Late Night Dinner

The fennel bulbs were quite a hungry bunch one late Saturday evening. It's quite a pity that most restaurants in Manila close their kitchens by 10 o'clock (2200h). Knowing that hotels should be able to serve more extensive hours, the hungry fennel bulbs just chose to go to the Manila Peninsula Hotel, more popularly known to locals simply as "Manila Pen". 

Most of its restaurants, such as Spices, which serves Southeast Asian and Indian cuisine, and the newly-renovated Escolta, which offers a sumptuous buffet, were already all closed. What's open was The Lobby, which more or less serves as the hotel's primary coffee shop in its grand lobby. The Manila Pen's lobby is arguably one of the best hotel lobbies here in Manila, and the dim evening lighting and the jazz band that played on the balcony just made it cozier. 

As always is the case hotel coffee shops, the cuisine was eclectic. There were Western, Asian, and Filipino dishes to choose from. A sumptuous bread basket was provided while waiting for the food to arrive. 

First to arrive was the Salade Nicoise (Php500). This dish is a French salad consisting of greens, beans, and chunks of fish (which for this case was some lightly seared tuna) in a light anchovy dressing. The greens were very fresh and crisp. There were also some cherry tomatoes. The anchovies can be a bit offputting for the uninitiated as they can be quite itchy to the mouth or the palate. But nevertheless a very good salad. 

Next is the crabmeat balls (php390). This time, the flavors were very Asian. The meat balls were really made of crab (not much extenders) and fried evenly. But the real kick comes from the sauce which is soy-based and had a delightfully sweet accent. 

Last and definitely not the least was the Pen Burger (Php590). 200 grams of good quality sirloin beef was used for the patty. It tasted very well and was juicy. It was topped with an egg sunny side-up and cheese which has softened due to the heat (which even made it taste better). On the other bun, there were lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. The chips are fried well. It is essentially, a comfort food. 

Overall, the Manila Pen's The Lobby is a good place to sit down and unwind after a long day. The price is a bit exorbitant by local standards as it is in a hotel, but the ambience and the fairly good service make up for it.