Some how, going out for a dinner date shouldn't be that hard. We live in a city with a lot of restaurants and have a nanny who is always willing to work some OT (and our housekeeper gladly subs in if she's not free for some strange reason). Our driver would like to have more OT than we give him (since on the rare occasions we do go out, usually Greg drives). With these non-existent basic roadblocks, why, then, do we not?
I think it has to do with the traffic and our housing location. We like living at Seafront for the boys and dog and proximity to the Embassy, but it can be an hour drive to Makati or The Fort, where most of our friends and the restaurants we want to try are. Sometimes it only takes 20 minutes. But others can be *painful.* And the last thing we want to do on a Friday after a full week of work is spend 1+ hour sitting in traffic. The risk scares us off. We have the added benefit that our nanny is a pretty good cook, so we'd rather eat her prepared dinner than a mediocre experiment at a new restaurant.
This last Friday, though, after so long home with the boys, we decided to go out. We invited another couple, who readily agreed - they even live in Makati, but tend to be home bodies. To commemorate the occasion, we opted for The Fort Strip. Greg and I had previously tried a Chinese restaurant there, and the others looked good. Parking was a bit of a bear, but eventually we managed to find our companions.
The Strip is a collection of restaurants and clubs (and a gym thrown in) in a nice-looking strip mall, kind of like the "towne centres" you see in suburban America. After deciding that none of us were up for an expensive meal, and the ladies ruled out Chinese, and the guys weren't so thrilled about pub food that evening (weird, I know), and the menu of the Japanese restaurant would not fit the bill for two quasi-Japan-ophiles, we settled on choosing between three Italian bistros. We ended up on the one on the second floor with a terrace, so we could sit outside and enjoy the breeze - it's finally cool enough to be outside at night!
The food wasn't spectacular, but for $25 per couple it was certainly appropriate. The company was pleasant, and we stayed a bit longer chatting than we intended, I think :) Obviously, we just need to embrace the Manila traffic and go out a bit more often.
I think it has to do with the traffic and our housing location. We like living at Seafront for the boys and dog and proximity to the Embassy, but it can be an hour drive to Makati or The Fort, where most of our friends and the restaurants we want to try are. Sometimes it only takes 20 minutes. But others can be *painful.* And the last thing we want to do on a Friday after a full week of work is spend 1+ hour sitting in traffic. The risk scares us off. We have the added benefit that our nanny is a pretty good cook, so we'd rather eat her prepared dinner than a mediocre experiment at a new restaurant.
This last Friday, though, after so long home with the boys, we decided to go out. We invited another couple, who readily agreed - they even live in Makati, but tend to be home bodies. To commemorate the occasion, we opted for The Fort Strip. Greg and I had previously tried a Chinese restaurant there, and the others looked good. Parking was a bit of a bear, but eventually we managed to find our companions.
The Strip is a collection of restaurants and clubs (and a gym thrown in) in a nice-looking strip mall, kind of like the "towne centres" you see in suburban America. After deciding that none of us were up for an expensive meal, and the ladies ruled out Chinese, and the guys weren't so thrilled about pub food that evening (weird, I know), and the menu of the Japanese restaurant would not fit the bill for two quasi-Japan-ophiles, we settled on choosing between three Italian bistros. We ended up on the one on the second floor with a terrace, so we could sit outside and enjoy the breeze - it's finally cool enough to be outside at night!
The food wasn't spectacular, but for $25 per couple it was certainly appropriate. The company was pleasant, and we stayed a bit longer chatting than we intended, I think :) Obviously, we just need to embrace the Manila traffic and go out a bit more often.
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