Four birthday dinners & a trip abroad

MANILA, Philippines - Five days after I celebrated my birthday, I still get text messages on my phone and Facebook account greeting me for the occasion. As of the last tally, 367 people have greeted me, which is a first in my books. In the past, the most “Happy Birthdays” I would get is 30 to 40 in total. Indeed, the latest technology is the culprit for this overwhelmingly joyous feeling.

Traditionally, for the past two decades, I’ve always celebrated my birthday with dinner with friends. This year, my plan to throw another one got waylaid by a gift from my wife, which was a four-day holiday in Macau that included air tickets, a suite at any five-star hotel in Macau of my choice and two dinners at restaurants I most revere in the former Portuguese colony — Robuchon a Galera and Shanghai 456. How lucky could I get? Fact of the matter is my wife has been saving for a year to give me this present. 

For the accommodation, I chose to stay at the Lisboa Hotel over all the other five-star, world-class hotels in Macau like the Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, Venetian, Sands, Banyan Tree and the like which I’ve tried in the past.

I’ve been staying at Lisboa Hotel for the past five years and have earned my loyalty because of the service, ambiance and freebies. 

Where in the world would you find a hotel that resembles a museum with an eclectic mix of treasures and art pieces on every floor? You have from King Tutankhamen’s ceremonial throne to Ming vases to million-year-old dinosaur skeletons. I would assume all the art pieces inside the hotel cost more than the hotel itself. The hotel room freebies include all the contents of the mini-bar that get replaced daily, local calls, movies (including X-rated) and high-speed Internet access. I’ve been all over the world and Lisboa is one of a handful of hotels that offers all these gratis. 

Amenities are superb — comfy beds, flat screen TVs that have a hundred channels, bathrooms are tiled with Italian marble with dual sinks complemented by a jacuzzi that has a foot massage and steam bath and sauna. Toiletries are Hermes.

1. Dinner at 456 Shanghai Restaurant

This restaurant is obscurely located at the second floor of Lisboa Hotel approaching a footbridge to another casino. Despite having stayed at Lisboa Hotel regularly, I only discovered 456 Shanghai this year. Decor is typical feng shui’d Chinese and the menu is reminiscent of the famed Forum restaurant in Hong Kong Central owned by revered Chinese chef Ah Yat. Abalone, Shark Fin, Bird’s Nest and other Sino gourmet delicacies that will delight the gastronomic palate occupy half of the glossy pictures-laden menu.

For my first birthday dinner, I ordered Shanghai Crabs, which only appear in October and November in Mainland China, particularly the Shanghai area. The crab doesn’t grow as large as our native crab (Alimango) but is packed with sweet meat and golden roe that when tasted is guaranteed to make you sing praises even if you’re not a crab aficionado. The restaurant attendants will crack all the legs and scoop the flesh and roe upon request, which is a plus because the ritual is tedious. After the dinner, I had to take my hypertension pill for all the crab roe I consumed.

The biggest setback though with a Shanghai Crab feast is that it leaves you wanting for more while your wallet drains like a leaky faucet.

2. Robuchon A Galera

I haven’t dined at Robuchon for over a year. Last time was when my friend Johnny Cesar hit a $68,000 jackpot at the slots and the blowout had to be at the best place to dine in Macau. It’s THE restaurant that figures even in my dreams. We arrived promptly for our 7 p.m. reservation. I tried to be careful with the entrees I ordered as I didn’t want my wife to cry when she sees the bill.

Because it’s the white Truffle season, everything I ordered had it. First to arrive were the all kinds of bread that were baked minutes earlier at the restaurant’s humongous oven. Just the bread is enough to bring you to an epicurean orgasm. Parmeggiano Reggiano infused buns, bacon encrusted mini baguettes and chestnut rolls, just to name a few.

First of the entrees to arrive was Alaskan King Crab wrapped with a creamy emulsion drizzled with white Truffle shavings followed by a French foie gras sampler with white Truffle shavings and baby shitake mushrooms. The dinner was concluded with a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream birthday cake embellished by strawberries compliments of the restaurant. The whole gourmet experience was ably attended by my favorite Pinoy servers Georgia and Medel, who have been with Robuchon for years.

3. Fireplace at the Hyatt

The last time I dined at the Fireplace was when it introduced its Wagyu beef menu two years ago and it has been “Tattooed on my Mind” ever since. When my good friends Joy de Mesa (sales and marketing director of Hyatt Hotel & Casino) and bride-to-be Loni Balagtas (PR director) offered to treat me to a birthday Wagyu beef dinner, I immediately said yes and silently salivated. The dinner happened on Thanksgiving night.

We chose a table at the innermost part of the Fireplace that was far from human traffic. Loni volunteered to do all the orders and her choices were excellent starting with Millionaires Salad-Sea Scallops, Barbecued Prawns and Foie Gras swimming over fresh salad greens drizzled with virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The generous serving was enough to sate even the biggest appetite but I came prepared by skipping breakfast and lunch to have lots of space. I nixed the soup and jumped to the entrees. Sweet and delicate Chilean Sea Bass and a sampler plate of grade six Australian Wagyu Beef, which I prefer over its American counterpart being more flavorful with a full-bodied taste. It’s needless to comment on the excellence.

The evening ended with a to-die-for Valhora Chocolate Soup. I hinted to Loni and Joy I’d like to do the dinner again soon but they pretended they didn’t hear me. Oh well, I’ll just hopefully wait for their invite for my birthday in 2012.

4. Lolo Dads at 6750 Glorietta

The final dinner was at my favorite hangout Lolo Dads at the 6750 building in the Glorietta area where the nightspot Giraffe used to stand. Owned by tycoon Tonyboy Cojuangco and Ding Ayuyao (son of motorist legend Dodo Ayuyao), Lolo Dads is always featured in gourmet guides not only locally but also by famed international guides like the Miele. I felt embarrassed that on the date of my birthday dinner, owner Tonyboy had to celebrate his birthday at a competing restaurant because I beat him to it. The dinner was for close friends Joey de Leon, Mike and Baby Enriquez, Greg and Myrna Garcia, Lenny de Jesus and Russell Sobrepeña, Howard and Cecille Medina, Bobby and Moleen del Rosario, and Kenneth and Jolly Mau. On the menu was Pizza Carbonara (the house specialty), Morel Soup and all-you-can-eat Wagyu Steak and giant prawns, which were served the whole night. At 11 p.m., the waiters almost begged us to leave because it was way past closing time.