Artist Chef Birthday Surprise

Last July 1, Chev celebrated his 29th birthday and I surprised him with a romantic dinner arranged by the Artist Chef. I had to work that day (it was a Sunday) so we met up near the office. He asked me where I wanted to eat and I nonchalantly suggested "Serendra, Portico or some other resto there...wherever..."but first I had to drop off something at “my officemate’s condo” near Ayala. “My officemate’s condo” was actually the venue for the surprise dinner and on the way, I was secretly consulting the map to the place. I remember he even asked me what floor her place was and I absentmindedly answered “20th floor” since I was trying so hard to read the map in the dark.

When we got to the condo I almost laughed out loud since the building was only 5-storeys tall! Good thing he didn’t notice. I had to convince him to go up with me since he wanted to stay and wait in the car.

3 floors later I knocked on the door of the Artist Chef’s place. I told him to wait by the hallway while I got in. I said hello to Joanne Manalang, the Artist Chef and checked the arrangements. Everything was just so romantic. The table was set up in the corner. There were candles and rose petals all over the place while instrumental bossa music played. I invited him in saying I’d take a little longer than expected so he stepped inside and got his birthday surprise :)

The dinner was great. The food was delicious. The ambiance was perfect. We had an amazing time. It really beats celebrating dinner for two at an expensive restaurant. We had a four course meal for a very reasonable price. Since Chev loves Spanish food, I chose the Spanish menu with Crema de Mejillones as the soup (mussel soup), Spanish potato salad for entrée, Paella Valenciana for the main course and ended with Crema Catalana or a really rich strawberry topped cream dessert. We also had two non-alcoholic pinacoladas (really yummy). At the end of the dinner we were both so full we could barely move hahaha. After eating, we sat down and chatted with Joanne, who by the way is my sister’s friend from college (also a fellow Thomasian) and talked about the food. She really researches and experiments with different dishes, usually from her favorite international chefs and then she concocts her own. We thanked her and said our goodnights and left her place grinning like Cheshire cats. Big, fat, full Cheshire cats.

Since the night was still young (and so were we...and yes, only God can make a tree) we decided to go to Serendra for a late night stroll (to at least burn off some of the calories) and for some book shopping at Fully Booked. It was a really good dinner. Compliments to the Artist Chef!! I hope Chev enjoyed his birthday. I would have loved to cook him dinner myself but my culinary skills are well, very limited. Happy birthday again Chevy!! xoxo

I recommend the Artist Chef to couples out there who want to try a unique dining experience. It beats eating at the usual places – Serendra, Greenbelt, The Fort… Here, there are no lines, no waiting, no hassle looking for parking, no parking fees, no loud chatter. It’s like a secret romantic hideaway in the city. So the next time you’re celebrating anything, give the Artist Chef a call and schedule dinner at her place. The Artist Chef is available only on Sundays. One friendly tip: try to reserve in advance since a lot of people make reservations. That’s how good her food is ;)

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