Restaurants That I Wish Would Make A Comeback

sundae at Mr. Jones

I have read somewhere (to be more specific it's by Stephen King from an introduction he wrote for his collection of short stories, Everything's Eventual) that what's lost has a way of staying lost. He's talks about at length the dwindling existence of short stories and the pulp magazines that used to publish these genre short stories. I guess it's the same thing goes with restaurants that finally close its curtains. And you're suddenly swept by sadness in the realization that you'll never enjoy again the food that so much captured your heart (insert sniffles here).


The Cake Club

sweet treats at The Cake Club

Aside from the deliriously good desserts offered at The Cake Club, I also liked their savory offering like the Sato-San Mentaiko Spaghetti,  a creamy pasta dish with a spicy kick and the US Angus Beef Burger made memorable with its reddish pink bun. But the main draw here were the sweets, of course. I clearly remembered how fascinated I was with the Ispahan, a macaron sandwich with fillings of raspberry and lychee. And the balanced flavors of tangy, sweet and denseness played out very well with the Baked Cheesecake. Sure one can still enjoy these delectable goodies at the Diamond Hotel but I've only been there once for a function event on my previous temp job for an ad agency. And Roxas Boulevard isn't part of my usual route of places that I would normally visit for food tripping. Here's hoping that the Diamond Hotel would resurrect The Cake Club in the future (albeit in a different form or set up) the way they did it before with Astralis a few years back.

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Tourné

wall mural

seafood kebab

I've fallen in love with Tourné located then at The Fort Strip the moment my friend Karen and I set foot at their elegant yet very laid back dining area. Whimsical was the word that came to my mind first. The checkered tablecloths, the ornamental flowers on each table, the placemats with sketches and a brief info on the restaurant vision on slow cooking, the dominant white and blue theme. I was elated, to say the least. The food the we ordered was no less than remarkable. The Soft Shell Crab Meunière and the Seafood Kebab w/ Rice Pilaf still haunts me up to this day. So you could just imagine my shock when I grazed a newsfeed from their Facebook page that they're finally closing shop and eventually my abject horror when I found out that it was replaced by Racks. Not that I have anything against Racks. I do enjoy their ribs once in a while. Maybe I'm just expecting a bit more different. A restaurant with an envelope-pushing concept after the high standards set up by Tourné. Even one of the chefs, Sandralyn Hataway went to our table for a little chit-chat and she surprised us that she knows how to spar gay lingo with my friend Karen. And how can I forget the Pili Brownie we ate for dessert? Gosh! I feel like weeping with the mere realization that I would never enjoy that dessert again.

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Swensen's

sundae at Swensen's

To this day, I believe that Swensen's offered the most picture-pretty looking sundaes ever. The contrast of colors were just appealing and with their trademark wafers preening atop each sundaes, it's really an eye-candy and a dilemma on how to start eating it. You could just imagine how my jaw dropped when I learned that Swensen's finally bid adieu on their Eastwood Mall branch. Not sure if their Mall Of Asia branch is still open but it was quite of a hassle for me to go there (I've probably been there just once or twice in my life) so getting myself to enjoy another Swensen's sundae is already close to impossible at this point.

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Happi Hen

Hainanese chicken rice and that glass of delicious milk tea

pancit bihon and red iced tea

Happi Hen never really get its stride from the day it opened in Eastwood. It's alarmingly empty on most days whenever I pass by it. How unfortunate since the food here was really good with the value for money in mind. The Hainanese Chicken Rice was a delight to eat as well as the Pancit Bihon, especially if you squeezed a lot of calamansi to it. I also liked the milk tea drink offered here, so refreshing, milky and not overly sweet. But one day they unceremoniously decided to closed shop. Goodbye affordable Hainanese chicken rice and my favorite milk tea drink.

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Mr. Jones

Butterfinger Cup milkshake

Philly cheese steak which is quite decent

Maple Bacon Sundae

Too bad I only enjoyed Mr. Jones way too late. Little did I know that when I went here recently that it would also be my very last visit. On every diner that I went to, I always make it a point to try the milkshakes they offer. And it saddens me no end that I would only enjoy the Butterfinger Cup Milkshake through memory since I really liked it so much and it easily bested the other milkshakes that I've tried before. The same goes with the Maple Bacon Sundae, a motherlode  with crispy waffles, scoops of mantecado ice cream, maple syrup and bacon bits. I could only just sigh in reverie, hoping that I could find (albeit soon) similar sweet pleasures elsewhere.