Portico

This one was located along Adriatico, within the greater area of Malate where most of the older Manila nightlife comes to life. I was meeting friends tonight, and I wasn't expecting much for the food and place - normally when I meet up with friends, its usually somewhere where there are throngs of loud people, like grills (Gerry's, Crocodile Grill, Aysees, Dencios), yuppie food joints(Fridays, Italianis, Chillis, CPK) or just plain old stay at home and hit the PS2 console while churning down on nachos, spaghettis and hotdogs.

This out turned out to be an interesting place to hang out with friends. Different, elegant, classy and best of all, not so crowded. Once I stepped in, I was pretty much taken in.

The interiors were laid back, with nice, comfy looking couches and cushioned seats, with a small bar at the entrance. The place was dimly lit with soft yellow light to accentuate the mood for a nice date experience, without being too dark to the point that you'd have a hard time seeing your companion's face. Small touches to the decor, with just the right amount of paraphernalias without feeling too overcrowded (take Fridays and Chillis as an example), with a slightly homey and personal feel to the place, but still looking as if it can cater to a fancy, relaxed drink for who'd like to spend their time in the bar section instead.

My friends have already taken to ordering the appetizers, which I believe consisted of a fish based pate, and another which was a combination of cheese and tomato based sauce.* They were good. For the main dish I ordered a pesto based pasta, while some of the others ordered tomato based pasta, steaks etc. They were all good, but I thought the steaks were a bit overpriced since they were all ranging between 600-800php per dish. The pastas were good at 250php. Not the usual standard fast food pasta, and nice, overall. They also have a selection of wines to choose from to complement the dishes, which were a plus.

The food highlight of the night was the sumptuous dessert we had. They were very good, and delicate. We had a sample of the creme brulee and panna cotta. Honestly speaking, both seemed to be made of the same ingredients, except for the fact that the creme brulee was warm and with a toasted top, while the panna cotta was served cold. For those who can only try one, go for the panna cotta, it was extremely heavenly and delicate, and the subtle flavors just come out with a burst as a cold dish. Extremely good. Highly recommended dessert.

I'd go back there if its just for the ambiance and the dessert. All in all, it was a very nice experience, and I daresay the company also made it better. I've met up with people whom I haven't seen for quite some time, and our group was composed of remotely located people previously coming from Singapore/England, Japan, China, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Its also a great date place, so its nice enough for both, if you want a different type of gathering. The place is also something you can have a nice Christmas office party at... not the rowdy types, but the more formal, elegant ones.

I think I'd like to come back there again the next time... good memories and good food will definitely make out to good patrons in the future. Comes in highly recommended. Good food and great ambiance Cheers.

*For those who were with me, it'd be great if you can enlighten me what it actually was.