A restaurant that makes you say, ‘Hello, Happiness!’
The restaurant has a rather curi ous name but if you know the Almario sisters interior design ers Ivy and &ynthia and foodie &hona you will understand why they named it such and even say they couldn’t have named Relish ello appiness any other way.
“:e are happiest when we are eating together and it’s really all about our fa vorite foods says &hona Almario who manages the restaurant. “:henever the family gets together we always bring our own specialties like mine would be the roast pork belly cooked for five to six hours &ynthia would bring her artichoke dip and D D Ivy would bring her D D our sister in law Rachel would cook her roast chicken and make the cocktails. o every party becomes an instant buffet.
ourmet comfort food would best describe the menu of Relish ello appiness They’re recipes that come from the households of the seven Almario siblings involved in this branch of Relish (the first one opened three years ago in Makati).
The Almarios’ exuberance is also evident in the stylish interi ors with its vignettes and dpcor that include white iffel Towers topiaries and miniature wedding cakes. Ivy did an incredible ob of turning an old abandoned house into such a happy place that it’s become a favorite place for debuts weddings birthdays and baby showers in ue on &ity.
“:e really love to eat that’s our happiness says Ivy Almario. “In fact when we started Relish in Makati we had ust seven specialties until our customers said D D D
D D we’re here every day. And they did. ouse specials include roasted chicken marinated in garlic cane vinegar and spices hickory smoked barbecue pork belly served ouisiana pork chop served with apple sauce and gravy slow roasted lamb shoulder served with pita bread aioli and couscous baked salmon lengua with mushroom sauce osso bucco braised in red wine with Italian herbs and spices and shitake tofu with cilantro rice.
or starters diners get to choose from dips and spreads such as artichoke dip pesto cheese spread and chicken liver pate soups range from ew ngland clam chow der to tomato basil and pumpkin.
If you’re a group visiting Relish there are small plate selections like D D the
Gourmet comfort food would best describe the menu of Relish: Hello, Happiness! They’re recipes that come from the households of the seven Almario siblings involved in this branch.
IaPous VLVL (cited by 5R H Paga ine as one oI the best in town and buIIalo wings with blue cheese dressing
1ot to be Pissed are the caNes and desserts or 5elish :hen .ris Tuino did a Iood run episode on . LV 79 her third stop was 5elish where she tried the panna cotta and declared that it was the best panna cotta she had eYer eaten
7hat Yery saPe day and in the Iol lowing weeN so Pany people caPe here to order the panna cotta says &ynthia lPario .ris’s Iollowing is incredible ) roP as Iar as ohol and 3araxaTue people caPe here to eat what she did
n interYiew with the lParios is always a happy hour and by that we don’t Pean drinNs but lots oI laughter a bit oI gossip and it leaYes one wondering how these sisters can worN together eYery day be so close and QH H get on each other’s nerYes
6o we asNed their PoP 3acita how she Panaged to raise such happy daughters 7hey Must always got along ou Nnow eYen their cousins are surprised VL KL VL Q V V par ties VL S LQ Q Q S Q she says with a laugh
:hat’s nice about 5elish is that it giYes us the opportunity to see each other to be together and to haYe a business that’s soPe thing we loYe best says ,Yy
,t also soPehow Neeps the spirit oI their Iather 5oPy lPario aliYe : hen the children were young their parents owned uigi’s 6teaNhouse and 7riple 7reat urger 3i a Ior years
7he day beIore our dad died in a plane crash (he was a pilot but he wasn’t flying the plane we were all together enMoying a Peal says &ynthia who adds they were all so young when he passed away
7heir best PePories oI Iood &ynthia says that hers are also about their Iather 0y dad introduced us to -apanese Iood , was eating sashiPi and sushi at the age oI and bacN in the s there were only a Iew -apanese restaurants around addy would say o you Nnow what you’re eat ing 7hat’s raw tuna ’ 6o , IaNed it till , liNed it
, Yy says , had an appendectoPy when , was and when , was in the hospital 0oPPy said :hat do you want to eat ’ , said two things teP pura IroP 0at u aNaya and KR R s you can tell Py pairing wasn’t Yery sophisticated
&hona says 0y dad was a pilot and so he was traYeling all oYer that’s why when we were young we were already obserYing 7hanNsgiYing KL L S VR
QRRQ and it wasn’t easy to find a whole turNey here lso PePorable are our &hristPas (Ye dinners with our L V and cousins there would be about oI us and these dinners were really a celebration oI liIe and Iood
7heir PoP 3acita herselI grew up around Iood er Pother was a .apaP pangan and she loYed to cooN Ior the IaPily :e had three restaurants beIore the 6econd :orld :ar at the 1ational egislatiYe uilding in 0anila the 0et ropolitan :ater istrict coPple on ro ceros 6t and the 1ational eYelopPent & orporation in 6ta 0esa 0y Pother liNed to throw parties so Py PePories oI growing up are about Iood and , learned to cooN IroP watching her do it
6o now the tradition has been passed to her seYen children whose own IaPilies are represented in the recipes that were tested and deYeloped through IaPily get togethers
iNe any lPario designed interiors that leaYe you Ieeling light and happy as iI you were suddenly part oI a IaPily the Iood at 5elish ello appiness leaYes you Ieeling the saPe way
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