After a 3-day trip to Cavite for the annual YFC Youth Camp, the last day of camp -- which also happened to be Mother's day -- was greeted by grey skies and the downpour of rain. Nevertheless, a celebration was in order. So after the struggle we had to go through going back to Manila, I was dropped off my one of my YFC friends at the mall. But the struggle didn't end there... 10 minutes after we were seated to have dinner, the electricity went out! Long story short, eventually the the power went back on and we moved to Recipes.

Excuse the lack of photographs to visually support my claims here, but trust my words when I say that Recipes brings home style cooking to a different level. I was first introduced to this restaurant by my brother during a lunch date we had and I've never gotten tired of getting giddy when I hear that we'll be eating there again.

What I definitely love about the restaurant is not only their simple and polished interior, but their menu as well. My top 3 dishes includes the General's Chicken, Gising-Gising and Crispy Tilapia.

Just by the looks of it, the General's Chicken already seems promising. Served with eggplant, the dish is a play on color, flavor and texture. It's sweetness is not overpowering, which is why one won't get tired of it. I even ask for more! The Crispy Tilapia on the other hand looks like a regular fried Tilapia; but the way it is fried to perfection gives it just the right amount of crisp, without making it too hard. And lastly, Gising-Gising -- well, this just balances everything out for me. I love it on my rice. It adds that extra spice and thrill to the meal. If you're not exactly hot for spicy (like me), you can request that the spicyness of the dish be toned down to your liking. And by the end of the night, I was filled and satisfied. I even ended up eating, I dare say, 1 1/2 cups of rice. Uh, worth it.

So despite the evening's challenges, finding the perfect restaurant to celebrate Mothers' Day in definitely turned the whole night around.