OLD FRIENDS & CARDIAC DELIGHTS =D

We have not seen Lee in a while. Heck, even BFF Apes and I have not seen each other in quite a while! During The Wander Years, we used to be a regular dinner group. We'd work late in the office, not really minding that it was waaaaaaaaaaay past dinner time, with only funny stories and witty retorts to tide us over in between working on recos and next day PO's. They were in Sales; I was in Marketing.

Back then, we'd agree to work until we finish (no matter how late), and then we'd hie off to some place for a really late dinner. Back then, Fort Bonifacio was still a ghost town, but I remember us regularly driving all the way to the Boni Stop (beside Shell) from our old Citibank office because Apes insists on eating in the Japanese place there (which has since closed shop), and because Lee needs to satisfy his day-long craving for Ice Monster (it was still a relatively new franchise then). Occasionally, we'd find ourselves in Katipunan because Lee lives on Katipunan, while Apes lives in Marikina. Katips. World Topps. Usually Katips.

Sometimes, we'd be joined by Tatong and Marc. But Marc has a girlfriend (who is now his wife), and Tatong...well, we don't know where Tatong goes, really. We're really just happy when either show up. For the most part, it was Apes, Lee and me.

Apes and I have since gotten married (to other people, not to each other, haha). A few years ago, Lee went to Abu Dhabi on a great career adventure. We have barely seen him since, but would touch base occasionally. (Thank God for Facebook!) Always, we'd talk about meeting up and eating out when he finally comes home to visit.

Well...he was home recently, which started the flurry of back-&-forth text messages. For about a month, we tried to schedule lunch/dinner/lunch/dinner--none of which pushed through for one reason or another, until...well, apparently, until the Monday before he was scheduled to fly out again. Gr. =(

In any case, by hook or by crook, we were going to meet up that Monday. Bawal na mag-cancel. Bawal mag-flake out. Sya!

We were supposed to eat in Pepper Lunch because preggers Apes was craving, but Lee and I separately arrived @ The Powerplant earlier than she did, and Lee decided he'd rather eat in some other place instead. (It just occurred to me that I never really get to vote. I just pretty much go where they want. Hmmmmmnnnnn....OK....I don't really mind. Let's move on. =))

That's how we found ourselves in C2. Classic Cuisine. Over the phone line, Apes protested, but by then it was too late. We had already ordered what should be outlawed because it is a definite health hazard if I ever saw one.

CRISPY KAREKARE--the restaurant's take on the classic karekare (which is sinful enough). Crispy, fatty pata served on a bed of perfectly cooked veggies with a side dish of wonderfully flavored peanut sauce and a generous serving of bagoong. I did not realize it while we were ordering, but this is actually one mean Crispy Pata--served with karekare sauce instead of the million and one version of the traditional soy-vinegar dip! My goodness. I want to meet the person who thought of this dish. He is either brilliant or super fat. Either way, hopefully, he is also still alive. =)


Now preggers Apes had a panic attack about trying to eat healthy so she ordered some crispy fish dish that I forgot to take a picture of. But she paired it with this salad which was a pretty interesting mix of seaweed (lato, in the local dialect), pomelo and nearly-ripe-but-not-quite mangoes. I LOVED. ^_^ That said, it was really more dessert for me than side dish because the mangoes and the pomelos were at the right level of sweetness and tartness, and the light combination was countered only by the slight saltiness that bursts with every bite of the lato. Refreshing. Wonderful. ^_^


Now, Lee and I, not being preggers (he is male, whereas I am just chubby) had no such qualms about healthy eating. Having ordered the killer Crispy Karekare, you'd think we'd leave well enough alone and just order plain, old, boring steamed rice. Nope. We decided to go for gold! We should have really said our final prayers right before digging in.

Everyone, meet SISIG RICE! *Burp* Enough said. Haha. ^_^


Of course, dinner would not be complete without dessert, and because Apes only agreed to eat in C2 because of this particular dessert, it was the one concession we gave to her that evening. Truth be told, we didn't really mind. The BIBINGKA SOUFFLE was divine. Melt in your mouth; sinful with the light cream-caramel sauce. Heaven help us. Haha! (I wonder to this day why they called it bibingka though. It was less rice cake and more canonigo. Oh, well. =))


All throughout dinner, we, of course, traded stories and tried to catch up with everything else that's going on in our lives. We laughed. Traded barbs. Guffawed ourselves silly. Like we used to during those long, late nights in the old Citibank office.

One dinner, of course, would never be enough to cover everything, but for now, it will have to do. Lee is back in the desert; Apes now lives in fear that her unborn daughter will have the same birthday as mine (haha!).

Until next time, dearies.

And next time, we're going for the Aligue Rice!

Nakuuuuuuuuuu........ =D

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P.S. - You know what we forgot to do? Take a pic! Gr. =(