a bite of brownie

Last Wednesday night my sister and I went to I.T. Park to check out restos. We ended up in a resto-bar called Pier One. I have heard many good things about this place from ads and food write ups a few years ago. And now its time for me to check it out.

At the entrance, you will be greeted by a standing guard who checks your belongings for safety purposes. I don't know about you guys but all I want is to eat in that establishment and not to harass or be harassed by other people, so why put a guard to check a patron's laptop bag? Funny thing is, I think it was my first time to encounter a "bag check up" in a dining restaurant. Anyway, after the "security check" we were guided to a table outside, to the resto's balcony. Upon seating, A waiter with a sailor cap approached us to give us the menu and to take our orders. Since I was feeling a little feverish and needed a bowl of soup so we decided to get "Bulalo na Baka" which is beef soup with vegetables, "Tokwa't Baboy" a dish made up of fried tofu and some thin slices of pork and onions topped with soy sauce. And of course, steamed rice. For drinks, I got a glass of " Calamsi Juice" and water ( I really need plenty of liquids because my feverish state is slowly becoming a nuisance cold and fever). After taking the orders, our waiter hurried away to the counter to place our requests. A few seconds later the same waiter placed the spoon and fork together with the plates in front of us minus the place mats. He hen proceeded to get condiments and arranged them in one side of the table.

Around 10 minutes or so later our orders begin to arrive, first were our drinks and then the food. My calamansi juice came which I expect to taste sour like the fruit that it should be ended up tasting like a sugared sweet lemonade. A premonition just occurred to me that this could be a a disastrous evening for me. A few seconds past then a big bowl of heated beef soup (bulalo na baka), towa't baboy, and rice arrived. Te beef soup is a mediocre attempt to imitate a "pochero" or a nilagang baka". The dish itself taste more like a boiled beef cube soup with a mini slap of beef with a bone and some cabbages for posterity. The tokwa't baboy is good. Fried tofu cut into cubes, wit strips of thinl sliced onions and pork. As the orders came I was quiet and observing the people and surroundings inside and outside the venue. Though, a lot of customers eat here. It dawned upon me that this place must be good for people who come together and drink their hearts out not for people who wants to enjoy simple Filipino dishes.