Sunday foodie...

...hello, June!
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by PAM

It looks like June comes with pleasant surprises... hmm, knock on wood, I hope I didn't speak too soon and jinxed it.  

Surprise #1:  My sister and I stopped by our usual place in the neighborhood for running errands when we noticed a hair and nails salon. Apparently, the salon had been there for a few months now, but we noticed it for the first time only today.  Just because the facade looked interesting, we decided to try their services... in a whirl of snap decision!  It turned out that the staff were insanely hilarious and friendly, we felt so at home.  We have yet to decide though whether the quality of their work are better than our usual salon (let's see how long this organic "permanent blow-dry" treatment lasts)... we'll see how it goes. Given the favorable experience from their staff's personalized and friendly approach to their clients though, we are likely to seek their services again soon, especially if the difference in quality of their services and those of our old salon is minimal. 

Surprise #2:  And this is what would justify the title of this post.  So, after our trip to the salon, my sister and I decided to grab something to eat, and we decided to go to the Old Spaghetti 

Pinoy pizza: an extraordinary dish made an ordinary
restaurant chain quite special.

House branch that was very close to the salon. Old Spaghetti House is one of those restaurant chains that I've tried before in the Bay Area of Northern California.  I didn't think it was any more special than any other restaurant chains that served Italian dishes.  So, I never had the inspiration to visit their branches here in Manila.  Therefore, I opened the menu with no expectations, I thought I just wanted an order of 'good old' seafood marinara... when I saw "Pinoy pizza".  Hmmm... slices of century egg, cured meat - Pinoy style, slices of tomato, kesong puti (mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk) sounded interesting and yummy.  So, I ordered my spaghetti, and then decided to order the Pinoy pizza - to go.  The seafood marinara was very good, and the ripe mango juice was superb... in spite of my decision not to be impressed. :)

When we got home, we decided to share the pizza with the rest of the family, and boy, I was kicking myself in the head for not ordering two!  It was very good - umami bliss!  Whoever decided the recipe of this pizza, I really think that the kesong puti was a good decision, it was rich and so flavorful.  The tomato should have been grilled though, the hint of burnt tomato skin and the heightened umami that result from the grilling would've emphasized the kesong puti flavor and the saltiness of the century egg.  But, just the same, it was good. What a pleasant surprise!

Alright, June... you are so welcome to keep bringing on the (pleasant) surprises, okay? So, please don't hesitate... just keep going!  Okay, go for it... now!

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