to watch the movie right from its very beginning. I find that disturbing. It makes me feel that the intensity and the excitement has already subsided.

The next screening is at 3:50PM so I have an almost 3-hr vacancy on my hand. I bought a cup of my favorite Starbucks drink, which is Caramel Macchiato and strolled around. As I walk around the Midtown area, I spotted Secret Recipe again and decided to spend a fraction of my excess time there. As what usually happens, I was overwhelmed with their wide selection of cream-based cakes and cheesecakes. When I've finally made up my mind, I took a seat and ordered their "Chocolate Indulgence" cream-based cake. A slice only costs Php95, quite reasonable if you ask me. Unlike with my previous Secret Recipe experience, nobody gave me something to read, not even an old magazine was handed out. But I also noticed that no other diners were reading anything also, so I thought maybe if the place is quite busy, they do not bother to offer you any reading materials anymore. As to the reason behind it, I do not know.

I was seated in a table fit for three persons, and beside my table is a man who I think is in his late twenties, with newspapers and other papers strewn all over his table, and a laptop. Whatever it is that he is eating, I did not bother to look at. It was well over 5 minutes already and the slice of cake has yet to arrive. I did not bother to make a follow-up because I want to know how much longer will I have to wait before they serve me my cake. Turned out, when a waiter passed by me, the guy beside me signaled to him and whisper something to his ear. After that whisper, the waiter approached me and asked if I already have ordered. I said yes, and he said he will make a follow-up for me. I knew that the guy is not an ordinary customer. I heard a waitress asking him about what I think is the inventory of one of their ingredients. I have already thought that he may be the franchiser, in his plain clothes.

The cake was served to me exactly 8 minutes after I placed my order. Quite a long wait for just a piece of ready-made cake. Anyway, the slice was quite big, maybe because of the 8 layers that the cake was made of. The first layer is a thin layer of chocolate mousse, followed by the sponge chocolate cake, which is very soft and moist. The third layer is the vanilla cream, then another layer of cake. The same stack of these goodies is then repeated for another set that completes the 8 layers of heavenly goodness. The cake as a whole is not too sweet and yet very decadent. It looks very delicate, and soft. It is a perfect cake actually, especially for chocoholics out there. But the best part of the cake will be the chocolate icing. If you see the the cake in whole, you will be amazed of the shiny, dark, perfect "blanket" covering the cake layers. That is my most favorite part of the cake. That "blanket" is fudgy, chocolatey, and yet not too sweet. Perfect 10 in my opinion.

Ssshhh... its Secret Recipe

I was in RP this morning to do some official tasks and when all these tasks are not yet done when the clock struck 12, I decided to take my lunch there. I was torn between Mexicali and TGIF when I thought of Secret Recipe. I have tried their fruit cake and their shepherd's pie but I have yet to try their other offers. So I went to the upper most floor of the Midtown wing browsed Secret Recipe's menu. I was approached by one of their attendants and I asked about their specialty when it comes to their pasta offerings. She told me that Carbonara is their best-seller and followed by the Meatballs Spaghetti. But these two are, well, priced a little over what I prefer and I was afraid that I might not be able to finish it. She then recommended their Mushroom Chicken main dish but I don't feel like eating rice, and is craving for pasta instead so I ordered their Spaghetti Bolognese. Then, as I thought it won't be "wise" for me to leave the place without trying their infamous cheesecakes, I ordered a slice of Marble Cheesecake, which is according to their menu, is the awardee of the Best Cheesecake award. Then, just to have something to go with it, I ordered a cup of Cappuccino.

When I sat down to one of their plush sofa chairs, I was introduced to their menu. After ordering, my glass of warm water was served to me with a little caution of its temperature. I was looking at this glass of water that do not come to me as warm and decided to try it. It was indeed just a little bit warm. But at least its not cold. A few seconds after, the attendant approached me and gave me a copy of today's papers and a couple of magazines. I appreciated that since I do not have any book with me today and I figured that my food will be cooked as ordered. One thing that I noticed is that their water glass is not that squeaky clean, at least the bottom outside part of it. The inside is clean, and I do not see any dirt so I figured it will be okay.

