Wonderful Lunch at Mio Cucina, Los Baños

Whenever Ilyn and I want to go out on a "special" date, but don't feel like going to Tagaytay or Manila, we opt for Mio Cucina located in Los Baños. It really is one of the best restaurants in that town, bar none. It's a very small, very pretty restaurant from the inside. It also feels very homey and cozy and it's the perfect place to bring a date to.

For a small, quaint restaurant, it also a bit classy without being alienating. And although the food is generally something you see from other Filipino-themed restaurants, the quality of the food is so much better. We've ate here for many times now, trying different things and we have yet to be really disappointed.

Any meal comes with free appetizer (picture above) which includes Bonete and a variety of spreads. The last time we were here one of the spreads was something called "Sinantolan" made from finely chopped and mashed santol but santol might not be in season so we got butter and some kind of tomato salsa. It's very light in flavor and in the stomach. What more from an appetizer can I ask for? Some restaurants go crazy with their appetizers that it makes you quite full by the time your main meal arrives.

For our salad, we ordered Ensaladang Ampalaya (P165). Normally we would order Ensaladang Pako, but it was unavailable so we chose this instead. But having had Pako before, in the back of my mind I wanted to try something else so I was glad that it wasn't available. And it's a good thing too because this Ampalaya salad was just excellent. Not too many people know how to prepare Ampalaya right. People complain that it's too bitter, but it's only because it wasn't prepared properly. This Ampalaya, if I'm not mistaken, was pickled so it's a bit sweet. Combined with the tomato and kesong puti, it was so nice that I finished half of this in no time at all.

Feeling a bit hungry, I actually ordered another appetizer. This one is called Crispy Squid (P285). I wanted to try something else because I was a bit tired of the usual mushroom and garlic or the breaded calamares. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this from the menu. It's a bit pricey but it's an experiment. Who knows, I might like it. And I did! The first bite of this was amazing. It's crispy because it's coated in caramelized sugar, which makes it tastes a little bit like dilis, but with that unmistakable squid flavor. Although I absolutely loved this, it's something I could not eat a lot of.  Medyo nakakaumay, would be the Tagalog term for it.

Ilyn's main dish is the Tortang Talong (P165). We were surprised when it arrived as a pair. As was usual with Mio, any traditional dish is usually elevated in quality, but this Torta might have been the exception. It was good, but there was nothing extra special about it. It tastes very much like other eggplant tortas we have had in other places, including here at home.

My main dish (which I can't seem to take a decent photo of) is the Hito in Coconut Milk (P225). Hito or Catfish is a favorite fish of mine. Ilyn hates it though. I usually have it grilled or fried, but rarely cooked in coconut milk. I had it once like that here at home and it was so fatty. I wanted to try and see how Mio prepares it.

And Mio surprised me again by how good it was. No, it was excellent. The flavor is very subtle, which is a quality that I like in any dish. It's not fatty at all, which is good. I finished all of it and ended up looking for more.

If you are looking for a nice place to have a date with your special someone and you're in the area, I wholeheartedly recommend Mio Cucina. They have this little cove inside their little restaurant that's perfect for couples. It's intimate and the food is really good. I recommend that you call for reservations though, because it does tend to become full at certain times. You can call them at (049)5363311. They're located behind Community Cable, 10395 Lopez Ave, on the left side going to UPLB.

SOI at New Glorietta, Makati

We weren't planning on eating at Soi when we went to Glorietta earlier today. In fact, I had decided Ilyn and I would eat at MU Noodle Bar, but that plan went to bust when inattentive waiters made us feel unwanted so we left. Sorry guys. Seminar for your waiters, I guess.

Ok so we wandered around and settled on Soi. I guess we were up for some Thai food. We remember eating at this awesome Thai restaurant in Malate some years ago and that was fantastic.

Anyway I ordered Grilled Squid that had a one pepper rating in terms of spiciness. They call that "Mild". A two pepper rating is considered "Hot". I think I can take mild, no problem. For drinks, I had Pandan Soda.  Ilyn had Thai Kangkong and for drinks Thai Ice Tea.

Our lunch started off pretty nice with a nice complimentary plate of nuts and chips, and a steady stream of cold water. At least here the waiters are far FAR more attentive.

Things started to turn sideways when the drinks arrived. Granted they had some really interesting drinks on the menu. When they arrived, they still looked interesting. After we tasted them well.... Ilyn didn't like the Thai Ice Tea. She said it was a little too heavy and there's something like chocolate in it. Well, that's fine... it's probably really like that and she just doesn't prefer it.

My drink, Pandan Soda, however.... when you order "soda" you have a certain set of expectations. You expect it to be fizzy and bubbly, and you expect it to be cold. When I tasted it however, it was actually kind of warm. Sure there was ice floating on top, but the liquid at the bottom of the glass where the straw reaches... it was WARM. Well OK, maybe that's the way the Thais like it I don't know. But the part about it being "soda", well, that wasn't true. Look, I know soda. I know the texture of soda. This wasn't soda. It wasn't fizzy, and there were no bubbles. Nothing about this drink was soda. It was just pandan tea that was warm with ice on top.

Things got worse when the squid arrived. You know, when you order something "grilled" you have a certain set of expectations. Well one, you expect it to be hot, being fresh from the grill. You might even expect to see it smoke. When it arrived, it didn't look hot to me. I actually touched it and you know what? It wasn't hot at all. In fact, it wasn't even warm. It was room temperature. Like it had been grilled an hour ago and was just served to me. I know that might not be the case, but how else can you explain this squid not being HOT?

Also, the spicy rating was a lie. There was nothing spicy about it. No, my tolerance for spiciness is very low so just a little amount of pepper in dishes I will notice. There was practically no hot pepper in this. It wasn't spicy at all. NOT AT ALL

Thankfully enough, it actually tasted nice. The sauce that came with it was very nice. It's just disappointing that it was neither hot nor spicy.

Ilyn didn't like her Thai Kangkong as well. She said it was too oily. I tasted it and although it also has a "Mild" spiciness rating, there was also nothing spicy about it.

As much as we felt bad about it, we never finished our food or our drinks. I usually gobble up squid because it's a favorite of mine, but this one... I just couldn't. I was just too disappointed.

I didn't finish the drinks too. I was so frustrated that after lunch I went out and got myself a can of Sprite just so I can get that soda fix I didn't get from this so called pandan soda.

No, not returning. Sorry guys. Your waiters are nice though.