Good food, good company

It was a rainy Tuesday evening when I went to Rockwell, Makati to have dinner with two former officemates from ABS-CBN International, Monchet Olives and Bibot Nolan. We met at A Mano (Italian for “by hand”), the hip Italian restaurant owned by Amado Fores, the handsome son of famous restaurateur and chef Margarita Fores. With dine-in customers occupying all available seats and tables, A Mano made it look as if things were already back to normal.

Luckily, Monchet had reservations for us ahead of time. As soon as I entered the restaurant, Amado himself stood up from a table at the back to greet me. I was happy he remembered me even though it’s been over a year since I last ate at A Mano because of the pandemic. After giving me a very warm smile, he shyly pulled away to decline when I said I wanted to interview him for an article. He finally agreed only when I promised to write about the food and not him, after which he happily joined us for a groufie.

Amado will be the first to tell you he’s not a chef like his mom. He graduated with a degree in Political Science from Holy Cross in Massachusetts, USA. According to his aunt, Veana Fores, Amado was a picky eater when he was a little boy, his favorite foods being chicken nuggets and instant noodles. It thus came as a surprise when he announced that he was opening a restaurant. Amado’s frequent travels with his mom to Italy and other countries exposed his taste buds to delicious cuisine. Everything he learned, he learned “ouido” style. And no one is more proud of him than mom Gaita, and rightly so.

When we finally sat at our table and looked at the menu, I wished I had the appetite and metabolism of a teenager again so I could eat everything and burn it quickly. For starters, we ordered the fritto misto, insalata Cacio e Pepe and the burrata with greens. Though our main course was the Diavola pizza, Monchet — who’s on a diet — requested grilled apahap with a seafood soup made of fish broth, shrimps and clams. Everything was delicious and fresh, and the service was excellent.

Of course, food always tastes better when you’re in good company, and that night was the first time in over a year that Monchet, Bibot and I saw one another. Bibot, who was based in Rome from 2019 to 2020 as head of IRemit of Sterling Bank, decided to come home when the pandemic hit. Monchet, on the other hand, is the creative consultant of the Casa Mercedes family fan business and consultant-at-large to a host of other projects.

For 10 years, the three of us worked together in ABS-CBN International, with Monchet as the head, Bibot in charge of the Middle East and Europe, while I handled the Asia-Pacific Region. We reminisced about the good old days, PNoy’s passing, marriages and relationships that have soured and ended, and of course, the never-ending pandemic.

After chatting for nearly four hours, we agreed that we are now at a stage in our lives when we must value what truly matters: Our family and health. As Monchet described it so eloquently, all we can really do is to live our lives the best way we can.