Fig and Olive

A couple of girlfriends took me to birthday dinner at the Fig and Olive along Dela Costa Street.  It was the first time all three of us had been there.  We had called ahead for reservations, knowing how busy Makati gets on friday nights.  I remembered Fig and Olive from Abie's review.

Anna Liese and I arrived on time, at 730pm and were met by the uber nice head waiter and led to the corner table they had reserved for us, all ready with three place settings.  Trish was driving in from Cavite and had advised us she might be a little late.

Fig and Olive has an al fresco area for smokers and an indoor dining area for non-smokers.  Both areas are pleasantly well-lit.  The meal started with warm crusty bread and a pat of butter, as Anna and I perused the menu.  We decided to order appetizers first and wait till Trish arrived to order mains.  I ordered the rice-stuffed peppers and Anna ordered the chicken liver.  The liver was good and it wasn't grainy or dry.  The rice-stuffed peppers were okay, but a bit bland compared to the flavorful liver. 

The very attentive waiters kept refilling the bread and butter and Anna and I were chatting so much (and eating) that by the time Trish arrived, we both looked at each other and decided we were too full to order mains so Anna ordered a lentil soup and I got the grilled vegetable platter, while Trish got a baba ganoush to start, french onion soup and a lemon and pepper chicken tikka for mains.  We all shared a molten chocolate cake for dessert, with coffee for Trish and a chamomile tea for Anna.

The spinach and lentil soup was spicy, but not intrusive and it was a good plate to cleanse the palate after the spicy appetizers.  The ganoush was wonderfully smoky and the waiters kept refilling the pita plates, as well.  I loved the vegetable platter, but the portion was huge and I only ended up finishing half on the plate.  The chicken tikka was flavorful.  I might have that next time.  The molten chocolate cake was yummy and that's saying a lot for someone who isn't very partial to chocolate.

The food was fab.  The service, excellent.  I also liked that they had an open kitchen, but what I found a little unusual was that the washroom was just a few steps away from the kitchen.  It is also a unisex washroom and the walls had toreador posters.  It was clean, but staff should periodically check.  Just before I went, the family at the next table's horror kids had been running in and out, pulling out sheets of tissue and scattering them around.  When I went after coffee, though, the place had been cleaned.

I loved the red wall at the far end of the restaurant and the bright wall lamps were the perfect accents.  It brightened up the place, as the other walls were in light earth tones.  I'm pretty sure it won't be the last time we drop by.

Fig and Olive serves both lunch and dinner, and is open until 11pm. 

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