Now let's start with the Spaghetti Bolognese. When it was served to me, the first thing that I noticed is that it is piping hot. And I mean, piping hot. So I let it cool down a little bit while I read the papers. When I noticed that the smoke has already subsided a little, I put down the papers and turned my attention to my food. I wouldn't want it to turn cold so I started to dig in. At the first look, its as if the meat sauce is not enough. But the melted cheese on top of it is just of the right amount. When I tried to stir in the meat sauce to the pasta, I noticed water-like sauce at the bottom of the plate. I thought the sauce was a little bit watery for my taste. When I took my first bite, I appreciated that the pasta was perfectly cooked. The sauce is real meaty. It has ground meat in there, and slices of button mushrooms. As I eat, I noticed that the watery sauce was replaced by a thicker consistency. I think its because the meat of the sauce was suspended on top of the pasta when it was poured on it so when you stir everything, the meat and mushrooms finally join the liquid portion of the sauce in union. One thing that didn't sit well with my tastebuds is that it was a little bland. I think it needed a little bit more salt. Also, the sauce was leaning towards the Asian side, which is very natural since Secret Recipe is a Malaysian origin. But I prefer my pasta sauce prepared with a little creaminess. I think a splash of milk or cream on the Bolognese sauce will make the dish taste better, not to mention aromatic.

When the Marble Cheesecake was served, I thought, there's nothing special on it. How come it won the Best Cheesecake award? The Cheesecake has marbles on top of it and the rest is visually of no extraordinary eye candy. Curious, I took a small bite. That Cheesecake is the lightest cheesecake I have ever tasted. It literally melts in your mouth. And there's no "sawa" factor the way cheesecakes are supposed to possess. The marbles on top of the cheesecake, I do not know how it was supposed to serve it's purpose because I can barely taste it. If there's something to taste. The crust is different though. They use oat-based crusts. So the cheesecake is not sweet at all. Although, I would want the oats on the crust to give a slight crunch because this one is chewy and is not crunchy at all. I think a crunchy oat crust will give this cake a pleasant texture all in all.

The Cappuccino on the other hand has nothing special, its just a plain cup of Cappuccino although the serving is slightly bigger than others'. So yeah, if you were to ask me if I will go back to Secret Recipe, you bet, I definitely will. No questions asked.

Talk the Bread

Entering the Breadtalk in RP is heaven for me. I don't know why this is, since I do not feel the same when I go to Breadtalk's other branches. I never enjoy going to crowdy places and since almost all of the Breadtalk's branches are full of regular customers and intrigued first time triers, it really is a maze to me why even though Breadtalk in RP is almost always bursting with people, I still do not mind. I still enjoy going around, picking my own breads and even queuing in a very long line.

Going inside a Breadtalk store is like submitting yourself to a temptation haven. You see countless of breads everywhere, surrounding you, as if they were hypnotizing you. One of their bestsellers, and their original creation, is the Floss. It is a soft bread covered with pork Floss. Right now, they also have the cheese floss variety and the chicken floss variety available. I must admit, these Floss breads are real good. In fact, my grandmother who has never been a fan of "upscale" breads, and "fancy" breads fell in love with the Floss. It became her favorite with just two bites. Last weekend, I went to RP again, and before I go home, I went to Breadtalk to buy some breads for my breakfast for the week ahead. I saw this square, sturdy bread with what looks like cranberry chunks on top, on a tray. I was thinking twice about getting this one because it looks like it is tough to the bite. Nevertheless, I went ahead and picked one up and put it on my tray. It was heavy and while still walking around the humble store, I thought of putting it back simply because I thought the bread will not suit my taste. But curiosity killed the cat and so I went ahead and paid for the breads.

Honestly, when I picked this cranberry bread, I did not read the whole name on the label. When I read the word "cranberry", I got excited and just refused to read the whole name. When I took my first bite on this cranberry bread, I thought it was good. On the second bite, it was only then that I realized that there are cheese crumbs inside. Turned out, these are cream cheese baked together with the bread. Every bite is just bursting with the tartness of the cranberry and the tangy taste of the cream cheese. The cranberry chunks are crunchy and the cream cheese literally melts in your mouth. The bread itself, although heavy in weight turned out to be soft and a little moist inside. It can really fill your hungry stomach and satisfy your taste buds. In short, this Cranberry Cream Cheese Mini Toast is HEAVEN on earth.

