crumb trails

Our office barkada was able to go on a mid-week night out last Tuesday, since the next day, July 2, was a special holiday for us people working in Ortigas Center, Pasig. Our stop this time was Pilita’s Restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan. It was also a birthday celebration for one of our officemates.

Pilita’s Restaurant is located at Greenhills Shopping Center, near the movie theaters. This cozy little place is owned by Asia’s Queen of Songs, Pilita Corales and her husband Don Carlos. Pilita’s has a very relaxed ambiance, a perfect place to hang-out after a long day at the office. Its walls are filled with numerous memorabilia of the hip-bending singer from her career. One wall serves as a gallery of her photos in black and white. Meanwhile the upper wall behind the stage displays covers of her vinyl records in the past.

Our group ordered pizza, pasta, green salad, mashed potato and grilled pork chops. The fun part of ordering at Pilita’s is with the pizza, whose flavors are named after the twelve signs of the zodiac. We chose the Gemini and Cancer pizzas, both tasted very good, although the slices are a bit small for the boys in the group. The salad looks ordinary but you’ll be surprised once you take a bite. We hinted wine in its dressing, although we forgot to ask, so we really don’t know. The creamy mashed potato sure stood to its name: creamy, tasty, melts in your mouth.

Pilita’s new print ad?

Aside from the usual iced tea drink, some of us also ordered coffee. My personal pick is the Affogato, which is coffee topped with vanilla ice cream. Yeah, you can list this beverage under dessert also. Now I know why café affogato is sometimes called “cold shower,” since when you mix the hot coffee and ice cream, you’ll get a cold drink afterward. I did not mix the two immediately. I spooned a small amount of ice cream and dipped it into the coffee at the bottom of the glass. You get a sort of mocha flavor, but not really mocha, since the coffee and ice cream alternately teases your taste bud. Mixing the two components will result into something like the frappuccino in a well-known coffee shop.

Another good thing about hanging out at Pilita’s is you’ll surely chance upon the Asia’s Queen of Songs herself! Yes, Ms. Pilita Corales regularly graces her restaurant together with her husband. Obviously, both love music because even before Ms. Pilita arrived, Don Carlos has already been performing with the other musicians present that night. She performs for the audience, so it was like we attended a mini-concert. Also, if you want to sing, you surely can. Like our friend, Conrad, who got to perform on stage.

Pilita’s is mainly a hub for the older generation, but it doesn’t matter. We enjoyed our stay so much it was almost midnight when we left.