Under the Pseudo-Tuscan Sun

I attended a lovely event for the launch of a high-end Italian mattress, now available in the country. We stayed overnight at Discovery Country Suites, where we each got to sleep on a different kind of mattress (I got a firm, eco-friendly one made with bamboo fiber).

Over dinner, I was assigned to sit beside the owner of the mattress company, an Italian gentleman from Tuscany. Towards the end of the meal--possibly because I kept giving him all the wine that was being poured for me--he told the local mattress distributor that he would like to give my baby one of their sumptuous mattresses. To which I replied, "But what about the parents?" Har. I was also seated across superstar designer Kenneth Cobonpue, and I was utterly starstruck (and giddy when he congratulated me and wished me a good pregnancy when we said goodbye). Unfortunately, I was too shy to ask for a photo with him.

After our overnight stay, we got massages at the spa at Sonya's Garden, then had a long, leisurely lunch at a place I had been wanting to visit for a while now: Marcia Adams Restaurant.

Other blogs have described Marcia Adams as looking very Tuscan, and since the only part of Tuscany I've visited is Florence, I'll just take their word for it! The restaurant is made of stone, with rustic wooden furniture, a mix of crystal and wrought-iron light fixtures, and lots of fresh flowers.

The food, as described on their Facebook page, is a mix of Italian and Greek dishes. I would describe it as hearty and comforting.

(From top) A filling clear broth soup, very flavorful aromatic pork with pineapple chutney, and (my favorite) grilled orange with vanilla ice cream--I actually took the placemat out because I wanted a rustic-looking photo. That's what this job does to me.

Mr. Italian Mattress-maker wasn't able to join us but he probably would have felt right at home.

And They Ate Happily Ever After

Once upon a time, a prince and princess wanted to celebrate two years of wedded bliss by going to a magical place called Lemuria. On their way there, they were met by all sorts of enchanted creatures.

After making their way around the Kingdom of Horseshoe, they finally found the fabled palace, set amidst lush greenery, all bright and inviting underneath the starless sky.

The prince and princess went up the Machuka-tiled steps lined with candles...

...and found themselves in the great hall.

They found a cozy spot by the window, with vines swaying in the breeze outside.

The people of Lemuria were ever-gracious, welcoming the couple with freshly baked bread.

The prince and princess soon found out that Lemurians feasted on seven-course meals every night, and they were expected to do the same. The first course was set before them: Beef carpaccio with almonds, fleur de sel, olive oil.

It was followed by prawn bisque, made using prawns from the surrounding seas. (The Lemurians were kind enough to serve the prince mushroom soup, to keep him from getting a royal rash.)

They were then served more fare from Lemurian waters: tender squid. This was cooked with porcini mushrooms and essence of Berlinoise.

Afterwards, the prince and princess cleansed their palates with a refreshing strawberry sorbet.

They were then served almond-crusted white fish fillet with eggplant parmegiano and balsamic reduction...

...as well as beef perigourd with foie gras (the princess' favorite!), anchoiade and port wine reduction.

They also enjoyed two kinds of dessert: a medley of ice cream flavors topped with whipped cream and striped chocolate chips...

...and a rich mousse au chocolate parfumee' a l'orange.

After they had their fill, the prince and princess wanted to take a tour of the palace. Their guide led them to the famed wine cellar--a cold place where wines from other faraway lands were kept and closely guarded.

The prince and princes ended their visit by selecting a red from the kingdom of Chile. They bid farewell to Lemuria and went back to their land with satisfied tummies, dreaming about other places to visit in the years to come.

P.S. Happy anniversary to my prince!

Lemuria is located at 5 Julieta Circle, Horseshoe Village, Cubao, Quezon City. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 6 to 11 p.m. (lunch by reservation only). Contact them through (02) 723-7139.

Deli-cious!

Heard good things about Chuck's Deli and their slab-wiches--their signature half-kilo super sandwiches served with chips. What I had with my Indian family:

Roast beef (angus roast beef with Chuck's sauce, P240 for half). Mildly spicy, very filling.

The Buffy (buffalo chicken and garlic sauce, P240 for half). My favorite! You could get your name on the wall plus a shirt, I think, if you finish a whole Buffy within a specified amount of time. My Indian family's real cousin did it in about four minutes.

Chicken katsu. Sorry no notes, but it's what you'd expect--crispy and very Japanese-y.

Bro-in-law had a Philly cheesesteak sub. Purty good.

And Prits and I shared a vanilla milkshake (three scoops of Arce Dairy ice cream blended with carabao milk, P165). Wonder what the queso version tastes like? Mmmmm.

Great place for sandwich lovers!


Chuck's Deli is located at Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Will Work for Food

Well, OK, not really, since money buys me shoes (and helps pay for the roof over my head). But one of the best (and worst) parts of my job is that I get to eat at all these great places for free! I get invited to events and restaurant openings, where there is no shortage of yummy food. Afterwards, I'm left trying to figure out how to burn off all the calories. Sigh. Case in point: yesterday's scrumptious eight-course (count 'em, eight) lunch at Lola Maria.

We started off with vegetable quiche with a dollop of sour cream. (I ended up scooping more onto my little quiches.)


This was followed by prawn balls, which I described as very...prawn-y. (Ladies and gentlemen, the very eloquent EIC of GH...) We were free to get seconds but we all wanted to leave enough room in our tummies after seeing the menu!


My favorite: pinipig-crusted cream dory with tartar-cayenne sauce. Yum! Yum! Yum!


We were served calamansi sorbet to cleanse our palates for the next courses.

Cocido, served with rice (which I finished. Hey, I ran 11km the night before, so I was entitled!)

US rib-eye steak. Thankfully, they gave me an extra fatty cut so I sliced those bits away, and I ended up not eating too much beef. It was quite tender though! I would've loved a big slab if I hadn't started with four other courses!

