"As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life." -BUDDHA

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Little Asia on a Good Friday

Hard-bound menu folder of Little Asia. Inside you'll see mixture of cuisines across Asia so it is aptly called
Symphony of Flavors.
It was Good Friday of 2011 when Jenney, Jeff, Arnel and I went to have our festive dinner here at Little Asia after paying our last respects to our batchmate's grandmother at La Funeraria Paz in Quezon City. Jenney, a dear friend of ours drove us around Timog and Tomas Morato to look for a restaurant to cater our hungry choosy stomachs. We opted to end the day on a good gastronomic note to compensate for the dietary restrictions brought about by the Holy Week. With just a handful of restaurants and cafes opened in Quezon City that night we finally hit LITTLE ASIA.  It was my second time to be dining at this restaurant. My first time was at their Greenhills branch in San Juan where we held our college barkada get together.
I love the colorful design of the dome above us. The painter and designer must have a god taste.

The place was unexpectedly crowded. There were a lot of guest that evening - maybe because few dining choices were left opened that particular day as most are observing the season of lent. I personally like their branch in QC because of the vibrant color it brings to the dining area. It was like red is all over the house flooding the walls and ceilings. I so like the color as it emanates fierceness, intensity and prosperity. 

We were seated on a long table where an air conditioning unit is nearby. Naturally, I asked one of the food servers to adjust the setting as I felt too chilly. I was disappointed when he told the group that it can't be adjusted. I knew for a fact that it can be adjusted as we do have the same ACU at work. The shivering me told him point blank but genially and he was obligated to adjust it. See! I was correct :)
As expected, their table set up is always ready and complete. Clean and organized. But I noticed there is something wrong. Can you spot it? . . . The table liner and plate were placed in a manner wherein plate could be prone to breakage and could also be a possible source of guest being injured. The wooden tables were not misaligned, it was the plate along with the cutleries which were not positioned properly as these were placed at the two sides or table corners. When table is accidentally or intentionally pulled we all know what will happen next. Pardon me if these little things I notice because I am used to detect small things. 

Shall we  head off then to our Good Friday dinner meal that delighted our palate and mood? We were so sorry to have ordered some of the wrong food items that are not reflective of the season :( Our bad! We certainly had no choice but to eat everything even if there was pork on the recipe.
Appetizer Sampler
Asians usually kick-off their meal with an appetizer, so since we belong to an Asian community with a close friend who is half  Chinese, we ordered for a sampler to have a great way to start our hardly-needed food.
The sampler was composed of the following bite-sized items: Prawns wrapped in Bacon, Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Shrimp Curls, Indian minced meat, Samosas and Golden Pouches. Everything on the white rectangular plate was superb! This small portions were made delicious by the mango sauce that perfectly blends well with the dumplings and stuffed meats. 
 Emperor's Fried Rice
A one dish meal in itself comprised of Chinese chorizo, diced chicken,shrimps, lettuce, carrots, green peas, eggs. Serving was hefty or are we just lucky? Just right for the four of us :)
 Coconut Fish Fillet
We were so intrigued with the coconut cream sauce and mixed spices concoction. How I wish I can cook this kind of dish at home. I still need to do a little researching on this recipe and try at home for everyone's surprise. My parents love anything that is made with gata. This may be due to the fact that my grandfather is a true blue Bicolano.The fish fillet were so soft to the bite but I find the spice mix too strong that I need plenty of water just to ward off the spice left on my tongue. Next time I'll have it mildly spicy.  The boys loved it so much. 
Chicken Wrapped in Bacon
We felt so wrong when we made an order of this dish. We were so shocked, really! We should be observing the season of Holy Week and look what we got. The said dish was already sitting on our table when we realized it. There's nothing wrong with the chicken - but the bacon! The bacon is the main culprit ohhh..we were left with no choice but to eat the entire dish with or without delight. We can't deny it is delicious and we have just contracted a sin. Lesson learned: Be wary and conscious next time with the food you'll order whenever you are out with friends on a Holy Week!  It was absolutely unintended and we just can't have a blame game either. 

Now that we are all in the process of religiously observing lent, may this food blog post serve as a reminder of what to eat and what not to eat. We sinned that day and I am hoping you'll not repeat the same mistake we had. Happy eating!


LITTLE ASIA195-B Tomas Morato
Quezon City, Metro Manila
(02) 373-0609

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