Adventurism

The sleeping giant is stirring
The silent are humming
The drums are beating
The lifeless are marching
Ever so slowly ...

A nation divided
Trying to find itself

That puts me in a nationalistic mood
Nationalistic and as usual - hungry ...
Where oh where oh where do I eat?

In the new and blossoming Greenbelt 5 mall lies a themed, little nook - Restaurante Pia y Damaso
Hmmmm ....
Memories of Jose Rizal
Inspired by the Noli Me Tangere characters Pia Alba and Padre Damaso - illicit parents of the iconic Maria Clara.
Just right for my nationalistic hunger pangs

From the outside, the restaurante beckons strongly
A wonderful contrast of beiges and black,
Ink drawing patterns are design magnets for the eyes
A chandelier, silver candelabras, and tidy paper table linings are touches of warmth and charm.
The name in itself immediately arouses curiousity,
A peek at its menu confirms the culinary trip that one is in for ...































Seated comfortably in this small, charming, cozy nook,
Attended to by enthusiastic and helpful servers,
We started by quenching our thirst with - "Tubig ni Maria Clara" - cucumber juice and ginger syrup in citrus water
Water never tasted sooooooo good
All my nation-building frustrations were easily washed away by this soothing concoction




















The food is at best described perhaps as Pinoy fusion but is (according to Our Awesome Planet) referred to by owner Bambi Sy-Gobio as "comido antigo"

Starters for us were:
Ostrich chorizo skewer @150pesos
Filo tarts with pork asado and apple relish @220pesos

We shared an interesting black olive, cerveza negra and tuyo pasta @275 pesos
We then marched on to smoked tapang usa, roasted vegetable scramble (salted deer meat from Nueva Ecija, green mango,pickles, pepper omelette, & garlic rice) @420 pesos.
We rallied around a seared prawns with basa fish and crisp kamote on Davao tablea cacao, sherry, and orange juice with cilantro @520 pesos








































































The menu speaks for itself ...
This is a place for culinary adventurism
A subversive take on establishment recipes
One will find familiar tastes executed in unfamiliar ways
One walks out of the restaurante either with a sense of satisfaction or a sense of puzzlement over what just went down.
However else it may hit you - Restaurante Pia y Damaso is such an interesting concept that one can hardly resist its draw ...

P.S.
We ate so much that there was no room for dessert - dessert being one of the strengths of this place since the owner (Bambi Sy-Gobio) is the same force behind Kooky and Luscious, a long time Metro Manila favorite dessert station.

Dessert alone deserves a separate post.
I plan to go back specifically for that.

See you there
I will be the Frayle Damaso in the corner makin' a move on a kooky and very luscious Pia.






















Restaurante Pia y Damaso
2nd floor, Greenbelt 5
Ayala Commercial Center, Makati
(63-2) 729-5511