Lilypad gets second wind

My home in Calamba, Lily Pad, was a mess for a while. I put it on the market for sale but it wouldn’t move. It stood uninhabited for five years. I gave it to realtors to sell. All of them failed. One day I showed it to Tina Tan, who fell in love with it. She suggested we turn it into a weekend restaurant. She would provide the food. I would simply provide the place. I agreed.

We went through the period of setting up, Tina and her people doing most of the work. I decided to struggle with the brochure. I, who had ordered an art department to come up with brochures for clients, had to finally do one for myself. In the end it came out charming and we have it in a basket to give it away to our clients, so they can give away to their friends.

Late in September, we had a soft opening. The first batch of friends came in. It was our Saturday menu: two aperitifs – bacalao and stuffed pimentos. It was followed by a buffet — a crisp, delicious arugula salad with pesto tomatoes, pasta with mushroom sauce, a wonderful fried duck with plum sauce, and lengua. For dessert we had apple pie.

You take your aperitifs in the main house, under the stairs, and your choice of beverages – dalandan juice, a soft drink or iced tea. Then when lunch is served you cross the bridge to my dining room and sit at the big round table there, or any of the two smaller tables. There you eat until dessert. Coffee or tea is served with your dessert. All these for only P1,000. You want a beer? You have to pay for that. You want to bring your own wine? We charge P200 corkage. Or you can buy wine from us. That is the Mediterranean menu on Saturdays.

On Sundays we have a Filipino menu. You begin with crispy shrimps or tapa or local boquerones or botarga, fish roe. Lunch will be a lato seaweed salad, crabs or crispy pata or duck, kare-kare or ginataang pusit, grilled tanigue or talakitok. For dessert you have glazed banana or kamote. Same rates.

You cannot come to the restaurant unless you make reservations. We only open if we have enough reservations. Our capacity is only for 20 people. We also serve a delicious breakfast for only P300 per person but you must reserve first. The mood is informal, nothing fancy, but also a little elegant.

Last Saturday I invited my friends from the market over, just to see if they would fall in love with the place. They all fell head over heels in love with Lily Pad. They loved my house, which is surrounded by a pond that holds more than 30 carp now. You can feed them bread. My friends also loved the food and the flowers, which I taught our housekeeper Eder to arrange, and which she did very well.

Really, you must come to try out the place. If you want more information or you want to make reservations, call 0918-3624176 or 817-8670 or 0917-8155570.

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There are two gowns I remember having made for a University of the Philippines Ball. One was a dark beige soft net with a wide peach belt. The shoulders had garters so you could pull the sleeves down off the shoulder. Then I went to the ball with my boyfriend. The next one was a turquoise brocade with a fully beaded high neck. That one I sewed and beaded myself. I was a little older. My husband, an Upsilonian, was taking me to the ball 40 years ago, a very, very long time ago.

Are you from UP? Your university is a hundred years old and they are celebrating in a big way. There is a big centennial ball planned for December 16. You are all invited to join. Tickets are P1,500 per person or P18,000 for a table for 12. They say they will no longer accept payments after October 31, so you better hurry up and join now. You may call the alumni association for more information at 929-8327 or 920-6871 or 920-6868 or e-mail them at up.alum.assn@pacific.net.ph or upalum@yahoo.com.ph.

I never studied at UP. But Bienvenido Gonzalez, one of the past presidents, was the brother of my grandfather, Javier, who died young. My father grew up with Lolo Bindo. So I have a soft spot for UP. Also, Josie Saddul is my good friend. She asked me to do this. So if I were from UP, I would call them for more information now.

Let’s all have fun. Life is much too short for anything else.

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Please send your comments to 0917-8155570.