An elegant
despedida for Tessie

The despedida dinner tendered recently by Mila Chiu for balikbayan Tessie Abaygar, sister of Lourdes and Emma Lipa, at her well-appointed residence was absolutely divine.

Mila’s house was brightly lit-up with classy Christmas décor, setting a festive mood for the party. By the time we got there, the Lipa sisters were already happily chatting with the other guests. Tessie was all excited about her trip back to the States after spending a most pleasant holiday here with her family.

We couldn’t resist making a tour of Mila’s fabulous garden that is truly impressive. One could see that a dedicated garden-lover cared so lovingly for the lush plants and lovely flowers.

The waiters plied us with our favorite red wine while we enjoyed the crunchy pica-pica. Robert kept asking Mila what the pica-pica was and she informed us that it was a special kind of squid flakes made by a friend of hers. Unfortunately, we learned that this wasn’t available commercially yet. I’m sure if it was, it would be a hit.

Alfonso Chiu, Mila’s husband, was the perfect host as he regaled us with stories about the latest news in Bacolod. There were so many versions about the story that we were all ears to hear Alfonso’s own version, which he said, came from a very reliable source.

After we had finished our drinks, dinner was served. And what a veritable feast it was! Mila’s excellent taste was amply shown by her choice of dishes on the menu.

What a spread! This was topped by scrumptious desserts which we all enjoyed. The perfect after-dinner drinks were Baileys with coffee. Ahhhh, absolutely heaven!

We were still smiling on our way home, thinking about how lovely the dinner party was – the food was terrific and the company, divine.*