The Usual Suspects

When the Usual Suspects are together, the venue and the trappings don't really matter; there is as much fun to be had in a dive as there is in a posh joint. But last night was exceptional. M had organized an amazing dinner for us at SALA restaurant over at Locsin Building on Makati Ave. corner Ayala. You see, M had been in and out of the country these past two months, so she had taken pains to invite everybody out to this special dinner. As it turned out, special is an inadequate adjective.

The food at SALA was marvelous. It was my first time there and was pleasantly surprised. M ordered shrimp souffle, a house specialty, and the ravioli for the first plate. The ravioli had a delicate taste: the pasta, ever so fine; very light in texture and on the palate and the truffle oil sauce provided the rich, decadent finish that lingered in the mouth long after it had been washed down.

M and K were smart enough to order the veal loin and the angel hair pasta to share, so they had two mains, in effect. I had the onion tart, which was exactly how I had hoped it would be: soft, caramelized onions on top of a flaky, melt-in-the-mouth crust. J and C both had the grouper. Funny how G said that this charming couple are always on the same wave-length; so attuned to each other. They were on opposite sides of the table, yet they ended up ordering the same thing. JP, who was beside me, had the lamb and was happy with it.

I thought I had the best seat in the house because I was sandwiched between K and JP, and directly in front of me was J: three of the funniest men I know. So, for most of the evening I was in stitches, and even precariously on the verge of spraying on J projectile after he had delivered some funny punchline.

The price points of the dishes are relatively high but the ambiance (tastefully done interiors), the service, and most importantly, the food, justifies everything. It's not a place to step into on some random day; it is something one must plan for, when finances actually allow it, so one doesn't get caught flat footed when the bill comes. I wish I had taken photos but the place is a cozy space and I would have ruined the mood and annoyed the diners had I pointed and flashed the camera here and there. Some things are sacred and best left that way.

A word on service. Do you notice how in chi chi restaurants, the waiter comes up to give a run down on the specials. More often than not, these have French or Italian culinary terms that involve verbal gymnastics in pronunciation. It is almost painful to sit and watch these waiters struggle with their lines, as they stumble repeatedly, and stand there in utter embarrassment. I wish these establishments would just designate one guy, who can pull it off without damaging his self esteem and without making the patrons feel uncomfortable. Why put both the service staff and the clients in sticky situations? Perhaps, they should just make an effort to demystify these high-sounding dishes and simply present them in no-nonsense English. Maybe they think that if they spruce up the names of the dishes they would command higher prices. Hmmm...

Anyway, thanks so much M, for an exceptional evening.