Since I became a mom, I never had a full-blown birthday party. I've never been fond of those even when I was still single. Maybe I didn't have any want for that because my mother was all-out in preparing one for us even without our prodding. During parties, I found myself spending time with a small circle of friends, all the other guests were my mom's and my siblings'.
Thankfully, Red has the same sentiment. If there was any time we wanted a party, it was definitely one for our kids. In all the years Red and I have been together, we both kept our birthday celebrations simple. Our goal is to make sure we celebrate each other everyday, even when there is no occasion. But we also want to make sure we make it somehow special. We either have our favorite food at home or dine out at restaurant we really like.
This year, Red took me to one of our favorites. There's a gem of a place called Amor that we frequent. Amor is a Spanish word that means Love, and I have nothing but love for this restaurant.
They actually refer to the place as a Bakery, simply because they bake all sorts of breads and pastries that will suit everybody's palate. I know that's not unheard of, but what makes it absolutely special is how they made use of an otherwise small space and turned it into a warm cozy place where one can truly indulge in good food.
The wall has an artistic splash that compliments the eccentric design of the heavy wooden furniture.
The massive shelf, strewn with books, at the center of everything is definitely the highlight. The sturdy wood is light in color and made the whole place look homey. I dream of having a library in our own house. Just a small shelf to accommodate the books we collect, and some comfy seats where Red and I could spend some quiet afternoons with our girls.
I find the lamps with deviating designs pretty. The streak of colors gave the place a fun and chill vibe. I somehow feel like they are of different origins. The one near the shelf looked like something I would find inside a house in London, while there was one that looks oriental. There were also lamps that looked straight out of Arabian Nights.
My small family and I were the first ones at the bakery-slash-restaurant that day and we got to choose the spot we really liked, which are the seats right beside the gigantic wooden shelf.
I've always found it nice to be surrounded by books, and I'm glad my girls also share my love for them. Sam has only been exposed to fiction (ie. Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Diary of a Wimpy Kid), but the shelves offered a variety of genres and we went through some of them while waiting for our food. There really is no dull moment in this happy place.
We didn't wait long though. Considering our orders, they made good time. I got Braised Pork Belly with Buttered Vegetable SPears and Mashed Potatoes, and it was absolutely heaven. The pork belly was so tender, something that was achieved through slow cooking. The soft meat was drenched in sauce which they say is from whole peeled tomatoes and wine. They serve it with rice, truffled whipped potatoes and vegetables.
Red had the Chicken Al Pesto Pasta, which is his favorite from the restaurant. The cream based, pesto-infused pasta is topped with strips of teriyaki chicken that are delightfully crispy. I have tried it before and it is also one of my favorites from the restaurant.
Whenever we dine at Amor, Sam would order the Baked Penne Parmegiana. This is a vegetarian meal, where the baked penne riggate pasta is tossed with only marinara and alfredo sauce. Sam especially loves the mozzarella cheese on top of the whole thing.
For our drinks, I got the Refreshing Cucumber Mint, while Sam enjoyed her Watermelon Strawberry. Red is not a fan of fruity, or what he calls "sweet" drinks and got a soda.
As I mentioned earlier, Amor is a bakery. They have a wide selection of pastries and bread. There are so many to choose from, they have just about something for everyone.
Below are some that we have already tried. With the current exchange between Philippine Peso and the US Dollar, all of them are about a dollar and some cents.
To have been blessed another year is a wonderful thing. It was celebrated with fantastic food, with the company of people who matter the most, in a place that I have come to love. It was indeed a happy day.
All photos are mine, taken using a Samsung S7 Edge camera phone
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