Hello, mga ka-hivers! I'm back! How are you, mga ka-hivers? I hope you're all doing well. By the way, I want to share with you our advance celebration of my brother's birthday. But before that, let me introduce you to the restaurant where we dined at Ayala Center, Cebu.
It stands for Thank God It's Friday! — It offers American-style comfort food and was founded in 1965 in Manhattan. They also have a bar where you can try their signature cocktails, with a formal ambiance perfect for family gatherings, meetings, and dates. They offer a lot of dishes, starting with appetizers, main dishes, desserts, beverages, and more.
I like vegetables, so I rate their food 10/10 because their ingredients were fresh, like the Caesar salad I ordered as an appetizer. It was crunchy, and I could feel the freshness of the leaves. For the chicken, I loved the tenderness and crispiness, and oh, how I wish I could cook a sunny-side-up egg like this perfectly.
The 6-spice chicken—I don't know if that's the correct name for that dish—was good; it was crunchy, especially when you dipped it in the white sauce. I don't know what it was made of, but I think it was like milk or yogurt, and they added something to make it tastier. I also like the potato chips, especially when dipped in their sauce. The vegetable salad was good as well; it seemed like they had simmered it and added a little seasoning to enhance its flavor.
This is grilled pork, and I love it as well because I enjoy barbecued food. It was savory and oily. The oil served as an appetizer for me; when there's oil—what we call fat—dripping over the rice and you add sauce, it makes it tastier and makes you want more rice. I also love their rice because it's different from the ordinary rice we eat every day; their rice was seasoned and topped with dried garlic and some crushed green leaves.
I forgot the name of this dish, but it resembles fried chicken. The separate meat was also delicious, and I think it paired well with the main dish dipped in the sauce. If you're wondering why I know most of the food they serve, it's because I tasted it all, lol. I was so curious at that time about what their food's signature taste was like.
Actually, it was just a simple family gathering but when ate Wheng knew that next week would be my brother's birthday and she wasn't here in Cebu at the time, she called me and asked me to accompany her outside to buy a cake without my brother knowing. When we came back, he was shocked to see the cake, and we started singing happy birthday while holding the cake for him. He was surprised and shy at the same time since the people inside were watching him.
He thanked everyone, especially ate Wheng and Bob (Ate Wheng's boyfriend). Bob was really supportive, and he introduced us to his upcoming business, but we barely understood him since he spoke quickly, and his accent made my nose bleed, lol. But still, I survived, and he adjusted when he noticed that we were having trouble following what he was trying to say.
When we were done talking and our stomachs were full, we decided to go home since it was late in the evening. We exchanged goodbyes, thanked each other, wished everyone well, and said we'd see each other next time when they visit Cebu. It was great because I got to try a different American food style and experience the vibe of the place. It was classy and expensive—something only rich people can afford.
That's all, hivers! I hope you all enjoyed this, and please share your experiences eating in foreign restaurants if you have any. Thank you, and have a good day/night, hivers!