King-Congo

Last Sunday is Father's Day. My grandmother and I went to SM San Lazaro for a trip to the Supermarket. It was already almost 2PM when we got there and were surprised that almost every restaurant located at the upper ground floor of the mall was packed. And I mean really packed. From Starbucks, to Krispy Kreme, to KFC, to Greenwich, all the way down to Chowking. We were left with no other options but to look for somewhere with lesser customers. I have always wanted to try Congo Grille. A friend of mine told me years before that the food there is good, although quite pricey. Since Congo Grille is just nearby, and I can see a number of free tables inside, I decided to try it there for the first time. But first, I went to the menu displayed beside the entrance, and scanned the prices. I find the prices quite reasonable, meaning, nothing too expensive. So we went ahead and asked for a table for two.

The inside of the restaurant is softly lit. There are no florescent lights but yellow bulb-like kinds instead. It was not too dim and not too bright either. While entering the restaurant, I was half-expecting a rather "wild" ambiance. I mean, its Congo after all. But there was none of the wild things there. A couple of the servers wear hunting outfits, and the rest of them wear white tee's and jeans. The place is relaxing and is peaceful, although not of the fine dining type. I have also observed that the place is clean. No sticky tables, no grains of rice, and no slippery flooring. Perfect for kids and elderly alike. Even their water glasses are squeaky clean.

Congo grille serves Filipino dishes. They have a very wide selection of Filipino food on their menu. In fact, I had a hard time ordering. According to their menu, their sisig won the award for the best sisig in 2007. So of course, I ordered their Pork sisig. I originally wanted to order Pochero but when I glanced at their rice offers, I saw Adobo Rice. Based on the picture, their Adobo Rice is served with toppings. After about 15 to 20 minutes, I finally decided to have Adobo Rice, Tortang Talong with tinapa (eggplant omelette), and Pork Sisig (made with pork ears) with egg. The food was served about 15 minutes after.

The Pork Sisig was served on a sizzling plate, and topped with one raw egg. I quickly mixed it in and squeezed a calamansi (lime) on it. Tortang Talong is quite plain. It seems like they boiled the eggplant first before frying it with eggs. The Adobo Rice on the other hand is good. I mean they served it with few pieces of bite-sized Pork and Chicken Adobo on top, which I did not expect. Usually, toppings are just 4 to 5 pieces. So they really got my respect for that.

I took my share of the Adobo Rice and I was surprised to find that it is indeed a big serving. It is good for two to three persons already and can be a meal on its own. The rice is perfectly cooked, and the Adobo toppings are meaty but a little bit salty. Actually I find their serving big, really good for sharing. The Tortang Talong on the other hand is quite simple but the eggplant is soft and flavorful. But you cannot find any pieace of meat or vegetables there, unlike when you eat at some other restaurants, they usually put ground meat and minced veggies on their Tortang Talong. As for the Pork Sisig, I was impressed. It is so good that you can almost forget that you are eating pig's ears. The serving is also bigger than other place's and is really flavorful. One thing though, the chicharon (crispy pork skin) is a little tough, or too crunchy as I may put it.

After we finished our food, I ordered a cup of Brewed Coffee. I must admit that after the excellent food we had, I have got a very high expectation on their Brewed Coffee. When the coffee was served to me, the cream and sugar packets are stained with coffee sputters. It is already a no-no because after all, the dining area, and the utensils are all gleamingly clean. I guess they put the coffee maker near the creamer and sugar packets, thus sputters land on them. Honestly, I will not recommend their Brewed Coffee whether you are a coffee aficionado or simply a coffee drinker. The coffee is, I think flavored but I cannot recognize what flavor it is. I don't know if it is vanilla or almond taste that their coffee has. Also, I am not sure if they put too much water or they scrimped on the coffee but the coffee taste is very light that it is as if they only put coffee flavored powder to hot water. The Brewed Coffee is a let-down but I will not take it against them. I mean, they are not a coffee shop anyway, and if I want a better tasting coffee, I can go to Starbucks or to Dunkin' Donuts for a cheaper alternative.


All in all, my dining experience with Congo Grille is good. I can't wait to go back and try their other offers. Everything on their menu looks delicious. I want to try all of them and classify those that are really amazing.

