Mom Violy told me she wanted to order the Paella Negra from Dean & Deluca. Carmina suggested we dine in since we’d never really tried their main courses, always just getting takeout with the cream puffs . Mom Violy agreed, and we arrived about thirty minutes before the lunch rush began. The service was very slow, even though we had ordered ahead of time. They mistakenly brought out the Paella Valenciana , despite Mom Violy repeating the order three times to the person who took it. It turned out the cook on duty made the error, even though it was written down clearly. We know Paella Negra takes a long time to prepare, which is why Mom Violy had requested it to be cooked beforehand. She wanted it as her main meal, but because of the mix-up and feeling hungry, she took a piece of Carmina’s Turkey Club Sandwich and asked for the bacon on the side. I didn’t expect the turkey to be just one piece, and the bread was toasted so hard that it removed one layer of the sandwich. Since ...
When Mom Violy spotted Crisostomo’s handwritten menu, something in her chest lit up: home-style lumpia, sinigang steaming in clay pots—could this be the comfort food she’d been missing?
Carmina informed Mom Violy that she would visit her home on Saturday, November 8, 2025. She asked if Mom Violy wanted to go out for lunch and mentioned needing to do some grocery shopping due to an upcoming big storm. Mom Violy suggested trying Crisostomo, a Filipino restaurant inside Robinsons Magnolia. Carmina forwarded the menu for her to choose what she wanted to eat, while Carmina already knew her order. I chose pork barbeque served in a set of three pieces with a vinegar dipping sauce. I skipped rice and opted for lumpiang hubad, fresh lumpia without a wrapper, topped with peanut sauce. Mom Violy initially craved the classic Pinoy paella, but when it wasn’t available, she decided on sinigang na baboy with an extra serving of rice. A family member chose sisig with garlic rice. Carmina enjoyed her meal with Mom Violy and particularly liked the lumpiang hubad , though she kept wondering why it had no wrapper. I explained that it’s called "naked" because it’s served witho...