Abé. Where Good Friends Dine.

It was my first time to try out Abé restaurant in Trinoma last night. Abé is kapampangan for "friends", hence their tagline.

As we entered the restaurant, I could already feel its homey ambience - low light, wooden furniture - it's as if I entered a huge Filipino vintage house, like the ones in some Philippine provinces.

The servers were also professionals and seemed to have been trained well. They were observant and were not rowdy or noisy. They approached the customers with grace and confidence. Even though the customer has not asked for help yet, they readily offer their services.

We tried out their Pastel de Lengua, Pinakbet and Bamboo Rice. All these were good for 2-3 hungry people already. The Bamboo Rice was actually cooked and served in a fat bamboo stick as long as two-thirds of a regular PC keyboard. You'd need a server to give you more rice if you want more, because it is actually kind of hard to serve yourself. They have this technique of making a tong out of two spoons, which was really amazing.

The prices for such an elegant restaurant would surprise you, since they are not too steep. We paid less than 900Php, which is actually quite cheap if compared to other high-end restaurants in the metro.

Abé is part of the LJC Restaurant Group, which include the following restaurants as well:

- Café Adriatico

- Café Havana

- Lorenzo’s Way

- Fely J's Kitchen

- Larry’s Café & Bar

- Bistro Remedios

- Abe’s Farm

- La Mer Catering

To know more about the LJC Restaurant Group, visit their Facebook page.