Strangely enough, there is not quite a restaurant quite like Lusso in all of Manila...yet when you look at all its components, they feel ordinary enough, regular enough to look just like any other restaurant in Manila, nay, in the world.
There is nothing really different about it. Like a restaurant, it has tables and chairs, a closed kitchen, its own bathroom, and an alfresco area for diners who want the freedom to smoke. A few discreet details set it a bit apart, beginning with an enormous hanging mirror in a baroque style frame...an opulently furnished bathroom or toilette...and plush velvet backed chairs....
I discovered Lusso in Greenbelt 5, three years ago, on a rainy afternoon, in between harassments and challenges that drove me out of the office and into the arms of the anonymous. Armed with two books I loved rereading at least once a year, Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, I rushed in to the cool, dry haven it provided from the downpour, sat myself down and collapsed into the lush upholstery, and boldly ordered a glass of champagne to put myself in a good, dry place, he he.
It is a small nook with the dandiest thing...liveried waiters in immaculate smoking jackets and tuxes!
Its menu is an international what's what of gourmet savories, all served in neutral white dishes, in quaint, dainty portions... Must tries are the delectable deviled eggs...5 pieces of heaven on earth!
Another must try is the watercress and Gruyere dip, a lavish melange of greens and cheese! A revelation is the caramelized petit Camembert enriched with walnuts, dates, and figs, marvelous figs! Melts in your mouth...a taste of the best of Swiss cheese and French pretenders! And even the usually ordinary, respectable, clubhouse sandwich is EXTRA-ordinary, dripping with mozzarella, emboldened by pancetta strips and refined with lobster bits. Yum!
Another must try is the watercress and Gruyere dip, a lavish melange of greens and cheese! A revelation is the caramelized petit Camembert enriched with walnuts, dates, and figs, marvelous figs! Melts in your mouth...a taste of the best of Swiss cheese and French pretenders! And even the usually ordinary, respectable, clubhouse sandwich is EXTRA-ordinary, dripping with mozzarella, emboldened by pancetta strips and refined with lobster bits. Yum!
There are other deserving surprises...the truffle flavored potato crisps...the decadent bone marrow vol au vents...the succulent confit du canard...to name but a few more that I have personally tried and adored!!! Yum yum!
That rainy afternoon was a food fest and a me-time with me and my paperbacks, and my voracious appetite.
In walks an elegant petite lady, tanned, with hair pulled back in a chignon, confidently yet softly expressing her commands to her uniformed sentries who unobtrusively yet efficiently carry out her instructions. She is Margarita Fores, the lovely woman who is chef, entrepreneur, bonne vivante extraordinaire, and who revolutionized Philippine appreciation of Italian food in the country with her warm and wonderful concept restaurants like Cibo, Pepato, and others.
She took one quick look at me, and quietly approached me half dipped in my books, with hand happily tipping my flute of bubbly...and told me in measured tones, "you are the type of woman I put up this restaurant for! Reading a book on a rainy day with a glass of sparkly in hand.... Thank you!"
It was a marvelous moment for me... I was dry, having an unforgettable experience with my most favorite books, sipping Champagne, eating delicious food in guilt free portions, playing hooky from work, and being complimented and thanked for it? This was MY kind of moment, MY kind of day, MY kind of life...! And Margarita "Gaita" Fores was my kind of woman....
I go back to Lusso at least once a quarter...when the world wearies me a little...yet it doesn't seem often enough yet...but it's become my little Walden's Pond in the city, a place I run to when I need a break, a memory I conjure up when I need a minute vacation, a prescription I give myself and my therapist with the admonition, "Physician, Heal Thyself..."
