valentine's day

Feb 14, 2010

8:00am

Breakfast. Get some work done. Why are clients emailing on a Sunday?

11:00am

I decide to prepare what I'll wear for a fancy dinner with the boyfriend at 7pm. What do you do when you can't decide which simple shift is most appropriate? Why, you try everything on, set the camera timer, and Skype a friend for opinion, of course.





Ended up wearing the old black dress - the last one. Clutch is an old Ferragamo. Shoes are Balenciaga, bought on sale in Madrid.

12:00nn

Lunch. Eat leftover everything.

2:00pm

Pack running gear. Text Bismuth on where we'll meet. Can't wait to see her new car.

3:00pm

Run around UP with Bismuth and the boyfriend. It's not too hot, and I actually have Bon Jovi on my running playlist. Yes - that Bon Jovi. I'm so old.

4:00pm

Eat something. Anything. We hit the vendors around the UP Coop. The boyfriend eats corn and drinks buko juice; I eat corn and tuknene. We share an ice cream.

4:15pm

Mass.

5:30pm

Back in condo. Get ready for the date.

6:00pm

Head to Sala Restaurant - the old one along Ayala Ave (NOT the bistro in Greenbelt).

7:00pm

Right on time. On the five-course menu:

(Click to read)




My personal favorite is the little egg and caviar, the seared tuna carpaccio on Romesco sauce, and the lobster tail risotto which had bisque sauce. The duck and the Angus are both perfectly cooked; however, the duck is a little too fat.

The table is not so good. We can hear the young Chinese couple to our left. They are very prim and proper, hardly touching the bread basket and hardly leaving any crumbs. Meanwhile, we are eating like there's no tomorrow, exchanging plates like kids (so we can taste everything) and laughing like we are alone. We must be making them uncomfortable.

8:00pm

Yey. The Chinese couple left. Privacy, at last.

We see our chef - Biggest Loser Asia contestant Carlo Miguel. He is very thin now - too thin for a chef, in my opinion. But he does make good sauces.

8:15pm

Whaaaat?? What do you mean the tasting menu only comes with ONE GLASS of Verve Clicquot??
Anyway, the boyfriend and I talk about our past Valentine's day celebrations. We realize that they all involve food, cheap or fancy.

8:30pm

I take the boyfriend's half-finished glass of Verve Clicquot. He doesn't like it. Neither do I, honestly, but bubbly is bubbly. And this one is overpriced. I better drink every drop.

9:00pm

Dessert is forgettable.

And here we were: