I am happy to start my gastronomic chronicles early in 2019 as I had a new foodie discovery on the first Friday of the year. And what a good choice it was -- Abe, a Capampangan restaurant at SM Megamall (with several other branches). It's been existing for a few years, yes, but it was my first time to dine at this modern-traditional restaurant that belongs to The LJC Group of the late famed restaurateur-journalist Lorenzo "Larry" J. Cruz. Thanks to my nephew, who treated his mom and me to an advanced birthday lunch in between post-Christmas shopping,
I finally sampled Abe's exquisite dishes.
I finally sampled Abe's exquisite dishes.
Our orders:
Paco fern and tomato salad, P185.
A great, healthy starter of fresh leaves, tomatoes
and sliced salted egg.
A great, healthy starter of fresh leaves, tomatoes
and sliced salted egg.
I was really hungry, I didn't mind finding out what was in the rice. Haha! I just remember the pleasant bamboo smell and that we loved how the rice tasted.
We raved about this one -- deep fried pieces of tuna head topped
with lots of toasted garlic. Yum!
This seafood-veggie dish cooked in coconut milk could have been really, really good if it weren't bland. A bit more salt and we would have loved it more.
What's different about Abe's maruya is that it isn't made with saba but with lakatan banana, thus, it's a notch higher in sweetness and much yummier. And being crowned with vanilla ice cream makes this dessert heavenly and a perfect ending to our meal.
My sister's hot citrus drink.
My drink -- a super strong cup of joe -- so strong I had to ask
the server to add some hot water to it.
We didn't open our bottle :)
Interiors
Was I glad to finally try Abe coz id heard about how good their food was. No mistaken word, we really loved what we had. Great ambiance, too -- no crowd, no noisy diners, and a whiff of simple elegance. I would love to bring the
whole family over to Abe someday soon!