Cheap Fingers

I have been busy with my sideline in Binondo starting last week. I have to go to that office everyday, after my day job and work for an hour a day, Monday to Friday. Yesterday, instead of heading to Binondo, I went to Robinson's Place instead for a very important purpose. It has been more than a week already since I first saw the promotional ad of TGIF on its website. The ad says TGIF's chicken fingers will be priced at Php99 only on May 27. I haven't tried their chicken fingers and after the whole burger scenario, I guess TGIF has redeemed itself from my first bad impression about them. So, as the ad starts to sink in to me, I thought, it would be such a waste if I will not grab that opportunity. Knowing for a fact that the offer of Php99 is such a steal, because TGIF chicken fingers is priced at Php290 per serving, I simply will not forgive myself if I let this opportunity pass by me. Also, I have done my assignment and researched on the internet and found out that TGIF do not lessen, may it be the quantity nor the quality of their promotionally-priced good, compared to the regularly-priced ones. Meaning, I will be a complete fool if I don't go and benefit myself from TGIF's irresistible offer.

I have second thoughts yesterday if I will go or not because of my sideline but craving for this offer is much stronger than the sideline so I went ahead to Robinson's Place and started to tame my grumbling stomach. When comfortably seated, I ordered their chicken fingers and fried mozzarella. While waiting for my orders, I sit and watch the place be jampacked with diners as though it was a weekend. And I thought the food here is on the expensive side! Almost every table was occupied yesterday. I am not sure if it is because of the chicken fingers, but I have a feeling it is not just that because each table is bursting with food and not only with chicken fingers.

First served was the Fried Mozzarella. On their menu, they are offering it in six pieces per order but I saw on their website before that they have it in four's so I tried my luck and asked if indeed they are offering it also in four pieces per order and they confirmed. The Fried Mozzarellas were sliced perfectly. They were neither too thin nor too thick. Each slice was lightly breaded and fried and served with Marinara sauce on the side. They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It is quite bland for my taste if eaten alone. Maybe they should put a little more spices on the breading before they coat the mozzarella slices with it. When paired with the Marinara sauce, it tastes okay, but I cannot find anything special about this dish.

When my share of the chicken fingers has turned up on my table, I felt relieved. Relieved, maybe because even though I know that discounted good is just the same as the regularly priced one (and I even ask the attendant again, just to be sure), I half-hoped that it will be less or will be in smaller pieces. But no, it was just the same, just like how it was described on the internet and by the waitress. I know it is just the same because of what they look like on their menu. I know that pictures on menus are always exaggerated in a good way but they will not try to "degrade" their establishment by putting some gross looking food on their menus. So anyway, excitedly, I tried their fries first. I have already tried their fries the last time that I had my burger experience but I was eager to know if they will have the same quality since the last time I was there the place is very well far from being jampacked. Luckily, the fries still are of the same quality as before, and even the flavor, is still intact. They obviously season their fries well as they really are flavorful. After indulging on their fries, I then moved on to the subject matter of the night. The chicken fingers.

Using my knife and fork, I cut a strip of chicken finger and found out that it was not crispy. I was expecting it to be crispy but anyhow, it does not matter that much. What I cannot understand is that the chicken tastes bland as well. I don't know if the chef that night is just light-handed when it comes to seasoning the food but if not for the mustard-mayo sauce, I will be forced to sprinkle salt on it. Honestly, I was real tempted already to reach for the table salt but dipped the chicken instead to the sauce. The meat is tender but a little bit dry. It did not reach my expectation but I will not hold another "grudge" against TGIF this time. I am very much welcome for any redeeming act from them. What I really appreciate is that the promo price still applies even for take-outs, unlike in some other restaurants that promo price is applicable only for dining customers.

Anyway, I appreciate the fast service and especially for the very kind waitress that served me last night. I did not get the name of the waitress but next time, I will make sure that I will ask for her name. She was really good and friendly, and warm. She made my solo dining a pleasure.