Finally, three kinds of dessert: ube and langka pana cota, ensaymada bread pudding with grated queso de bola, and fried suman with chocolate sauce (mmmm).

Hours later, I was still stuffed! It's a pretty good life.:)

Read more about Lola Maria (located at Legend Villas on Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong) in an upcoming issue of Good Housekeeping.

Tishie's Travels: Our Top 5 Bali Restos

...and I use the term "restos" loosely here. A couple of them are actually warungs, or food stalls. We ate at a lot of places during our nearly week-long stay in Bali, and some places were more memorable (or mentionable) than others. Our favorites:

5. Made's Warung II
Jl Raya Seminyak, www.madeswarung.com

For our first meal, we walked from Bonsai Villas to Made's Warung II, the Seminyak branch of popular Kuta eatery, Made's Warung. According to our (more often than not) trusty Lonely Planet guide, Made's was the original warung in Kuta, and it supposedly has a much-imitated Westernised Indonesian menu. Its Seminyak sister is in a courtyard, with a few shops by the seating area. I gotta admit, I expected a warung to look more...rustic. The place looked a lot like our local grills (think Grilla or Congo Grille without any of the monkey-themed decor), and had really speedy service.

I didn't want anything too heavy so I just had the chicken sate...

...while hungry Hamil had the ribs in young papaya.

I kind of expected it to be cheaper, but maybe that's because I'm a bit of a cheapskate. Har. Still, I had no complaints. At least the servings weren't teeny. A pretty satisfying first meal.

4. Warung Ibu Oka
Jl Suweta, Ubud

I first read about Bali's babi guling (roast suckling pig) here. Ever since, I told myself that I would have me some of that if I ever found myself in Bali. I had the privilege of having lunch with Anonymous Paul, and his face pretty much lit up as he raved about this popular Bali dish.

Our guidebook recommended Warung Ibu Oka, which was right outside the Ubud Palace. On our second day in Ubud, we headed there for an early lunch, to avoid the crowds that both Anon Paul and our guidebook mentioned.

Now, I'm not a lechon person. Filipinos mark fiestas and special occasions with a nice roast pig, and get all excited when they see the pile of meat and skin on a buffet table. But to be honest, I normally skip it and opt for other heart attack-inducing Pinoy treats. Not a big fan. During our trip, I just wanted to try something distinctly Balinese, and I wanted to be able to compare it with our local lechon.

Well, it kind of looked the same as our own lechon.

But it wasn't. The babi guling meat was tender, the skin crispy with an ever-so-thin layer of fat. And the whole thing was flavored with herbs and spices, and served with rice and veggies. At the risk of sounding unpatriotic, I gotta say that I enjoyed this much more than any local lechon I've ever had. Although a side of Mang Tomas would have made it even better!

3. Rumours
Jl Oberoi 100

It was our fourth day in Bali, and after having nasi goreng for the nth time, I really wanted some Western food. I had a hankering for some really meaty spaghetti bolognese, and I got exactly what I wanted at Rumours on Eat Street, about a 15-minute walk from our beloved Uma Sapna.

That really hit the spot! I also loved their vanilla-flavored iced tea. (On the very sweet side, but I didn't get follicular pharyngitis for no reason...) I've read that the place is popular because of its steaks, but on this visit, Hamil had some hearty beef dish with a side of mashed potatoes and veggies.

My husband remarked that it was exactly the kind of restaurant he would want to have in Manila--it was laidback, had good music and beer, and served yummy and very reasonably priced food. (We looked at quite a few menus on that street, and this one seemed to be the cheapest.) We loved it so much that we went back the next day!

2. Ku De Ta
Jl Laksmana, www.kudeta.net

Every frickin' Bali guide mentions this beachfront bar/lounge/restaurant, and many of them also warn about the price. (The Frommer's guide lists it under "very expensive.") It's very chic, with a low, open structure surrounding a courtyard, sexy lighting, and loungers outside with a view of the beach (it's lit from the shore so you can still see the waves in the evening).

For starters, we had some braised wagyu burgundy pie, lit by sexy lighting.

Then I had mushroom risotto. Yummers, but I wouldn't call it the best risotto ever.

Hamil had lamb, which I didn't eat much of since I don't really like lamb. (All worked out in Hamil's favor.)

At the end of it, we just closed our eyes as we handed over our credit card savored the experience--because, while they do serve great quality food, what you're really paying for here is the privilege of hanging at one of Bali's iconic spots.

1. Warung Yogya
Jl Padma Utara, Legian

You read right--Ku De Ta isn't number one on my list. That distinction doesn't go to the most expensive meal that we had in Bali, but to the cheapest! (I did mention earlier that I'm a cheapskate!) After Hamil went surfing, we walked around Legian/Kuta, consulting various maps, looking for Warung Yogya (pronounced "Jogja"). I gave my Bahasa a test run by saying "Saya cari Warung Yogya," ("I'm looking for Warung Yogya") and was so successful at it that the locals proceeded to give me directions in Bahasa. Ah. We just followed their hand movements and eventually found the place.

Warung Yogya is exactly like the warungs I had in my head--carinderia-like, with inexpensive food. Seeing the prices on the menu, I kind of expected sad plates of day-old food to be served. I was pleasantly surprised to get the plates of awesomeness that were set before us. We went all local and ordered the nasi campur (a rice dish with peanuts and curried veggies and/or meat)...

...and, of course, nasi goreng (fried rice with meat).

This abso-effin'-lutely delicious meal for two plus our drinks set us back about P200 (less than $5)! Aaaah! I would've eaten there again and again if only it were more accessible from our villas.

So there you have it, our top five picks for the best eats in Bali, and the last of my Bali posts!