Five great restos for Mommy’s day out

If there’s one day in the entire year when we mothers feel it should be our privilege to stay as far away as possible from the kitchen, it’s Mother’s Day. After all, we’ve slaved away for every meal set on the table throughout the year, dragged ourselves week in and week out to market and labored over a scorching stove to keep our families alive. So on this day, when millions pay homage to all mothers in the universe, it’s probably not too much to expect our husbands and kids to either cook for us or better yet, bring us to a place where we could partake of a feast thrown in our honor. With so many restaurants around, dining out on Mother’s Day can be a nerve-wracking decision. Where do you bring mom on her special day? Should it be simple or extravagant? Should you try a place you’ve never visited before? Wherever you bring your beloved mama this year, a good choice would be one where the food is better than what she can make at home. That would be tricky if your mom is a top chef of sorts. But for most, your best bet is a place that serves superb comfort food or something familiar but cooked in an extraordinary way. With that in mind, it’s easy to narrow down your choices for mommy’s day out. I’ve got my own short list of five affordable restaurants which I believe have mastered their way to a hungry mother’s heart:

ABE Although this place is the late restaurateur Larry Cruz’s tribute to his dad and henceforth, might be deemed more apt for Father’s Day, the restaurant’s menu speaks volumes about honoring Filipino family traditions through the art of cooking. And to celebrate mothers, Abe’s regular menu includes favorite dishes of writers and artists as inspired by their own moms, such as “Nanay’s Pochero" from Alya Honasan and “My Mother’s Rellenong Mais" from Thelma San Juan. Then of course, there are dishes that shouldn’t be missed when dining at Abe: bamboo rice, binukadkad na tilapia, Lola Ising’s crispy pork adobo and my personal favorite, Abe’s Chicken Supreme - whole chicken stuffed with sticky rice, chestnuts and raisins. COOKBOOK KITCHEN Those who have discovered this hidden, out-of-the-way restaurant in Mandaluyong find that here reigns the kind of food that moms would love to eat and cook for their own families. Going to this place seems more like visiting the house of your favorite uncle and auntie. It’s as homey as homey can be and the food, such as the crowd-drawers adobo pasta and parmesan-crusted fish, come off as treasured family recipes passed on from one generation to another. PEOPLE’S PALACE This restaurant in Greenbelt 3 may not exactly be the ideal Mother’s Day place but if you want to treat mom to food that’s refreshingly good and different from her usual fare, People’s Palace is a good choice. A simple combination of popular dishes like tom kha gai (a soup of chicken, coconut and galangal), prawn and pomelo salad, pad thai, and spicy lamb curry is guaranteed to open up your palates to the wonderful flavors that only fine Thai cuisine can offer. ROMULO’S CAFÉ Another house turned into a restaurant located in the residential area near Tomas Morato in Quezon City, Romulo’s Café is the kind of place that lures families in droves. Advance reservations are a must at Romulo’s so you can have your own private dining space for your family. Crowds have been drawn to this restaurant created in memory of Carlos P. Romulo by his granddaughter because of its modern interiors and casual family dining atmosphere. No mom can say no to good old-fashioned kare-kare served with boneless crispy pata or chicken relleno and bangus belly in banana leaves. Romulo’s is one place that cooks these Filipino favorites like our own mother’s mother used to make. SONYA’S GARDEN Often regarded as a honeymoon or dating place, this no-longer-so-secret garden tucked in Tagaytay’s Barangay Buck Estate is also a huge favorite among mothers. Perhaps that’s because it’s every woman’s private fantasy to live as gently as Sonya herself, in her own quiet bed and breakfast, tending a garden, baking fresh bread daily and entertaining guests at the table like they are long-lost friends. While diners don’t get to have the pleasure of poring over a menu, they can sit back knowing they’ll be partaking of something delightfully healthy and filling from Sonya’s very own kitchen and best of all, as fresh as mother nature can give. Wherever you bring your own mom this Mother’s Day, there’s still no substitute to being the best company she’ll have on this day. It matters less to her where you treat her. What counts is how you do. - GMANews.TV *Photos taken from restaurant websites