Friday's on a Sunday

I was pretty hyped up this weekend. I have been waiting for this opportunity and when it finally turned up, I just can't contain my excitement. I have been nursing a craving for burgers last week. In fact I have been surfing the net in my effort to look for a gourmet burger that I can indulge and experience here in Manila. I remember an office-mate who recommended before TGIF's burger. I was hesitant about TGIF because I have already tried eating there before with my friends at their MOA branch and it did not turned out well. I ordered their Tortilla Crusted Fish on Rice Pilaf then and my friends ordered their pasta. As for what kind of pasta, I cannot remember anymore. Actually, while reading the menu, I kind of cannot pick a dish because of the price tags. That time, I was trying to keep my expenses to a minimum because I can sense a shopping spree coming on. Anyway, I was also looking for something with rice, since I am already famished that time. It did not occur to me that TGIF's servings are big enough for sharing or for those who are very hungry already.

The fish, to be honest enough, did not impress me. I mean, with the price tags that they have, I expect something special with their dishes. But I find it just so-so. No special flavor for the fish, nothing special either with the rice pilaf. My friends and I agreed that there's nothing special with the dishes, and we felt that the lunch was not worthy of the hefty price tag at all. So after that experience, I vowed not to eat there anymore since I cannot see the point of paying expensively for something that does not taste good. Their desserts are extraordinary though. But since the office-mate kept on raving about TGIF's burger, I decided to break my own vow and went to try it myself.

Yesterday, Sunday, was the day I was looking forward to. I went against my fear and sarcasm, and left my negative first impression at home so as to be able to make unbiased judgment. I have been checking their menu via their website so I pretty much already have an idea on what to order. I settled for their Soup and Half House Caesar Salad for starters and I get to choose what kind of soup to be served. I chose Broccoli Cheese Soup over French Onion Soup simply because I love cheese dishes. Of course, I cannot leave out the "star" and the cause of this another gamble to eat at TGIF, which is the burger. I chose their Jack Daniel's Burger although I originally want a Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger which I cannot find on their menu but saw it on their website. While waiting for the food, I put out a novel which I am already about to finish and read. After just a few minutes, the food was already served. I estimated it to be about 10-15 minutes waiting time. Which is not bad at all. I was shocked by the size of their serving. It really was big even the half order of Caesar Salad. The Caesar Salad was good and tasty even though it has nothing on it except for Romaine lettuce a little amount of grated Parmesan cheese. It was tossed with Caesar dressing and croutons. The Romaine lettuce is fresh and crispy and tossed with creamy Caesar dressing that for me is a little bit salty. It was then contrasted by the crunchy croutons which tasted real good.

The Broccoli Cheese Soup on the other hand is my favorite. Honestly, I did not taste any Broccoli on it, which I do not know if is a good news to some people, but a couple of Broccoli florets are used as garnish on top of the soup, along with a few grated cheese. The soup was very very cheesy, but not without the "umay" factor. You can only taste "unadulterated" cheese, I mean it has a clean cheese taste. Yeah, I know it sounds weird but you can go try it yourself and stop imagining instead. I love that it's a little bit salty but did not go overboard in spite of the cheese base. When we are already done with the soup and the salad, the burger was served.

I am not aware of the Jack Daniel's, and so do not have any idea what it tastes like. But since I have been lurking at TGIF's website, I kind of imagined the Jack Daniel as a barbecue sauce of some sort. When the plate was put on our table, I simply cannot believe it. It is big. I was shocked, and stared at it in awe. The burger was served open faced, which at first I did not understand why but later on, I thought, maybe it was served face-up because the cheese on top of the patty will stick on the bun. Let me tell you this, the burger was made up of the following, starting from the bottom: the bottom part of the burger bun, the fixing, which includes shredded cabbage, rings of onions, a couple slices of pickles, and tomato slices. Then sitting on top of these veggies is the beef patty which I chose to be cooked well done. The beef patty as I measured it, was more or less an inch thick. Covering its top part is the cheddar cheese that is starting to melt and clamp on the beef patty. On top of the Cheddar cheese slice are two strips of bacon formed in an "x" shape. The top part of the bun is then served beside the burger barely covering it. On the other side of the plate is a hefty serving of fries which is just casually placed beside the burger. Then of course, a little cup beside the burger and the fries is the Jack Daniel's sauce.I first tried the fries since I was still recovering from the overwhelming feeling when I saw how big the burger is. The fries are crispy and not soggy at all. It was cut a little thicker than the usual fast food-served fries. What I really like about it is that when you sink your teeth into it, your teeth immediately hit the potato unlike in some fastfood chains wherein your teeth hits air first before it chomps on the potato. It is flavorful too and not bland at all. In short, my grandmother and I just love their fries. Even if it has already turned cold, it was not soggy nor did it turned bland and tough. It retained its moisture which enhanced its flavor in spite of the change in its temperature.

