Mary Grace-ing once too often

It seems Mary Grace is the bakery-restaurant of choice among friends who agree to meet at either Greenbelt Makati or Trinoma, the Ayala mall in Quezon City. When I'm early and waiting for my lunch companions, I like reading the little handwritten stuff under the glass-topped tables. I've often wondered if those are real notes addressed to real persons or they were just made up to add to the place's homey ambience.

While looking at these photos, the first taken sometime August, the other just at the close of this past month, I noticed how I ballooned and grew in heft. Well, you caught me there--enjoying once too often Mary Grace's deceitfully lightweight ensaymada and cheese roll!

With Pablo Tariman, Vergel Santos and Chit Roces Santos

Even Althea Sarmenta seems to say of Mary Grace, "I love you this much!" Others in picture are former colleagues and lifetime friends Bob Navarro, Amadis Ma. Guerrero, Cynthia Alberto Diaz and Althea's dad Joel.

Scarfing Food at Our Faces

It seems my body clock perks up as the working week winds down as this weekend's photo documentation shows.

The food trip began Friday night after I learned that Daisy Langenegger was hosting another seafood extravaganza at her Maginhawa Street digs in UP Village where I am a temporary transient. Her Facebook profile had her seafood night advertised with photos of curry crabs, paella, oysters three ways, oysters on half shells, grilled prawns for a very reasonable price.

My partner Rolly still refers to Daisy as Crazy Daisy after her former restaurant in the Timog area in the 1990s where he used to go at its closing hour after he was done layouting a newspaper's front page. She is now Green Daisy because the woman has gone organic (even her rat poison is organic) and yes, her place is lush with greenery and art.

I would kill for oysters (Lady Macbeth would understand). And if flown directly from a source in Aklan, how more fresh can they get? I took a pic of old friend and my former editor at Today (I was an occasional contributor) Francine Medina looking like she's about to eat my orders (yes, I had oysters three ways and on half shells).

Yesterday. Saturday, was medical checkup for a number of family members beginning (by age) from my sister Suzy, my youngest daughter Ida and my grand-niece Machiko Skye who had her ears pierced. I decided on where we would eat immediately as I didn't want to go to the Medical City's fast-food court. Mary Grace at the neighboring Rockwell Business Center, it was decided, hands down, for its pasta and toasted, sugarless ensaymada and brandy-infused prune cake.

As for today, Sunday, even God knew when to say it was all good and He rested. Burp!

Photos by Babeth of Tablea Chocolate Cake served at Green Daisy (topmost), followed by Oysters Three Ways set across journalist Francine Medina, Bianca Ysabel Susi with classic spaghetti and meatballs and Ida Fernandez with her velvet cake and apple cinnamon tea at Mary Grace