The long overdue date - with a trusted friend.

She’s more than just a big sister to me - she’s a best friend.. would sometimes act like a mother.. a critic.. an intellectual person. An ordinary conversation with her is never “ordinary” for some. She has so much to share about life.

At last, my long overdue date with Ate Weng has finally happened. It’s been like months when we planned to have a one-on-one girl bonding. We planned of watching Sex and the City but it didn’t pursue because of our busy schedules.

About a few weeks back, she was named one of the top agents of the quarter which also entitled her to 2 free movie passes. So I guess I have Convergys to thank for *wink* for making our date possible. We watched Despicable Me (in 3d) at Greenbelt Cinema 3. I was late for about 30 mins. It’s a good thing though that the movie just started. We actually thought it’s not gonna be that much fun but to our surprise, we were laughing our ass off the whole time.

After the movie, we were given some freebies - free ice cream scoop (choice of Nestle Crunch, Baby Ruth, or Kit Kat).

We headed next to Greenbelt 1 to have lunch. Ate and I originally planned to eat at Auntie Anne’s but we’re both short of fund - again, we’re short of fund:) And since we’re both pasta lovers, we opted for Piadina’s. They serve really good and quality Italian pastas. Price? I wouldn’t say it’s expensive - but it’s definitely not cheaper. Piadina Greenbelt is one of the restaurants in Makati that my Mom and I used to enjoy going to, for a variety of reasons. It’s good Italian food - reasonably priced at P135 for the meal I ordered, with iced tea! Second, they use olive and canola oil - which are both beneficial to our health. And third, I like the openness of Piadina - it allows for the diner to enjoy the sight of people walking by - and the service was reasonably fast.

It was Ate’s first time to dine at Piadina’s and since it was actually my insistence that brought us there, she asked me to recommend a pasta dish that she could have. What I usually order when I’m at Piadina’s is their famous Puttanesca with Calzone. Just for the knowledge of those who are not familiar with Calzone, it’s made of an Italian pizza dough stuffed with ham, tomatoes, mushrooms and mozzarella - folder over to resemble a large turnover, baked, and topped with tomato sauce and cheese.

But more than just the delightfully yummy dish in front of us, it’s the joy of catching things up that I find more special. We haven’t seen each other for more than a month - and we just had so much to cry, laugh and talk about. I will definitely not forget this day with Ate Weng. It may count a few more weeks to plan on another date again but I know for sure that Ate would always have the time for me. And so do I. :)

P.S. Would I return? In a heartbeat. For all its idiosyncracies, Piadina Greenbelt is one of the more affordable true Italian diners in Makati, and I sooo love it there♡