Love Cont'd

According to my InTouch horoscope last week, "Pisces: Kicking back and enjoying life's simple pleasures allows you to totally rejuvenate your soul and sets the stage for a peaceful week. Luxury without expense works in your favor."

In this regard, I want to preserve my zen status by noting only the things I love rather than including instances that caused me to pull my hair or grit my teeth.

Sunday was family day. Sis flew in from HK on Friday night and we were finally complete, so Sunday was like a celebration of sorts for the for the four of us. This is the first time in two years that our family can all be together without having to live in cramped spaces, think HK mini apartments, and no one has to sleep on the floor.

First stop was The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel. Ma and Pa had been dropping this name time and again since I arrived but they decided to wait for Big Sistah (Queen J, that's Dad's nickname for Sis) to come so we

can all go together.

The Cake Club is located in Powerplant Mall outside National Bookstore. The Cake Club is owned and managed by Diamond Hotel so the menu is the same but cheaper. True enough, the prices of the coffee there are very competitive; Php 95 for the Iced Cafe Au Lait I ordered versus the Php 85 short black decaf Americano I ordered from Starbucks a couple of days ago. Additionally, The Cake Club is a sit-down type of coffee shop but there is no service charge.

The coffee blend used is called Sumibi and the thick milk and the ice did not dilute the taste of the coffee. Great coffee, check.

We ordered a slice of baked cheesecake (the reason we were there in the first place) and a slice of supermoist chocolate cake. The first bite of the baked cheesecake was unbelievably heavenly; I have truly never tasted cake this good. The base is not the usual graham cracker base and the top is not special so the focus of the taste is purely on the cheesecake in the middle. To say that my first bite of the supermoist was just as unbelievably heavenly is a cliche, but it truly was. To put it simply, the supermoist is chocolate and cake in one. It is neither too chocolaty rich it can pass as a chocolate bar nor is it too sweet or soft like chiffon cake.

I thought it couldn't get better than this. Actually not really, but almost.

Last stop, dinner at Abe in Serendra. Abe, which is run by The LJC Group, is Filipino dining at its finest. We ordered The Day After (lechon paksiw) and sisig. My parents, who are both vegetarians, ordered vegetarian Gising-Gising and Bicol Express (the shrimp and other meat were requested to be taken out) and Lumpiang Pica Pica. The sisig was not the usual sizzling kind with chicharon bits. The taste was purer and I was able to identify the taste of the pig's ear and liver. The lechon paksiw was tender while the skin was still crispy and the sauce was peanut-y with hints of vinegar. First reaction: YUUM. I tasted Ma and Pa's GG and BE but not the Lumpia. Most commendable was Abe had been able to bring out the combined taste of the vegetables in the BE so it was tasty even without the shrimp or meat. Another YUUM.

Fortunately, I only have the chance to eat Filipino food once a year, twice at the most. Even though Abe successfully minimized the greasiness of their dishes, I was so sleepy after dinner I was K.O. in the car, perhaps from too much meat or too much flavoring or both.

I think after all the good food yesterday, I'll be satisfied for the rest of the week but Holy Week is coming and so are many visitors from HK. I heard we'll be going to Spiral Cafe in Philippine Plaza this Saturday. Uh-oh.