The Pleasurable Art
of Dining
This page is dedicated to you.
You have been working so hard, toiling day and night.
To indulge in the most fascinating dishes is the best you can give yourself.
Henceforth, we introduce you to the pleasurable art of dining: a homage to countryside dishes and brews; a salute to life's simplest but most eloquent.
Series 1. Je Pense, Donc Je Suis (I think, therefore I am)
Je Pense, Donc Je Suis
I think, therefore I am: a gastronomic philosophy
You are special. When you feel that time is moving too fast, and that life is swiftly passing by, take a deep breath and pause for a moment. Remember how special you are.
Life is all about the memories you make, especially the smallest ones. The sweetest are all about slowing down and being in the moment.
Photo (left). The Neromezo, the bistro's signature dish. Four distinct cheeses enveloped in artisan black bread.
Series 2. Memento Vivere (Remember to Live)
Memento Vivere
Remember to live: slow down.
Modern life has created a scenario of instants: the blink of an eye, a sprint, a stone’s throw, snip-snip, the snap of a finger. Our world has become a blueprint of the fast, the furious. So much so, that the desire to be urgent has become an attitude, evolving into a habit. Slow life has become the enemy of everything modern: detested, met with raised eyebrows, loathed and deemed egregious.
Photo (left). Twilight at The Rustic Bistro, with the footpath traversing the farm nestled at the foot of Mount Banahaw.
Series 3. The Cocktail Hour, a refined pleasurable tradition
The Cocktail Hour
The praxis of countryside lounging, all day.
Cocktail hour is the antipode of inebriation.
Life in the bistro starts and ends with the cocktail hour. We’re reviving this 20th century tradition: a pleasurable refined moment for rumination on the simple pleasures in the countryside. It’s all about tasting the sweet life: honing your senses and soothing your soul.
Series 4. Once on Mount Banahaw (a good read)
"Tis the true tale of White Pig on Balete. This splendid cocktail is worth the trip to The Rustic Bistro; its origins is a story worthy of your reading time.
It happened on a full moon night. T’was the harvest season of bitter gourds. A night watchman heard scurrying on the concrete pathway. Thinking it was a thief out to make a quick buck on the bitter gourds, the watchman readily picked his flashlight and scuttled out, following the sound of footsteps.
Photo (left). A late 1800s meat grinder from our Aunt Paring’s Indonesian restaurant in Portland, Oregon (bequeathed to the owners of The Rustic Bistro and displayed in our dining area), White Pig on Balete with edible Nasturtium flowers grown in our farm.