Greek Easter

Our Hellenic Easter Sunday lunch was unplanned. We were on a drive back to the city from a 5-day Holy Week sojourn in our Batangas home when hunger overtook us somewhere along the highways of Tagaytay. Mano's Greek Taverna was the unanimous choice.

We have previously come across some favorable reviews about the restaurant on a glossy and a broadsheet before so we all expected a good satisfying meal. The owner is of course Mano (in top photo), Greek obviously, married to an olive-skinned Filipina. His place, painted in typical Mediterranean fashion, was actually unpretentious; the food, certainly more affordable than that of Cyma.

We found a quiet nook that we had all to ourselves with a view of Tagaytay's pines and motorists who seemed to be in a rush to return to Manila.

The lamb gyro was good enough, though not as rich and creamy as Cyma's bestselling chicken gyro. The lamb came in small quantities too but that was quite understandable as it was a more costly ingredient compared to chicken or beef.

We were very happy with the grilled pork chops. Tender. With a salty flavor that I loved. (Just an aside, A Taste of L.A. Cafe's pork chops are still the best for me. Seconded by Fish and Company's. Mano's, I think, comes in third.) The french fries were a surprise! Cooked in olive oil. Greaseless. And oh so yummy they did not need dips at all.

Now the tilapia was the day's winner I'd say, judging by my sisters' display of gastronomical pleasure. What made it special was the interesting mixture of olive oil and lemon that it was served with. They could do though with a much fresher fish, said the girls.

The much hyped about baklava was not to be missed. But, disappointingly, turned out to be just that—a hype. It was totally lacking in sweetness and that mouth-watering factor obligatory of desserts, saved only by the apple-cinnamon sauce on top.

The meal was quite heavy so we stayed around for a while, sitting back as Indie and Mano's little boy stood by the window until it was time to go.

Mano had excellent PR skills that extended to the parking lot. He assisted each arriving and departing vehicle like a security guard in the Metro and no one ever had to tip him! That's Mano's Greek Taverna. I sure won't mind coming back.

Cordillera High

A trip to U.P. never fails to give me my fill of little pleasures. There are college memories to go back to all the time and, on some occasions, a few surprises along the way, surprises that mean more reasons to come back again and again.

Yesterday, that surprise was Cordillera Coffee, a laid back al fresco cafe by the side of Vargas, shielded from the afternoon sun by the museum's walls and pleasantly cooled by tall age-old trees standing close by. The backdrop of greens was picture perfect. But where was my camera? My three-year old daughter Indie posed and posed anyway. My Nokia was no different from my Nikon as far as she was concerned. The staff was clearly amused.

I must admit we grown-ups got carried away as well. The pictures had the feel of Baguio so what the heck! Like Indie, we smiled and smiled at the camera or my phone rather for more than 10 minutes. The desserts could wait. We just had Fruits in Ice Cream from a stall in SC (that's Shopping Center) after all.

Then it was time to order. Everything on display looked tempting and promising. I had the feeling the taste would live up to the presentation so I just had to have some, diet or no diet. My husband Nubs and I took no time choosing. It was the unusual but interesting Orange Poppy Seed Cake for us.

It was soft and the fluff was just right. The orange flavor was distinct, sweet with a mild delicious hint of citrus-ness. Eating the candied orange slice on top was hands down the best part, the icing on the cake I'd say. I loved it! So did Nubs. So much so that by the time my sister Gert and her friend Inah, who both had a hard time deciding what to try, came back to our table our cake was gone save for a few bits.

The girls got the Blackout Cake for themselves which was actually dark chocolate cake. The appearance was typical of its kind so I assumed it would be just as mediocre in the mouth. And was I wrong!

It was rich but not intoxicatingly so. Its sweetness was tempered by the slightly bitter flavor of dark chocolate. There are chocolate cakes that are so decadent one has to take quick gulps of coffee after every bite or simply set it side because one couldn't take too much in one go. These, believe me, won't happen with Blackout.

The girls had coffee with their desserts. Gert found it okay, not so bad, not so good. But hey, that was "coffee for a cause" so what could be better than helping extend a hand to the farmers who grew the beans? I thought it was cool and grand at the same time. Too bad my neurocirculatory asthenia wouldn't even allow me a single cup.

Nubs read the papers between sips of tea. The two girlfriends exchanged chikas. Indie and I took a walk. The air was lovely. The afterrnoon slipped by without us noticing. Time seemed to have stopped for a while there and we all forgot about the things that we all had to do. It was like being transported to another place where the steady hum of the city felt remote and far away, where the minutes and the hours seemed to linger, oblivious to the day's passing.

Cordillera proved true to its name.