We woke up pretty late, around 8:30 AM. It was raining. And we know what rain means, a blessing. I bought her the pan de sal that she wanted despite the terribly cold morning rain. Had it been an ordinary day, I would have made a big deal out of braving the rain to buy a few pan de sals. But this day was special. I even made her breakfast. Bacon, hotdogs, fried egg, and coffee. Although by the time I was finished cooking all of that, it was already lunchtime. We were watching House on dibidi when she quipped that she wanted a massage, a full body massage, not from a masseuse but from me. I caved and gave her the best full body massage I could manage.
For dinner, we went to Cafe d’Asie at The Bellevue. I read some really good feedback from Southbound, so I called to have our dinner reservations made there. The waiters were courteous, attentive, very well trained. Every time we come back to our table from the buffet area, I noticed that the napkins have been folded and the table cleaned. There was also a pianist that played soft tunes. We thoroughly enjoyed, and had multiple servings of, the prawn amuse bouche. The Japanese section had an array of maki and sashimi, though some of the raw tuna slices had slight discoloration (freezer burn?), so choose carefully. We also sampled some steamed siomai and hakaw from the Chinese section. I had adobo rice with grilled pork chops and prawns, and my wife had the roast beef with mashed potatoes for the main course. She was seated with her back at the entrance so she didn’t notice her close friends quietly filing in. When I whispered “Look behind you,” she was surprised to see them. The pianist took the cue and played “Happy Birthday” just as the waiter came with a candlelit cake.
We transferred to a bigger table, ordered more food (including dessert), and regaled each other with stories. We stayed until we were the only ones left. The maître d’ even informed us that their 20/20 Entertainment Bar at the 20th floor has really good bands and provides a fantastic view of the city in case we want to transfer, maybe next time All in all, I think I did a pretty good job. Good food with great friends on her special day. I couldn’t think of anything better.
Cafe d’Asie
The Bellevue
North Bridgeway, Filinvest Corporate City
Alabang, Muntinlupa
http://www.thebellevue.com.ph/
Some photos from Southbound.ph.
ooh la la! the food looks amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing.
happy birthday to your wife!
Posted by toni at January 13, 2009, 2:07 pmsarap naman ng mga pagkain! i wish i can try that resto also. 
wow looked so grand! super expensive nman ata…
Sheng: Thanks!
Toni: Thanks! Sarap dito, though I didn’t get to try the beef dishes. Steak pa lang sulit ka na.
mordsith: Lapit lang. Di ba madalas kayo Vivere? Try this for a change.
ka: Typical buffet rates. May 700+ at may 1100+. We hope to come back again in two or three months. Not that expensive naman for someone like you. 
Ooooohhhh I love sashimi!
Posted by SearchingWellness at January 14, 2009, 11:16 pmhappiness is - when the husband takes care of everything, from the massage to the dinner. mapakita nga tong blog post na to sa husband ko, hehehe.
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Happy Birthday to the wife!
Posted by sheng at January 13, 2009, 1:30 pm