The dinner party

There are certain scenes in old Hollywood films, like My Man Godfrey, that stick with me: men sporting their cocktail coats, tuxedos and suits; women wearing long, glittering dresses, gloves and feathers. The man of the house is mixing a pitcher of dirty martinis, and the woman is making last-minute checks in the kitchen, verifying that all the dishes are ready to go. Guests are streaming in little by little, lounging on the sofas as they sip their martinis, never spilling a drop. Among the invitees there is always a pleasant mix that was well thought out and planned according to proper social norms and decorum. There is that old couple who have been friends of the hosts for a long time, an equal amount of single women and men, a few new faces that only the host knows and the wild card. That one person capable of enlivening any boring conversation is that evening’s real form of entertainment, especially when they have had one martini too many.

They take their places at the table in front of the carefully and strategically positioned name cards. Certain rules must be respected: separate married couples, don’t separate young sweethearts, have each person seated next to someone they know and next to someone they don’t. Oh! And always try to inter-space men and women. The unfortunate tendency is that men sit on one end talking about sports, politics and cars, and women giggle and gaggle over gossip and fashion. Great conversation is all about seat placement. It is only after dinner that men go off to drink cognac and cigars, while women chat over liquors and champagne. But you’ll find that after a lively meal doused with wine, guests interact much more freely.

Unforgettable: El Cirkulo’s sisig

The dishes are always cleverly chosen. There must be a variety of items so that any one person with all kinds of dietary issues, religious beliefs or dislikes can still have something to eat. Personally, I like to offer a variety of vegetarian side dishes that when combined become hearty enough for a main meal. Whatever it is, variety is the key.

Wonderful, true dinner parties are rare. Having a chill dinner out with a friend or two before going out to drink and party doesn’t count. Having five round tables of 10 catered in a massive buffet to accommodate your 50 or so guests also doesn’t count. A true dinner party is when all the guests can sit around the same table, enjoy more or less the same food, and share one lively conversation. Over the course of the weekend I experienced three dinner parties worthy of the glory days of The Great Gatsby and classic, glamorous black-and-white movies. Quite interesting enough was that all three were unique.

Last Friday, what was originally meant to be a triple date turned out to be a full-blown dinner party for 10 at El Cirkulo on Arnaiz Avenue. I had a faint recollection of my only meal at El Cirkulo, which was rather good, some 10 years ago. For some reason, and curse my poor, habitual soul, at one point I ended up always going to the same favorite circuit of restaurants out of pure facility. First of all I was charmed by the sleek new interiors that still felt nice and cozy due to impeccable lighting. We had a nice little function room all to ourselves and a wonderful large, square table that allowed a maximum of 12 people to sit across each other and skillfully converse without shouting. We had two new friends from Denmark visiting the Philippines and the catch-up session from over the holiday season was rather animated. We didn’t even wash down with wine, just good company and great food.

Just like home: The delightful patita with homemade sweet liver sauce

As we were ordering a few things here and there to share, chef J Gamboa came over, welcoming us. He complained why didn’t I call him ahead, and quite frankly, while I love the perks of my job, I never like to impose. It’s always a nice surprise to be warmly welcomed by the chef. Like I always do, we gave him full power to order and send over his kitchen’s best. I may have had to call a cardiologist the next day but boy, was it worth it. We had a stellar selection of his best food items: crispy sisig, patita, roasted bone marrow, paella with mushroom and truffle, bacalao, slow-cooked beef belly plus a handful of tapas. Everything was excellent and to be quite honest, this is probably the best sisig I’ve ever had in my life. The right amount of spicy, slight tangy acidity, but so crispy that the gods of crispy-dom had laid their golden sizzling hands and blessed this worthy dish. I ignored the salad and shamelessly dug into the little crunchy bits. I would go back just for that alone, wash it down with a cold beer spiked with Lipitor and sigh a very happy sigh. The bar is also quite a pleasant place as I shared a glass of wine with two “cheffie” buddies, Cyrille of Cicou and J, discussing their upcoming France trip, lauding the delicious meal we just had. Jonathan and I have decided that this is one of our new favorite places. Unpretentious, delicious food with homey, comforting service. And their beer was extra-cold!

Sinful but delicious: Roasted bone marrow

Saturday, we were invited over to our friend Alfredo Roca’s house for dinner. A man of impeccable taste with a gorgeous collection of artwork, maps and antiques. The house was cozy and a glass of wine was immediately offered upon entering. Little appetizers circulated around the room and it was so pleasant to be invited to an intimate dinner where you meet new and interesting people. Within five minutes I was discussing modern Japanese literature, sharing insights on my favorite author Haruki Murakami with one of the guests, Manuel, who now lives in Tokyo. How long has it been since I discussed literature? To be honest, I’m not quite sure. It’s interesting because when you are not too familiar with someone but you find them pleasant, you find points of interest in common that can vary from politics to art and have deeper conversations than you would with your buddies you see every weekend. The table was impeccably set with fine china and old silverware and guest placement rules were respected. Dinner was a delightful mix of Filipino and continental classics with the molo soup that truly stood out, bursting with flavor. An assortment of desserts and mignardise was served with coffee, cognac and champagne as the gracious host went about entertaining everyone. The surprise was a little gift for everyone, wrapped in pretty ribbons. It was an old parlor toy where you had to get all the little marbles in the respective holes. A small and thoughtful gesture that had everyone laughing and sabotaging one another’s little game.

Only the best tableware for Monday’s dinner party

Monday evening, I had to throw my own dinner party in honor of a good friend of mine from Hong Kong. As a host one must make sure to entertain all guests and attend to their needs. Small attention to detail like having the glasses ready upon arrival and full at all times makes them feel welcome. I was quite proud of my duck confit and judging from the clean plates, happy my guests enjoyed. The conversations again veered from the serious to the cultural to the silly and truly it is a delight. So often in our day, things are fast-paced and party mode tends to sink in. What was most enjoyable about this whole affair was the company, conversation and food. Good food will get people talking because they are in a good mood. Wine also helps but the one notable thing about all these dinners is, well, no one was drunk and the alcohol was far from overflowing. We were all just enjoying a rare moment of true conversational pleasure and friendship.

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You can contact me at mailto:Stephanie_zubiri@yahoo.fr.