I then moved on to the burger itself. While cutting the burger, to give my grandmother her share, I thought it was a little tough but it was not really. Its just that the patty is really thick and the fact that it was well done so I thought it was tough. I put on some of the Jack Daniel's sauce on the top portion of the bun then put it on top of the burger. The burger is just very delicious! The Jack Daniel's sauce, as it turned out, is sweet. It is like a sweet barbecue sauce so you might want to moderate on putting this on your burger. The bacon is not crispy anymore, but nevertheless still contributed to the yumminess of the burger. The pickle is not that sour also, just the perfect tangy taste that will complete the flavor of the fixings. The beef patty, is simply incredible. I did not taste any fat on it, which means they only used lean meat on their patties. Despite of being cooked well done, the patty was not tough at all. It was in fact still juicy and has the right spring of chewiness in it. The burger was just very amazing. I can eat this on a weekly basis and not get tired of it. What really touched me the most, and earned my admiration, is that the bun is buttered first before heating it, I think on a grill. Tell me, who on earth would think of doing that when you are in this business, and when your burger already has many flavors on it anyway? I mean, without buttering the bun won't be noticed, nor would anyone complain. But they did it their way, and I admire them for doing so. For me, it only means that they care truly for their customer's satisfaction.

So I think I can say that at least for the soup, salad, and burger, I would recommend TGIF to friends and family. Definitely good food. Perfect for celebrations or for a perfect casual dining experience. Honestly, I just forget the amount of money that I paid for and did not felt like I wasted my money in TGIF. Definitely worthy!

Modern Classics

Me and my grandmother went to RP one Sunday noon and decided to take our lunch at the mall too. I took her to C2 since I have already decided even before we left the house that we will eat there. Actually, I was already practically drooling over the thought that I can now actually try their food. Yeah, I have always wanted to eat at C2 but just cannot find time to do so. My food trip buddy is not a Filipino food fan that is why I cannot drag her to C2 each time we're out on another food trip mission.

While reading the menu outside the restaurant, I was a little bit skeptic. I mean, seriously, crispy sinigang? Well, my curiosity beat the skeptical side of mine and we went ahead inside. I must admit, I love the interior of C2-RP branch. It is a small place, but is very cozy. The smooth and glossy wood tables and soft couches are perfect addition to the cozy ambiance. They have soft lights all over but the place is neither too dark nor too bright. For me, the lighting and fixtures created the perfect dining ambiance. Plus the attendants were all very friendly and attentive to their customers' needs. The food is quite pricey but I think it is all worth it.

Let's start with the food that we ordered that day. Since it was only the two of us, and my grandmother has a small appetite, we ordered quite simply. We had Satay Bagnet and Aligue Rice for our entree because I think these are enough for the two of us.


The Satay Bagnet was served with fried wanton wrappers around the Bagnet and a little bit of shredded pickled vegetables. And since it is Satay, it was served with Peanut Sauce on the side. The serving was already good for two persons considering it is fried, so you will not want to eat more than you should. Although, you might have to hold back since it is quite tempting to eat this Bagnet bite after bite. The liempo is very crispy outside but very tender inside. Another good thing is that it is quite lean and only has very small part of fat in it. So even though it is fried, it is not too oily. When dipped into the Peanut Sauce, it gives you a jambalaya of flavors. Plus the Peanut Sauce is not too watery nor too thick but just the right consistency for this dish. So first you will taste the salty-sweet taste of the Peanut Sauce clinging on the pork, then you sink your teeth to the crispy outer covering of the liempo only to hear the cracking sound inside your mouth. Then you feel the tenderness of the pork and taste the nutty accent of the Peanut Sauce blending inside your mouth. Ahhh! Heavenly, yet very sinful! The wanton wrappers are also very crispy but quite oily and the pickled vegetables are very fresh. What I do is to slice the liempo in half-bite sizes then get a little of the pickled vegetables and assemble everything together with the wanton wrapper and the Peanut Sauce then put everything into my mouth. I find it good and refreshing with the vegetables thus lessening the oiliness of the combined Bagnet and wanton wrappers.
Then there's the Aligue Rice. That is the first time that I will eat Aligue Rice (yeah, pity me). I have never eaten Aligue Rice yet and I was very excited to try it. It looks so delicious on the menu picture but looks so "deadly" because I know that it is full of cholesterol. But the hell with cholesterols, I want to try it and no one can stop me. Anyway, the rice was so good. It is so flavorful and the rice is cooked perfectly. Although, it is also quite oily but you can totally forget about it because it is really good. I know that the Bagnet Aligue Rice combination is a bad idea because these are fatty foods but it is really delicious. One very small thing though, I would rather like it better if they will add a little bit more of the pickled vegetables to ward off the oiliness when you had a little bit too much of the Bagnet and Aligue Rice. Because for me the pickled vegetables balances the oiliness with its tartness.

