Do you keep track of how much you and your friends have changed over the years?
Either I am not as big of a Facebook addict that I think I am or my friends care enough to keep some things about them as a mystery. Read: they don’t post it online. It’s delightful to know that there are things about my friends that we don’t need social media to discover or discuss. That is why being with Wendy and Mac was an actual catch-up: one just returned from the desert, the other is from a local community of at least 20 different nationalities, and both had stories that could not be contained with limited characters or be fully told via a status update.
Real talk in real life with real friends has always been refreshing for me.
Of course, just talking for hours is draining. At some point, we decided to look for somewhere to eat. Because I am usually the go-to person for this matter, I had to think of where we could eat while swapping stories. I asked for the proper time and they said that it was 12:48PM. I was betting that the lunch rush had already died.
From the Glorietta Activity Center where we met, we took the scenic route by going way up the fifth floor then taking the escalator well down to the basement, which led to a tunnel that connected it to Glorietta 5, also known as G5. A good excuse for this exercise: they’ve never been to those parts of the mall. It was at the second floor where our walk ended because we arrived at a place where I thought they would love the food.
Mad Mark’s Creamery and Good Eats is a little restaurant that’s popular with yuppies; whenever it’s lunch or dinner on weekdays, most of its customers are from nearby call centers. Thankfully, the place had just gotten over its peak hour. So it was just the three of us plus about four other diners.
Now, I know that it’s usually “pics or not true” but – with all the talking that we did – I got so distracted that I only have a photo of one of the three dishes that we ordered. The photographed one: the salad called Grilled Chicken Cob. The two that were not photographed: first: Signature Steak (Php 360.00) cooked medium rare kissed by Ragin’ Cajun sauce; second: Creole Grilled Chicken (Php 245.00) that swam in creamy mushroom sauce while guarded by smashed potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower. I love how they cook meat and I would love it more if they could rid it of all the fat, which makes cutting such a struggle.
Because I am notorious for having a sweet tooth, Wendy and Mac asked me what to have for dessert. I told them about how the Rolling Dutchman is a messy but a wonderful treat. It’s a big scoop of any of their honest ice cream (HIC) – we picked vanilla – that is sandwiched by a bun made from pancakes that is slathered with Nutella and Biscoff. Eating it by hand could prove tricky, which explains the wrapper and the cup. But it could also be eaten using a spoon. All three of us were laughing while we dug in to the chewy, creamy piece.
The other source of sugar rush we had was the Fudge Liquid Cheesecake. It’s basically pie oozing with cream cheese lazing on a bed of rich, dark chocolate ganache while guarded by a big scoop of HIC. For this plate, the waitress recommended Revel Bear. I don’t know what it’s made of exactly but I am sure that its base was chocolate with a hint of nuts.
With so many stories, we may have stayed well past 5PM. But we had other places to be so, despite loving the food and the ambience, we had to leave, although I am certain that my two friends have about the same appreciation for Mad Mark’s Creamery and Good Eats as I do.
I hope that, by next time, I finally get to taste the Breakfast Ice Cream. While it’s on one of their blackboards, it’s not on their menu. That explains why I always fail to consider ordering it. It’s not like it’s elusive but I want to remember it when I have another meal there.
Mad Mark’s Creamery and Good Eats
2F, Glorietta 5, Ayala Center, Glorietta Complex, Makati City
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