We haven’t had a date night for quite some time, for obvious reasons. But when we finally did, it was truly a memorable one.

A quickie book captioning project led us to the discovery of The Loggia. Not only is it an al fresco restaurant, which is an absolute must for us, it also the culinary brainchild of Margarita Forés. We’ve always been fans of Cibo, so we thought we’d be in good hands.

Booking on a Monday night proved to be favorable; there were only a few groups of diners—a group of eight or so friends celebrating someone’s birthday, another couple like us, and a lady diner out on the town on her own. I really thought it was so fabulous of her, to be enjoying a meal by herself. She was perhaps a mom of many and needed some alone time, or a health care worker who longed for a change of pace, or a city dweller like us who wanted to enjoy the pleasures of dining out after what seems like forever.

Oh, and did I tell you that The Loggia is located on the grounds of Palacio de Memoria, a pre-war mansion along Roxas Boulevard?

We could have gone on a tour of the mansion, which looks amazing, but it was closed for the day for a photo shoot. No worries. It gave us another reason to come back. Besides we were too excited to be out with a spread of delicious food before us, under the light of a full moon. We only realized how much we missed dining out while we were actually dining out!

We had quite a feast: Fried Squash Flowers and Mascarpone Foam, Insalata Mista, Negros Burrata, Halibut in Cartoccio, and Lamb Shoulder Brasato. We took our time with each dish, grateful for each bite. It was surreal in a way, having the chance to dine in such surroundings in the middle of the pandemic.

Oh, and yes, the plane.

It just so happens that there are two planes parked on the grounds of Palacio de Memoria, and you could actually book one for a private cocktail party.

While I don’t think I’ll be brave enough to step on a plane anytime soon, I didn’t miss the chance of having my photograph taken with one! Mwahahahaha

Take care!