My friends from Elizabeth Seton School in Paranaque called me about a week in advance to invite me to a lunch treat. My birthday fell on the last Friday of September and they were busy at work in school honing young minds to become responsible citizens of the Philippines. They decided to treat me to lunch on the following weekend so they wouldn't have to worry about leaving campus early and there would be no classes to teach. Originally, we were to meet at Resort World at eleven. The rains continued to pour and my friend Ruby sent a text message to say that lunch had been moved to Conti's in Greenbelt. It was easier to get there for all three of us... more accessible... no floods to hurdle!
Now... Conti's has always been known for its cakes and baked goodies. It started with a small outlet in Paranaque where, due to word of mouth, the business expanded and started sprouting branches all over Manila. So from a small coffee shop, Conti's developed it's menu chock-full of home-made recipes that ranges anywhere from intimate dinner dates to huge parties for family or corporate occasions.
This was a particularly rainy Saturday morning and my friends, Ruby and Nanette were prone to give in to their hunger pangs. Apparently, the trusted cook at the cafeteria where they work had been transferred to the other campus and his replacement's cooking left much to be desired.They were so craving for great food. While we were taking our pick from the menu, Nanette (who had arrived a few minutes earlier had ordered a salad of herb and cheese crusted tofu with slices of tomato and drizzled in a citrus vinaigrette. The parmessan and pesto crust was light and crispy and provided a perfect contrast to the soft, chewy tofu inside.
Having just had a birthday celebration, I had been watching my food intake all week prior to this lunch. I had been eating healthy meals of fish and veggies and had been strict about eating reasonable (if not small portions) of every meal. So this weekend meant I could just forget being obsessive about eating right and BINGE!!! So it was quite a surprise that both Ruby and myself had ordered the same entree - Lechon Kawali, no less. Maybe subconsciously, I had been craving for a different type of protein all week. I couldn't have made a better choice. The Lechon Kawali had a siding of Fresh Lumpia with julienned veggies and bean sprouts, finely minced fresh garlic rolled in an egg wrapper and drenched in a sweet and sour gravy. The Lechon was deep fried to a perfect brown. Its skin had just the right crispiness while the meat was cooked well done but still moist.
Nanette, who was oblivious to healthy food choices ordered a plate of Fish Fillet that had broccoli and cauliflower florets with slices of bacon and a cream sauce. Then when she had devoured the meal, she called the waiter and asked for a plate of Seafood Pasta that had a generous amount of prawns, scallops and some bits of crab meat in it slathered with a marinara sauce and slivers of bell pepper and garlic toast.
I actually had the courage to skip dessert! I opted for coffee instead while Ruby had Sans Rival. The Sans Rival was covered in crushed nuts and was chewy but not too sweet. Nanette decided on the Chocolate Cake with mocha and chocolate icing. Those cake slices at Conti's are their trademark. Each slice was generous enough to be shared by three people. Okay, so I gave in... I did ask for an extra fork to taste their desserts. We ended the meal and proceeded to the fourth level of Greenbelt 3 to watch a movie. The ladies dropped me off at another friend's house after. By then it was half past five.
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