IT WAS a chance encounter, where someone planning to call me, finds me in the most unusual places -- like all alone in a quiet Korean resto on a Sunday noon, quietly munching on kimchi.
Apparently, Raul of Cafe Tavera has been wanting to invite me to talk about the past three years since Cafe Tavera opened.
Yes, they are turning three in November, and it was a customer-filled three years that exceeded all their expectations, such that having the main dining area and four function rooms is no longer enough.
It was a Sunday when Raul saw me munching on kimchi at the neighborhood Korean resto when he asked me when I'd be free. I told him the following evening would be okay because scheduling it farther away will increase the likelihood of it not pushing through. Except that...
When I arrived Monday evening at almost 8 p.m. by my own lonesome, since Raul said he was inviting "me", he looked at me and asked, "Ikaw lang isa?" *Danger bells engaged!* "Errrm... kasi... ako lang ang in-invite mo?" "Akala ko kasi 'di ba parati kang may mga kasama?" "Hindi mo naman sinabing pwede akong magbitbit ng kasama," I replied.
But knowing how my foodie friends love to fill me up, I knew I had to call friends asap or suffer from food coma enough to keep me away from food for two days!
I managed to snag my staff, just three of them remaining in the office as others either already went home or have already eaten.
It was a feast that could feed five more. Pako salad, crab with salted egg, sinigang na Lapu-lapu, prawns, baked scallops, Dragonballs, and the hands-down winners: Sigarilyas with mushroom and kakanggata, and escabechengbulad. The escabeche is not in the menu, it's new. But is definitely a must try. Best eaten with steaming plain rice. One bandehado of steaming plain rice.
On that night, there were four big groups celebrating birthdays. The staff had to sing four times. It's an interestingly full house for a Monday.
Indeed, Cafe Tavera has become a top favorite among local stand-alone restaurants in town. For those who haven't tried it yet, it's the restaurant that popularized Dragonballs, the deep fried seafood siomai wrapped in flat noodles, and is located behind the Phoenix gas station at the corner of Pardo de Tavera and F. Torres Streets.