I have been friends with Mayeh for a long time. How long? A decade. It’s a classic story of friendship. I was a high school sophomore who ended up in a class that contained none of the people I usually hang out with. Mayeh was friends with Mizzah, who for some reason, took an unusual interest in being my friend and practically forced (ha!) me to hang out with them. Ten years later, there are days where I just call Mayeh (on her office number, no less) for impromptu lunch and dinner dates. Classic. Right.

On one of these impromptu dates, we ended up midway our offices. I have eaten here a couple of times prior to this and knew they served Filipino classics with either plain, garlic, or brown rice. I have always enjoyed Sinampalukang Manok but never get the chance to order it since it’s only served every other day. I, unfortunately, was so disappointed when I got none of the tamarind flavors in the broth. Mayeh and I agreed that it was bland. Meh.

Now if you’re looking for a hit in the menu, order the Chicken Adobo sa Gata. Served over rice, there may not be so much sauce covering the chicken but it still is juicy. And so yum. Haha sorry, I’m currently drooling while writing this, hence, the lack of coherence.

I often assume that places with good coffee have good desserts as well (because really, what else goes well with coffee?). They didn’t have a dessert menu yet but the waiter suggested the cookie shot with Carmen’s Best Ice Cream. I love Carmen’s Best and I rarely have it because it’s a bit pricier than other local brands. I had Dark Chocolate while Mayeh ordered Salted Caramel. The ice cream was heavenly as always, but damn, the cookie shots had the consistency of a jawbreaker. They probably should have put hot coffee in it to soften it up before eating. Oh well, can’t have it all.