Okay, this is one overdue post for my catch-up series: mum's birthday, that is. Now, as ashamed as I am to admit it, the past birthdays of my mom saw me barely struggling with my financial, err, condition. It was only this year that I was able to have a little more than what I'd spend for myself until the next paycheck so I thought mom's 64th birthday had to be special. Simple, yet special.
The day kicked off just like any other mornings, save for the birthday greetings from me, dad, and my cousin. It was breakfast as usual, and then after a few hours to spend checking Facebook and other online stuff, I got ready to join my family for lunch at Serendra. Pick of the day was Abe, a member restaurant from the LJC Restaurant Chains (Think: Café Adriatico and Café Havana.). Now, I've read mixed reviews of the place so I decided to try it out with my family. Also, it boasted of Kapampangan dishes which my Cabalen mom obviously loves just as much as my dad has grown fond of everything Kapampangan, even if his roots hail from Cavite. Anyway, so the place was pretty crowded when we got there a little past the quarter of 12, but we were lucky to score seats in less than five minutes. Browsing through their menu, I immediately scanned for Bringhe (Kapampangan version of Paella) and Betute (Dressed frog stuffed with minced frog meat). Looking at what they had to offer, I thought to myself, "Yup, Kapampangan nga...". We settled for Bringhe, Betute, Pesang Dalag, Balo-Balo (fermented rice with fish or freshwater shrimp), Sugpo Sa Gata, and Watermelon Sharbat for me. My parents opted for the much simpler lemonade.
My initial impression was that although there were obvious efforts to make the place seem cozy (like putting up a memorabilia corner and old photographs on the walls), the atmosphere reminded me of the old-fashioned panciterias in Manila from good old days of my childhood – it was noisy and overcrowded, lacked ample lighting, and service wasn’t that noteworthy. Good thing it didn’t take long for our food to arrive and, yes, I was right not to have set very high expectations of the place. The food was okay, I guess, but nothing too memorable; the bringhe was dry and somehow the chicken liver did not complement with the idea of glutinous rice in coconut milk; and I wished there were more vegetables in our Pesang Dalag. The betute was good and delicious, and the Watermelon Sharbat came as something of a surprise – I never thought watermelon shake and ginger would go together. Sure, it tasted a little different BUT it was good and I loved it! Mom loved her Balo-Balo, by the way. As for dad, well, he just practically ate whatever was served on the table. The bill was pretty much reasonable, but I don’t think I’ll be dropping by this place again for a long time. Nevertheless, we were all full when lunch ended, and a good walk along High Street was in order for some window shopping and coffee at Figaro. Oh, and before heading home, we dropped by Sonja’s for some cupcakes to bring on-the-go. (My, my! Sonja’s flourless chocolate cupcakes were such a treat! YUMMY!)
The day kicked off just like any other mornings, save for the birthday greetings from me, dad, and my cousin. It was breakfast as usual, and then after a few hours to spend checking Facebook and other online stuff, I got ready to join my family for lunch at Serendra. Pick of the day was Abe, a member restaurant from the LJC Restaurant Chains (Think: Café Adriatico and Café Havana.). Now, I've read mixed reviews of the place so I decided to try it out with my family. Also, it boasted of Kapampangan dishes which my Cabalen mom obviously loves just as much as my dad has grown fond of everything Kapampangan, even if his roots hail from Cavite. Anyway, so the place was pretty crowded when we got there a little past the quarter of 12, but we were lucky to score seats in less than five minutes. Browsing through their menu, I immediately scanned for Bringhe (Kapampangan version of Paella) and Betute (Dressed frog stuffed with minced frog meat). Looking at what they had to offer, I thought to myself, "Yup, Kapampangan nga...". We settled for Bringhe, Betute, Pesang Dalag, Balo-Balo (fermented rice with fish or freshwater shrimp), Sugpo Sa Gata, and Watermelon Sharbat for me. My parents opted for the much simpler lemonade.
My initial impression was that although there were obvious efforts to make the place seem cozy (like putting up a memorabilia corner and old photographs on the walls), the atmosphere reminded me of the old-fashioned panciterias in Manila from good old days of my childhood – it was noisy and overcrowded, lacked ample lighting, and service wasn’t that noteworthy. Good thing it didn’t take long for our food to arrive and, yes, I was right not to have set very high expectations of the place. The food was okay, I guess, but nothing too memorable; the bringhe was dry and somehow the chicken liver did not complement with the idea of glutinous rice in coconut milk; and I wished there were more vegetables in our Pesang Dalag. The betute was good and delicious, and the Watermelon Sharbat came as something of a surprise – I never thought watermelon shake and ginger would go together. Sure, it tasted a little different BUT it was good and I loved it! Mom loved her Balo-Balo, by the way. As for dad, well, he just practically ate whatever was served on the table. The bill was pretty much reasonable, but I don’t think I’ll be dropping by this place again for a long time. Nevertheless, we were all full when lunch ended, and a good walk along High Street was in order for some window shopping and coffee at Figaro. Oh, and before heading home, we dropped by Sonja’s for some cupcakes to bring on-the-go. (My, my! Sonja’s flourless chocolate cupcakes were such a treat! YUMMY!)
The Abe Experience
Coffee, anyone? :)
Little did mom know, there was still a mini-surprise waiting for her at home. There was a Mango Cake waiting, plus it was time to open her present, which I bought the other day. Let’s just say that the gift she got was just perfect for someone who has a delicate culinary taste! ^_^
Delicious Low-Sugar Mango Cake
Culinary Bestsellers For Mom :)It was nice to see my mom smile the whole day. I swear, she just couldn’t wipe that grin off her face! Haha! Somehow it gives me a warm feeling, and I knew I made her birthday pretty special. And for the record, it was my parents’ first time in Serendra and Boni High Street, and judging from their impression of the place, it’s something they could very much get used to. ^_^
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