Finding simple and super pleasures in a Mall

It is so convenient to have at one’s disposal a whole strip of very good restaurants. Like most others I, too, am a creature of habit and even as I have it in mind to try out a new place, if it were entirely up to me I most probably would end up in some place I’ve been to a dozen times. You know how it is when you’re really hungry and you just want the assurance of a tried-and-tested good meal than risk being disappointed with a new, bad one? Well, that’s how I feel most of the time – hungry or not hungry. But being with friends always snaps me out of my pothole and I happily oblige because it is then that I get to discover new dishes cum soon-to-be new favorites.

So before Store Super there was Haiku, Sentro, Good Earth, Sugi, Cena, Restaurant 12 and just last week, Oody’s. There were lots of times when we wanted to dine in Oody’s but it was always brimming with people. Finally, I got my chance and I wasn’t disappointed one bit. I was with family and there were eight of us.

Most of the people I know who have eaten there swear by their fried wanton and their tom-yum so those were the first two I ordered together with some crispy catfish and mango salad. Here I was, complaining for months that G3 had all kinds of restaurants except Thai only to realize Oody’s had a Thai menu to boast of. And to think it was just under my nose all along! Their menu is overwhelming with so many dishes to choose from but the waitress helpfully suggested that the marked items were the house specials. On that basis, everyone was able to place their orders soon enough. The top hits, for that night at least, were the fried wanton (we placed three more succeeding orders for this because it would quickly disappear the minute the plate hit the tabletop), the tom yum, phad thai, crispy catfish with mango salad, fried rice with shrimp paste and omelet, and the wanton noodle soup with pork. I wasn’t prepared for how hefty the servings were but then such is always a pleasant surprise as opposed to being served a miniscule portion. The tom yum was creamier (I felt it had more gata) than usual but it was very good and apart from the shrimps I expected, it also had mussels, squid and udon noodles. Unless you share, this could well be a whole meal in itself. Juliana, who normally chooses to play in a restaurant rather than eat, surprisingly had more than her usual portion – she loved the fried shrimp wanton and the wanton soup. By the time we were through, we were all so stuffed no one had any more room for dessert. However, the dessert list looked so tempting (see, that’s the killer there – the dessert menu has pictures of the food items) we had to order at least one. The unanimous choice was pandesal with pandan dip. Again, it did not disappoint. It was a very strange but very good combination. It somehow reminded me of old-fashioned ice cream sandwiches or the sliced bread with condensed milk I was (still am) very fond of. The pandesal comes toasted while the pandan is served thick, with just the right amount of sweetness. The prices were very reasonable, too. We were eight people and most of us ordered two dishes each but the bill was only a little over P3,000 each. I can’t wait to go back and explore their menu some more. It was a good eat.

Haiku is a spin-off from one of my favorite Japanese places, Sakura. I remember when I was pregnant I would always order their udon noodle soup with tempura. I liked how the latter would get half-crispy, half-soggy in the soup that they always served very hot. In Haiku, I still order the same things I used to order at Sakura. I’m particularly fond of their haiku salad. It’s a bit on the spicy side but I like it a lot. The gindara teriyaki has always been good but my current favorite is their chicken teriyaki. The meat is very tender, the skin crispy and juicy and with the plain Japanese rice, I’m all set. I can even finish two orders of this all by myself.

Sentro, right beside Haiku, serves very interesting dishes too. I especially like their sinigang na corned beef. Their sans rival and coffee pie are something else, too. In fact because both seem to always be two of the most in-demand desserts whenever we’re there, we ask the waiter to reserve a few pieces even as we are yet in the process of ordering our dinner. The first time I ordered their sans rival I dissuaded Cathy from ordering one for herself, insisting that one would be enough for both of us. I guess we both just weren’t prepared for how good it was. She was too busy talking to me that by the time she lifted her teaspoon to get a bite, I had already finished more than half of it. I was unconsciously just spooning in bite after bite. Try it – it doesn’t even look like the usual ones we see around.

Richard and I have been a fan of Good Earth for years now. We used to go to the one in Greenhills but when they closed that down we were only too happy to see it resurface in G3. I always keep coming back to the same old good ones, the chicken pao being a perennial favorite. The chef has a habit of stepping out to ask the guests how everything is. He has such a kind, smiling face you almost feel like it’s your grandpa or uncle cooking up a meal for you. Service is very fast, too.

Sugi is still as consistently good as it has always been. And then there’s Restaurant 12 and Cena. I used to go quite a bit to the latter’s former spot in Libis and although I haven’t dined in the G3 branch yet (was there for dessert only), I heard their food is just as good. I remember their seabass and oysters very well because these were the two I always ordered. As for Restaurant 12, I was there for a friend’s birthday and they dished out a special menu that was really good considering they were still on their dry run. Just recently I heard they have a good Japanese chef visiting so that should be interesting to check out, too.

Famous is another fun place to go to. It’s supposed to be a dessert bar but I just know that when I do get the chance to drop by I will be ordering not dessert but Spam. Keren Pascual says this is definitely on the menu and he was the first person I met who actually fried slices of Spam with a bit of sugar. Eaten with very hot rice it was a very good comfort meal. I never had it that way in the past and the first time I tried it I was so amazed. I had no idea people actually did that. If Famous prepares it the way Keren cooked it at that time, I’m solved. You promised it’s going to be just as good, right Keren? I’ll hold you up to that.

Suffice to say that although I initially resist change when it comes to food, when it’s there I obediently succumb. After all, I want to pamper my taste buds. With all these good places, I now know that it is impossible to just stick to one. Good restaurants are just like favorite shoes–you keep them close even when there will be new ones to discover. And you don’t have to choose just one, you’re allowed to simply enjoy all. After all, the only thing constant will be a hungry stomach.