6.081

27 (Fri) March 2015

Live vs Fresh Lapu Lapu

3.0

at Seafood Market Restaurant

-Ermita, Manila-

with K staff

96 days since our previous gathering at this restaurant (see most recently 5.249 Deep-Fried Tofu…), 90 days before that (see 5.059 Sweet & Sour Lapu Lapu), so the next gathering should take place in 93 days (July 8).

I have been here on several occasions during the interim with other groups (see most recently 5.354 Deep-Fried Tofu…).

To make a direct comparison and determine definitively which one to choose next time, I ordered one lapu lapu from the tank–900 g at 199 pesos per 100 g = 1791 PHP (about $40)–and another one on ice–900 g at 149 pesos per 100 g = 1341 PHP (about $30)–both prepared in the same way.

More than anything, the boss seemed to enjoy the opportunity to explain the distinctions between the two.

Henceforth, I will assume full charge of ordering whenever we dine here, as mandated by the boss at the close of the meal this evening.  An enormous responsibility, high potential for ridicule and rebuke, given the boss’s impeccable food standards. But I have accepted the challenge if only to prove that the standard spread (see generally 4.263 Parros Clams…)–developed painfully over 5 years, now held sacred, long believed to be untouchable, enshrined in a spreadsheet (no pun intended)–can be significantly improved upon with the thoughtful introduction of fresh new items and overdue elimination of tired old ones.

The lapu lapu, for starters, being overpriced (typically costing around 1/4 of the entire bill; this time much more because we had two) and underappreciated (at least among Koreans), the boss has approved my proposal to delist the fish–in any form, the results of this taste taste notwithstanding–from the spread at future gatherings.