Re-Visiting Chateau Verde

Last Saturday, Liv had the most brilliant idea of having dinner in Chateau Verde. It's been around 6 years since we've last been to the place and nothing seems to have changed! The food was still good, the service great, the tables, the set up, everything... The best part about the seeming suspended animation in that hidden part of U.P. Diliman however were the prices. Haha! Then again it might be because the last time we were there was when we still didn't have jobs. Hay, it just brought back memories... Come to think of it, Liv and I ended a "cool-off" here once (i don't think she still remembers though). I remember it was one evening when we went out to decide our fate as a couple after a week of isolation from one another and serious soul searching for a reason I can't remember. I took her there where it was quiet and secluded. We went in to the Chateau's "hidden" pathway weary and confused and walked out with a glimmer of hope after having agreed to give it another chance. Now after many years we're back as a married couple... =)

An obscure, camouflaged entrance leads to this pathway.

The pathway leads to this door which takes you to the dining area.

For starters we ordered baked oysters and Caesar's Salad. They gave us toasted bread with a basil (and ground almond i think) in olive oil dip which was good because i needed a little padding for my stomach before I ate the oysters. The basil dip was great. They used to serve this basil dip mixed with tomatoes and garlic (I remember because i copied it and managed to impress Liv's mom with my version. A very important thing at the time because I needed to win "son-in-law points").

The oysters were just as i remembered. Succulent and fresh. Cheese stretching and butter dripping slowly as the oyster flesh is detached from its shell. There's nothing distinct in terms of flavor except the fact that everything just harmonizes in my mouth with bursts of fresh oyster juice, buttery sauce and chewy cheese.

The serving size of the Caesar's Salad was bigger than we expected. This of course was a welcome thing considering we were very hungry people that evening. The only thing I didn't like about it is that the lettuce leaves were not fresh and crisp. Some leaves give off a steamed/cooked texture.

I got a fillet mignon to satisfy my craving for meat and shared it with Liv. It was pretty good. Topped with chicken liver (if I remember correctly or some other bird liver) and embraced by bacon around the side like a sinful, illicit love affair of beef and pork. The flavor was okay, the meat could have been more tender although it was tender enough.

Hey, for the price of P270 it's excellent fillet mignon. Excellent.

Manicotti: rolled pasta with cottage cheese, meat filling topped with mozzarella cheese. How could we go wrong with that? Unfortunately, after the masterful intro, counterpoint and solo of the preceding courses, the Manicotti turned out to be a discordant third playing what should be a major chord for the grand finale. Thankfully, it got drowned out by the applause... It just didn't deliver the delight each individual main ingredient suggested. As opposed to the synergistic masterpiece of elements that was the baked oyster dish, the Manicotti left me with the taste of just tomato sauce and the texture of the rolled pasta. I didn't find the flavor nor texture of the beef nor the cottage cheese in my mouth which was funny because they were quite visible to my eyes.

Overall this dining experience was one of the best I've had in a while. Chateau Verde with its unique "secret place" setting and ambiance in laid back U.P Campus offers quite a wide variety of gourmet food for people on a budget. Our dinner cost us around 800 bucks with fresh fruit shakes. Happy.

In life's increasingly speedy pace and at the rate people are trying to change, improve, develop, reconstruct, make u-turn slots, flyovers... Its nice that there are still places which have remained the way they've always been to give us a glimpse of the past which has led us to where we are now. Even providing a point of reference on how much we've changed in terms of expectation, taste, appetite, and even in our lives. It's nice to have a dinner that makes me realize that the good food from the past has gotten better with fond memories of what has been and enjoyed with my wife with whom I share the amazing taste of married life.