Dining in Manila is now offering so much variety. This has just grown in leaps and bounds especially with the opening of new malls and the expansion of old malls like Greenbelt. I have not caught up in exploring each and every restaurant that has newly opened. However – I still want to experience each and every one of them.
Last weekend, Regina and I decided to pick one restaurant at Greenbelt five. We ended up in The Terrace @ 5th. I will have to break down the experience into different parts so I can provide as much detail as I could about the experience. As I have written in the past, a restaurant experience is not just about the food. It is also about the ambience, the service, and the value for money.
On this entry – I will start with the overall decor of the restaurant. As the name implies, the restaurant tries to imbibe the environment of a household’s terrace. Our trusted friends: Merriam and Webster describes a Terrace as a colonnade porch or promenade. Greenbelt five actually provides the restaurant the opportunity to provide that background since all restaurants provide indoor and outside seating. Given the heat of the summer, Regina and I decided to sit indoors. I can actually say that even if you sit indoors, you will still get the feeling that you are actually dining at someone’s porch. We overheard the owner telling another patron of the restaurant that the Almario sisters are responsible for the decor.
My favorite aspect of the decor: The multiple lamps housed in bird cages. They are pretty and definitely gives you the feeling of invading someone’s aviary or greenhouse. Speaking of green – the predominant color of the restaurant, from it’s seating, walls, tables, and even the menu are green.
The owner also opted to have a big picture window which you can look out to view the landscaped gardens of the mall. Both Regina and I were facing outdoors and while dining, it reminded me of those days when my family would choose to have a barbecue in our old house in San Pablo Laguna and setup the table at our porch. I liked the overall decor – it does make the dining experience relaxed and it provides you that feeling of home sweet home.
The next entry will focus on the dishes that we ordered. Just as a preview – we were not disappointed with the food – from the appetizers to the dessert.
