I'm so glad to finally hurdle this task. I went to Adarna thrice to have lunch and dinner dates with the ulterior motive of tasting Chef Giney's concoctions, once with C5 and twice with bridesmaid Hanna. Ayoko nang bumalik, because I don't want the place to feel too familiar. I'm sure there will be more visits to come to finalize more things.
In the meantime, may I present our menu:
Almondigas Soup
Savory beafballs with fine misua. A certified comfort food.
Torta Espesyal
The goodness of fresh eggs steamed with olive oil and spices on a banana leaf with ground pork and shrimp. Served with Pan de Sal.
Sulu Piassok
Experience this exotic Sulu dish of beef chunks slow-cooked in smoked coconut cream and ten spices till tender--buttered, grilled and sliced just before serving.
Buyabes Bicolano
Fresh vegetables and grilled seafood (fish, shrimp and squid) cooked with smoked coconut cream, spices and a hint of fish bagoong to remind one of a homespun Southern beach picnic.
Kangkong and Bagoong
Stir-fried kankong with bagoong topped with sweet and spicy dilis. Two quick Chinese-inspired concoctions in one!
Steamed Pandan Rice
Banana Peanut Roll
Ripe saba banana with roasted peanut cream in a crisp wrapper drizzled with old fashioned caramelo sauce.
Softdrinks
-------Savory beafballs with fine misua. A certified comfort food.
Torta Espesyal
The goodness of fresh eggs steamed with olive oil and spices on a banana leaf with ground pork and shrimp. Served with Pan de Sal.
Sulu Piassok
Experience this exotic Sulu dish of beef chunks slow-cooked in smoked coconut cream and ten spices till tender--buttered, grilled and sliced just before serving.
Buyabes Bicolano
Fresh vegetables and grilled seafood (fish, shrimp and squid) cooked with smoked coconut cream, spices and a hint of fish bagoong to remind one of a homespun Southern beach picnic.
Kangkong and Bagoong
Stir-fried kankong with bagoong topped with sweet and spicy dilis. Two quick Chinese-inspired concoctions in one!
Steamed Pandan Rice
Banana Peanut Roll
Ripe saba banana with roasted peanut cream in a crisp wrapper drizzled with old fashioned caramelo sauce.
Softdrinks
Yay! Just a few thoughts on how we finally nailed it:
- Adarna has their set menus, but because I'm a brat, I wanted to have my own menu. Haha. What we did was to read through Adarna's ala carte menu and we made a shortlist. From this shortlist, we had several food tastings and proposed a menu to Chef Giney. She advised us on certain things, but in the end made some adjustments to fit the things that we already chose. She then made a costing for us. Pasok naman sa banga.
- We chose dishes based on the description, and whether they can be shared when served family-style, paired with other dishes, and the most important of all--the price.
- We also decided to forego the salad and noodles. Deadma na. We are not big vegetable eaters and we want to eat what we want to eat at our wedding. As for the pancit, it was a bit expensive, and slashing it was an easy choice.
- I was also agonizing about serving seafood. My dad doesn't eat pork anymore and is steering away from beef and chicken. So, a fish/seafood dish is a must. And I also think this is respectful to your guest who are similar to my dad. I am so glad that I tasted Buyabes at that exact time when we were just looking for something to complete the menu. Hanna and I had a moment.
- We chose softdrinks because it is the cheapest. Kung hindi ka umiinom ng softdrinks, magtubig ka na lang. Sorry po. Excuse na rin namin na "Pag softdrink, they get to choose pa kung cola, white cola, orange, rootbeer, etc. Meron pang light options! O di mas parang feeling nila na may choice sila kaysa kung ihain na lang ang walang kamatayang iced tea." Taray.
- Upon reading the menu again, hmmm... di naman kami masyadong mahilig sa smoked coconut cream, ano? Pero as long as Chef Giney said that this is a good combination, go! No worries, the Piassok doesn't really taste like it's cooked in coconut cream, basta nandun na lang s'ya. Hay... nagugutom ako.
- Pero nung nabasa ko ang menu, gusto ko lang magpaka-profound, deep, analytical, etc. Nadi-dissonance ako. Napansin ko we chose pieces na hindi naman talaga fancy: almondigas, torta, kangkong with bagoong, babana peanut roll e turon lang ito! Pero, wait till you see and try them... yun yon e! Meron silang twist! Pati kanin, steamed pandan rice pa talaga sya! O di ba? Hahaha! Mutual admiration society yata ang hanap ko.
- So there, we're quite pleased with ourselves. Sana magustuhan din ng mga bisita. Dami ko nang narinig na kahit anong ganda ng wedding kung pangit ang pagkain, wala rin. Kailangan daw memorable ang food. So, sige. I'm confident na kaya nating i-achieve ito. Pero ayoko na magpa-pressure. This is just one meal of their lives, at dahil mahal kami ng guests namin, kung anuman ang drama nila sa pagkain, patatawarin nila kami.
Some photos of the food HERE.
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