And now that the serious part is over, let me share to you the most amazing, and for me, the star of my lunch. The Dessert. I have read about this delicious dessert from a food blog some time ago. I then lust to taste it because the blogger gave it so much credit that the entry made me swear to myself that I cannot miss trying it when I have the chance to. So as not to keep you waiting anymore..

Ladies and Gentlemen.. Please put your hands together for the star of the meal..

Bibingka Souffle!!!Yeah, damn it. IT's that good. When they served the Bibingka Souffle to our table, it shone among the rest. And I mean, it is the only thing that I see. All of the spotlights are focused on her. I think you will regret it if you go to C2 and not order this. And I'm serious. Its as if the Bibingka Souffle is the specialty of C2. Or, on the second thought, maybe it is the specialty of C2 when it comes to the dessert department. Anyway, I think I have held your breath enough so let us now go to the details of the infamous Bibingka Souffle. According Wikipedia, Souffle came from a French verb which means to "puff up" or to "blow up". True enough, when you look at the Bibingka Souffle, its as if you were served a volcano that has erupted, minus the lava. It really is a huge one, and as if it will explode any minute. The Bibingka Souffle has all the glorious toppings of an authentic bibingka that fills the Christmas air during December. It has queso de bola and salted egg that give the Bibingka Souffle the sweet and salty taste. What I love most about it is that it is very light and fluffy. It is so light that it melts in your mouth literally. It is so fluffy that I was almost afraid of digging inside because I think it is very delicate to be dig into. But of course, I couldn't just let it sit there right, so I dug quite softly on the souffle. Careful as not to destroy the perfect dome it has become to. The Bibingka Souffle was served with a coconut cream sauce on the side. What I did was create an opening on the top of the souffle dome and then pour more than half of the coconut cream sauce and then mix it a little then pop a dessert-spoonful of souffle on my eager mouth. I hesitated to pour the whole coconut cream sauce because I thought it would be too sweet. Turned out, I was right. Had I pour the whole coconut cream on it, it will turn out to be too sweet. Since, my instinct told me the right instruction, I ended up with a heavenly, amazingly delicious, sweet and salty Bibingka Souffle. Sound like an advertisement, isn't it? Well I can invest on the souffle just to prove that it is really that good.

The last thing that I entertained to my stomach is the chocolate drink which they amusingly called Tsokolate Eh. Yeah, when I read it from the menu, there's only one thing that came to my mind.. Batangas. I do not know for sure if the chocolate drink really came from Batangas but one thing for sure, it is excellent. It is very chocolatey, and by that I mean it is not watery so it really has the perfect chocolate taste. In short, it does not taste like thickened Hot Milo. It is also smooth and has no residue of whatsoever. But, I found some rice-like pulp, and the consistency made it sticky to look at, like champorado. It is also not too sweet also thus prompting me to give it the title of the "Perfect Chocolate Drink".

The C2 experience is perfect and my grandmother thought so too. There's only one thing that she does not approve of, the price of the food. I admit it is quite pricey for a Filipino dish but I think it is all worth it. I mean, it is not everywhere that you find that one-of-a-kind Bibingka Souffle, do you? And I give it to them when it comes to the creative department. Yeah, I'm still not yet over the crispy sinigang. Next time, when I happen to go to RP, I will make sure to order that crispy sinigang. And of course, the Bibingka Souffle again.

Okay! I will stop rambling about the Bibingka Souffle now!