With much prodding from Choose Philippines' (CP) Editor-in-Chief, here is my attempt to write and share an article for the website. As CP's adopted team member, i was enthusiastic that they invited me to join them for lunch at Segovia's, a quaint little place in Little Baguio, San Juan. I am glad I did as it was a delectable trip and I vowed to come back and share the experience with my closest friend.

As a celebration of my birthday (gifts are still welcome, hehe) I invited my friend to Segovia's for lunch, on my tab. I gave her the liberty to choose what to order which ended up with 2 pasta dishes, a burger and a rice meal. We really refrained from eating breakfast that day to save space for that lunch, and yet, the space was not enough :(

First came the Pomodoro which is actually a simple dish - noodles, tomato, spices - and yet it was surprisingly luscious. It came with a sliver of homemade garlic bread, the sauce was made from perfectly ripe tomatoes sliced into bite-sized pieces, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. I've tasted Pomodoro many times before but this one was for the books. It's not your typical Pinoy pasta wherein it's sweet and yet it's not too Italian in which pasta dishes tend to be a bit sour. This one was just right on the dot. My friend is a bit hard to please, especially with food; she normally gives a negative or neutral comment (at best) when we go out to try new dining places. Lo and behold! I found her speechless, smiling from ear to ear, shaking her head out of disbelief that I was right to recommend the dish to her.

The Pasta Putanesca came in next which is actually a variation of the Pomodoro. It's like the latter but with olives and capers. Visually, you would initially think it might taste the same but surprisingly still different as it was sweeter in taste. My friend was just too excited to taste whether it was also as good as the Pomodoro. Unfortunately, I only had one bite of the dish so I can't be as detailed with my comment on this dish. I think it is safe to assume that it was delightful since my friend was just thrilled to gorge the dish. The words YUM! YUM! YUM! were just plastered over her face.

We both were stuffed with the pasta and ready to surrender but here comes the Sirloin Burger and the Garlic Chicken Rice meal. (Lord help us!) We sat there staring, pondering on which one to eat first - the Burger won...Again, visually it was not as enticing as the usual fastfood burgers but as soon as you sink your teeth on it...wonderful! Instantly, you would know that the bread bun was homemade and fresh (sadly, they don't sell their bread). The patty was not greasy. The meat would easily shred and make itself felt in your tastebuds. The sauce was plain but balanced off the lightness of the bun and the juiciness of the meat.

At this point, our tummies were exploding and could not eat anymore. However, we just didn't have the heart to let the garlic chicken go to waste. It was a simple rice meal, typical of what you'll order from other restaurants. It came with a cup of rice and side salad. My friend and I pushed ourselves to eat even just half of the chicken. Nevertheless, the chicken was lovely - very tender and the sauce was simple yet flavourful. It was made up of olive oil, garlic, spices and the amount was just right (other restaurants would drown their chicken with the sauce). My friend and I discussed if it were better if they used fried or java rice instead of the plain rice. Given she has more experienced with food, she said that using plain rice was perfect as it complimented and even heightened the taste of the chicken. (Regrettably, we were not able to finish the meal as we were REALLY REALLY stuffed).

Just like the Editor's previous post in CP, the food gods were playing with our appetite that day as we are about to pack up, they sent an irresistible temptation. The owner experimented on a new dessert that morning and was happy to share a slice of her Lemon Merengue pie for us to taste and critique. It was unfortunate though that the dessert was not completely set and needed more time in the freezer BUT...it was mouth-watering! You could really taste the lemon bite your buds. The merengue topping subdued the sourness of the lemon and yet if you taste it on its own, it was not sweet. The crust was crunchy and flaky which completed the rich taste of the pie.

So this is my own take of our experience of Segovia's. As CP's HPOE campaign is soon to start, in terms of food, I am voting this little intimate place as the happiest place on earth. I assure everyone that you would leave the place smiling from ear to ear with an exploding tummy and an intact wallet (total cost was below P500, more or less $11. Prices are that affordable!)....we'll never know they just might offer a Holiday/Christmas menu... ;D