MEDIUM RARE

Back in Los Angeles, before she came home for good after more than 22 years, my cousin Ann had kept hearing about this Filipino restaurant with a “fantastic ambience and an equally fantastic menu” of authentic Filipino food.

When she officially became a balikbayan, the first restaurant on her must list was that restaurant, one that has been around for 34 years, owned and managed and run by a scrupulous, meticulous, punctilious, nosey (in the kitchen) character known as Dr. Boy Vasquez, the famous ex-obstetrician. It was Ann’s luck that on the day she treated her cousins to a birthday lunch at Café Juanita, Dr. Vasquez just happened to be in the restaurant, dashing in and out to be in two places at the same time, as is his wont.

After Ann’s report of his restaurant’s fame in L.A., Dr. BV joined us at the table for coffee and tea, jovially admitting how pleased he was that no one among us had asked, “Why Juanita?” or “Who was Juanita,” etc.? At the next table sat “Mother” Lily Monteverde and her daughter Roselle. Family day it was, Mother Lily’s and Ann’s, probably why Mother could not resist the urge to play the piano which occupies center stage without a stage in Café Juanita, also famous for its over-the-top interior design – blame the owner – with its load of chandeliers not so subtly covered in French or Belgian lace, a plethora of lamps and lanterns, swathes of silk and carpet-like woven fabrics, carved figurines in china, wood, and brass, fairy lights on every surface possibly hinting at Christmas, plus a precious collection of Murano glass worth a king’s ransom. Excess works exceedingly well in this little kingdom of overdecoration!

Following the suggestions given by her L.A. friends, Ann ordered kare-kare, first on her list, followed by her guests’ wishes. There being four of us, four plus one dishes were ordered, topped off by the desserts that Dr. Vasquez said were must-try: “tibok-tibok” with mango and baked Alaska. The latter took some time to arrive, Alaska being continents away, but we were entertained by the owner’s jokes (mostly on himself and his former profession).
As for food wastage, “Worry not, for I have a composting plant in Bataan.”