Mimi invited Christian and me to dinner on one slow Saturday of January.  The first option was to dine buffet style at Shangri-la’s Heat, but Mimi and Chris at the last minute moved it to Florabel, Podium.  Mimi is Christian’s best buddy when he was still working in Asia Brewery –both of them brewing folly promdi language that has become an eternal joke between the two.   

Chris shares a lot of stories about Mimi showing the fondness that he has for her and appreciation for the friendship that they had cultivated working for 2 years together.  Mimi, like me, was witness to Chris “past” life of chick magnetism.  Wait, wait, did I quantify it by saying “past”?  Snicker.  

I was sick that whole week but I couldn’t pass a chance to spend time with Mimi.  Besides, the inside scoop was too juicy to forego.  My voice was totally raspy that night so I left the conversation between the two of them. 

 

Chef and restauranteur Florabel Co worked at Le Souffle for 10 years before opening a restaurant she can call her own –which is very well apparent in the resto’s name.

Comfortable and classy setting best describes this posh restaurant, where one can have a leisurely meal and never feel rushed even if the closing hour draws near.  It was a late dinner past 9PM but we still caught an atmosphere of fine dining and professional service.

A human-size flowing water fountain, large mirrors and red comfy couches prepped against the wall make up for the simplistic interior.  Artwork of flowers and the low lights give the dining area a classier look.  The wait staff courteous and knowledgeable about their menu is always a major plus.

Since I was sick, please allow me to not remember the actual name of the dishes and price.  I recall that the entrée prices range from 700-1,000.  Let me visit another time and study the menu.  I was in a hurry to order because there were more interesting stories need to be exchanged griping our table.  I ordered salmon while Chris ordered a lamb dish and Mimi only had salad and soup since that was her second dinner that night. 

I started on my salmon that had some potato crisps on top with a bit of white cream sauce.  I was happy that it wasn’t overcooked.  It is quite tricky to cook salmon because you need to keep the moist and the juice enveloped inside.  The salmon tasted fresh and moist.  I finished my plate ahead of everyone.

The 2 racks of lamb on a bed of couscous cooked in red wine sherry were also exquisite.  I love couscous served in Mediterranean cafes while it was his first time to try it.  Something about fine grain of pearls that was not enjoyable for him as the rice lacked volume.  I ate half of the couscous and tasted the lamb that was tender and was full in meat flavor.

That dinner was such a huge remedy to my feverish body and mind.  Great food and equally great company completely relaxes me from tip to toe.  Thanks Mimi for the wonderful treat and quiet evening (relatively quiet… you guys were chatting nonstop) spent with you.  You are always such a joy to be around with.

Florabel

Ground Level, Podium Mall

ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center

638.7527

Album: http://cushee.multiply.com/photos/album/340/08_0119-_Florabels_Podium   

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 1:41 pm and is filed under Inside Dish, Writing on d' Wall. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.