I was up as early as 7 am feeling all hyped and perky like a kid waiting to open presents at Christmastime. I specifically felt like I did every first day of a new school year, a mixture of nerves and excitement for what's to come after being gone for an entire summer. It was odd, yes, but an immensely good feeling not to be ignored.
I was tucked away in book heaven during the first half of the day and that deserves a separate post so I'll leave this hanging. After a grueling ordeal fighting (to the death) to get the best books in a warehouse full of tributes (yes, Hunger Games referencing), I went home, rested for a few minutes, freshened up, and went outta the door again for another battle. This time, with food.
My friends and I decided to meet at Subspace, but it will never be a normal meetup without a change of plans. So, walking a few blocks, I waited for Chi* and V* in Galleria, and then further waited for Jason because he's coming with a car and aren't we all user-friendly friends? We glided along EDSA while Kat was on speakerphone, nagging (haha) us every couple minutes or so. Paul was originally set to go with Kat but because of conflicting schedules, Demon* was forced to fill in. The two kiddos were dropped off by Paul and were already killing time at Sofitel's lobby. In a matter of minutes, we exchanged a series of hugs and besos. We were led to our table and the main event ensued.
Within the past year, we've seen the rise of buffet places around the metro. Truthfully, I cannot count how many times I've been to them this year alone, heaven bless me. Spiral was a breath of fresh air mostly because of the number of live cooking stations fanned out around the buffet area. There were no less than 3 chefs per section, and that alone is reason enough to feel your money's worth. In my case, chiefly, because I ate less than what I would've on a normal binge day.
The ones I devoured most were the prime rib, lamb, and every kind of shrimp I laid my eyes on (Chi kept on telling me: "Shrimp na naman?"). The foie gras, guys. It's my second time to try it and I had two servings, which was more than enough to give one a heartburn. But paired with the balsamic reduction, it was divine. There's pizza, and I always have room for pizza. It was good. I loved the yakiniku (so tasty!) and the soup of the day, which I believe was wild mushroom (so hearty!).
A charcuterie section was conveniently enclosed in a glass room, which Kat determinedly set her steely willpower on. The array of meats, cheeses (!!!) and breads were so tempting but I only looked. Same goes with the rest of the Asian and Western cuisines. See, I totally failed to impress myself in this gorgefest.
Chi and I headed to the desserts area and had an overkill of truffles and macarons. There were 3 tall chocolate fountains (dark, white, and milk) and a beautiful display of fruit carvings beside it. Adjacent is the ice cream counter. I had green tea, of course. A separate long island table was filled with an assortment of candies. Talk about Willy Wonka.
During the course of our dinner, there was a reveal from Demon that gagged the ones on the table who didn't know yet. (Vague sentence kept vague for secrecy.) And then we Skyped our college blockmates who were online: Shamae (in a face mask) and Dona who were in Singapore, and Char in Macau. Thinking back, I bet we looked like crazy kids let loose by our parents in the park. It was riotous.
Between the Skype dates and dessert, I snatched Kat's 4S and snapped away (but not really) for Instagram purposes. These are the only photos that I have. Sweet.
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| Pots on display (i love this shot) |
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| Wipe your drool |
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| look up |
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| "A tandoor!" but really, "What am I really fucking doing with my life?!!!" |
And then some, nicked from Jason and Kat's accounts. Our faces.
My really hungry self would no doubt punch my Spiral-eating self for not maximizing the folds of my intestines that night. I had 3 plates, max, of savory dishes and did not bother having fourths and fifths (and sixths, sevenths, eighths, ninths), which I normally do. But I was satiated. And it was a happy kind of busog. (Although I feel bad missing out on the risotto. And why did I not read this beforehand? But I digress.)
While waiting for the valet, there was this European(?) couple a few feet away from me who were dressed for an evening gala, getting their thang on and making out like there's no tomorrow. The guy's back was on me but the girl was pretty and they looked like they were having fun (and in love), so I had fun (and loved) staring at them, too. Ha! Kat dragged me to see the trolling K9 up close and, awww, instant labrador appreciation!
We went home blasting and singing to Disney soundtracks because at our age, we're masters at exuding strong levels of maturity.
It was a year-long wait for Spiral, and all I can say is that it was priceless, in every sense of the word.
*Pseudonyms. Chi is Mao. V is Maix, Demon is Taira.
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