It was getting dark and
exhaustion was about to conquer my physical and emotional being. An early dinner was set before we leave for Manila. And who am I to resist? Especially that we will be dining at one of
San Fernando, Pampanga’s elegantly designed restaurants named after an Arabic
term for marketplace – Suoq.
Before dinner was served, we
had the chance to check on the interiors.
Contrary to a setting of a chaotic marketplace, the vast compound seems
serene that an exclusive candle-light dinner can even be made. It is a romantic setting that hopeless
romantic audience can enjoy.
A portion of the Suoq is a
showroom of furniture pieces. While
built as a showroom, it complements well with the over-all interiors of the
Suoq amidst a well-manicured garden.
They say sets of furniture on display are for sale. These wooden crafts are elegantly designed and
made for exports. Ignorant as I am in
the furniture-making business and in the field of interior design, they say pieces
of the said furniture are the same as that produced by the famed Betis Crafts
Inc. of Guagua, Pampanga.
The alley leading to the
mini showroom is occupied by themed restaurants on both sides. It is envisioned to be expanded through the establishment
of other commercial spaces fit for the name – the marketplace.
Restaurants are currently
themed of Asian cuisine. We were ushered
to the newest one, the Japanese inspired restaurant of Tefunyaki.
An iron griddle is
positioned near the entrance. Then the
chef came to commence his stint of preparing our meal – teppanyaki. It took a while before a large serving of
teppanyaki was placed. Meanwhile, a
plate of salad and tofu were initially placed in our table to be shared by the
group.
The mix of finely chopped
vegetables, rice, egg and steak was perfect for me to finish the teppanyaki
meal (PhP180.00) despite being full.
Dining at Tefunyaki of Suoq
may not be the typical Japanese restaurant we are accustomed to nor a serving
of a typical Kapampangan cuisine on
board is expected, yet the skill and culinary expertise of a Kapampangan can be experienced not to
mention the interior design marked as one that hails from Pampanga.
0 comments