my sweet and sour November

Lolo Domeng, the family man, though he rested in peace, paved the way for many family bondings.... He did not have enough strength to live until December to join us in our usual December happenings... But his memory lives on.

The family celebrated a month later. Meanwhile, I had to continue with life, otherwise known as finding new sources of joy.

Early part of November, my brother and I tried La Cucina Grotta in V.A. Rufino St. in Makati. The rustic interiors exude the feel of cozy restaurants which line the streets of New York, most especially those near Times Square.



... Food was also great... More worth the money than the much hyped about Bellini's in the old Cubao area... My brother and I got too full, we had to take home some good portion of left-overs. Our check amounted to Php 1,000. But hey, we ordered a salmon-based dish. Add this to the fact that we both agree that as soon as a spoonful of serving of every entree we ordered touches our tastebuds, we can really taste the flavor and the pricey ingredients the cook must have used on the dish.

I got information that this place actually gets really packed every weekdays especially during lunch time. But we went there on a Sunday, so it was a breeze. All attention of the staff is centered on us (well, we had to share with another group).

La Grotta is at the G/F AETNA Building, VA Rufino Street, Legaspi Village, Makati (beside Mini-Stop). Call them at +632 894 1320, +632 817 3306.

We had to compare the then newly talked about restaurant with a then growing fave - Cantinetta. Here's our experience.

My first parameter for a good Italian resto is based on their complimentary liver pate's taste. La Grotta's was good, but I seem to like Cantinetta's better.

We ordered pizza (the best-seller identified by the waitress, the name I forgot) and pasta.

My brother said he prefers Cantinetta over La Grotta. My opinion was otherwise.

My brother said that both places allow you to get your money's worth but he prefers Cantinetta because his taste buds have a bias for familiar food. Although the food was definitely not ordinary, he says that the ambience, the ingredients, were not alien to him, hence he appreciated it better. For him, since the ingredients were familiar, it was easy for him to say that 'twas the best among the "familiar Italian places." I chose La Grotta because of it's romantic feel and it's casual dining price for the feel of a fine dining (cloth table napkins were present compared to Cantinetta's paper tissue). I also have a bias for new-tasting foods.

Cantinetta is cradled at the outside restaurant block of Rockwell. They also have a branch at Baguio. Our check was also around a thousand bucks.

A new international pre-school called Learning Jungle (from Canada) also opened in a fresh location - Rizal Drive at Fort Bonifacio. I attended their open house and was very pleased with the "mini home" kids could enjoy while their young parents attend work at Fort or Makati.

Learning Jungle is located at the Forbes Town Center, and is luckily sandwiched in between modern life's conveniences - a delicatessen (Paul Calvin's Deli), a salon and spas (Tinette and Co., Philosophy by Mikaela Full-Range Spa and Big Apple Express Spa), a very modern restaurant (Basilio's), amongst many others.