My birthday lunch, part 2
My in-laws–parents, brothers, sisters–are co-conspirators in what is now known as Project Joy. Since I am the only one among them who is not overweight–at least not yet–they are bent on fattening me up. And I must say, their efforts are paying off. I’ve already added 10 pounds to my original skinny frame since I joined the family 3 years ago.
The day after my last birthday, my parents-in-law wanted to take me out to lunch. But when my brother-in-law, Gani, learned about it, he offered to treat us to what could very well be Makati’s best-kept secret: Filling Station. It was my first time to visit the place even though Gani has been raving about the food there for years.As the legal counsel of the company, he has tried almost everything on the menu.
Filling Station is an American diner with a 1950’s theme, the interiors of which are great conversation pieces. On the ground floor is a soda fountain/bar that has on display some vintage radios and movie posters. The walls on the stairway are filled with framed photographs of icons like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. On the second floor, there’s an eclectic collection of memorabilia–a jukebox (remember that?), an old ice shaver, a life-size statue of The King, an ancient telephone, license plates, a portion of a car(!) and what-have-yous. Vinyl records and electric guitars decorate the ceiling. It’s like a curiosity shop but better–because there’s great food, and that’s what we came for.
We started with the seafood chowder and caesar salad (prices withheld because we didn’t pay for this meal). Then we had cheese pizza in a thin crust. It’s greasy but delicious. We also had chicken quesadilla, which was tasty, albeit a little too dry. The tomato salsa was really good.
Caloy and I shared an order of Mustang–grilled king prawn with lemon butter sauce, tenderloin steak with a side of steamed vegetables and a baked potato. This was really superb! The steak was perfectly seasoned that it tasted good even without any condiment. Yummy, yummy, yummy.
My mom-in-law had a shrimp curry, which is her favorite in the restaurant. I sampled it and ooh-la-la, it was good. The coconut milk taste wasn’t overpowering–it struck a perfect balance with the curry flavor, making it a wonderful, desirable main dish. We were all satisfied with the food which were all great-tasting. I even thought that if this restaurant were located in a mall, it will definitely give TGI Friday’s a run for its money. Anyway, it’s time for desserts…
Filling Station has a dazzling display of cakes and a wide selection of ice cream concoctions. Gani urged me to order one each, so I let my little Bea choose what she liked. She pointed to the chocolate caramel cake, a slice of which was a towering piece of deliriously delicious moist chocolate cake embraced by chewy, gooey caramel that was not too sweet, and decorated with chocolate chips, chopped nuts and a cherry. It’s one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve tasted in quite a while. Hallelujah, it’s amazingly good!
Oh, yeah, before I forget, the iced tea smoothie is another must-try in this diner. It’s very refreshing and it’s hard not to finish the entire thing in just one sip. Gani says the diner also serves milkshakes the old-fashioned way and is prepared right at your own table. I made a mental note to try that next time. But going back to our orders, Bea was adamant in choosing the rainbow clown–a scoop of strawberry ice cream (her favorite) laced with colorful marshmallows, an ice cream cone resembling a hat, and a cherry perched on a tiny squirt of whipped cream. It was a fabulous treat for me and my little foodie, who dug into the concoction all by herself. At last, she was silent as she enjoyed spoonful after spoonful of the pretty little ensemble. Another day like this and I can kiss my waist goodbye. But certainly, Filling Station is worth coming back to. Never mind that it’s located right in the heart of a sleazy part of Makati (on P. Burgos Street, near Makati Avenue), and that some of the customers are engaged in indecent… uhm.."transactions", this diner definitely offers very decent meals that are lip-smacking good.
