CBCP Bldg, 470 Gen. Luna St.,
Intramuros, Manila
+63 (02)559-5220
14 November 2010
K and I opened Day 2 of our holiday by visiting Malate Church, which was a few steps away from the hotel. It was a Sunday, so there were a lot of church goers; we actually had to stand near the front door of the church. K is agnostic, but he respect my Catholic faith and allowed me to say my prayers before we left. From there, we went to Manila Cathedral just so he could see it. He may be agnostic, but he actually has no problems entering religious buildings. We then walked to Fort Santiago and roamed around to wind off time. It was Pacquiao day, so there weren't much people at Fort Santiago, but we appreciated the quiet moment. :)
From here, next itinerary on my list was the San Agustin Church, but because it was already lunch time, I took K at Ristorante Delle Mitre, just in front of San Agustin Church. It was a new food place for me, but I already knew the place even before K arrived because my sister and I planned to do a Manila church hop a few weeks before and I remembered sending Carlos Celdran a message via Twitter asking his recommendation. He told about this place, and since sister and I weren't able to check the restaurant then, I figured I'd just take K there instead.
I wasn't able to take that much pictures for reasons I can't remember now. It was a fairly new restaurant, which opened a few months before. Ristorante Delle Mitre means "Restaurant of the Mitre." Each table has this very unique placemat, which the customers have to read to know more about the concept of the restaurant. It says, "La Mitra (plural in Italian is "le mitre") is the bishop's hat or miter which he wears at liturgical celebrations." The restaurant may be put up so the bishops have a place to dine at - with CBCP located in the same block, but as what was written at the placemat, "Bishops, too, must feed their flock, so is everyone invited to partake of Lord's bounty."
The restaurant features different decorations - images, mitre, paintings. I did love the overall ambiance of the restaurant, but what made admire this restaurant the most was that they provide equal employment opportunity to everyone, and that they actually have deaf people as part of their staff. One of the deaf staff actually took our orders, and since it would be difficult to communicate by speaking, our main way of communication was through pen and paper.
Our lunch for that day:
Bishop Cabantan's Grilled Sole Fillet. K's choice. This was served primarily with rice, but K asked if they do have dinner roll. They asked if mashed potato would be okay for K, which he gladly accepted. I got to taste this dish a little, and I did love the buttery taste and how the fish was light and delicious. I still love the cream dory more, but this tasted good as well.
Archbishop Lagdameo's Chicken Adobo simmered in Olive Oil and Lemon. Quite a long name for a dish, yes, but this was a revelation! I love the fruity flavor from the lemon and how the herbs and olive oil came together. I so loved this dish that at times, I do cook my chicken adobo in olive oil, herbs, and lemon juice.
Pandan Juice. K went for canned soda as his drink, while I went for this, because it was unique. It tasted similar to the typical gulaman samalamig, but the pandan flavor made it more delicious.
Blueberry Cheesecake. It tasted like the usual cheesecakes, but I did love the crust. K and I shared this dessert, which was a great ending for a very sumptuous lunch.
Most of the restaurant's dishes were named after the bishops, and even if doing so made the names of the dishes longer, it sure made the dish unique. Actually, they do have a lot of dishes on the menu, but I trimmed down my choices to those with the bishop's name next to it, simply because of its uniqueness.
Ristorante Delle Mitre, like I said in the opening paragraphs, is located just in front of San Agustin Church. The restaurant do have a lot of tables and chairs and can accommodate big groups, but I do recommend for you to take that table near the window. Seeing San Agustin Church outside as well as the people and kalesas passing by will make your dining experience more enjoyable.
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my