Oh Bayabas, where have you been all my life?

CAFE ADRIATICO, Eastwood
A cozy resto with the prerequisite wooden walls, and furniture --- with picasso-esque sketches of familiar Manila scenes (circa when papa was growing up: "That's what they do to make chocolate eh anak!"), Cafe Adriatico is decent. Except that since we seem to come early (lunch!) and stay at the second floor, it smells (1) kulob (2) like a clean public bathroom. Hello exhaust fans? Or even just open something! Or maybe close the bathroom door. The service is solicitous, but when your waitress at the bar answers your aging father with, Sir, anong gagawin ninyo sa banyo? when he asks for its location ---- you think, "Ay, I'm in Tita [insert name here]'s house." No one else would ask that question. Actually, I don't think my relatives would either. Though my father's response (Jijingle lang ako hija,) was apropos. Enough about that.
What I would like to rave about is their use of bayabas or guava! You have to try their sinigang na bangus sa bayabas. The soup is just incredible! It's sour, but it's dare i say it ---- malinamnam or if you want to be a snob, it's umami (japanese snobbish word.) It's just sarap (GO TAGLISH!) The second time we were there, it was New Year's Day, and we had just gone to mass (with a jesuit who refused to use the missalette. TARAY!) and gone to visit mom at Loyola. And Mikey ordered (1) Mao's Chicken Salad which was really good and (2) Lechon Asia! Now this was the dish. Imagine really tender meat under the crisp balat (but I don't eat balat) AND guava sauce. so salty and juicy, plus sweetish sourness. Wow.
The gising-gising was good, though the spicyness was uneven. Not that I'm complaining, at least you're able to rest from the heat.
A pretty good meal to start the year. Now i must learn how to cook with guava.