hookah! hookah!

whoever said that you shouldn't go out and stay out late on weekdays when you have work the following day, probably didn't have as cool and fun friends as mine.

wanting to try out something new, our little group of pasaways had a hookah! hookah! bonding last night. off we went to Ziggurat to try out the pricey meditteranean food and ambiance. i was never really price conscious when it comes to food - as long as i like it. but last night, to be honest, i didn't enjoy dinner that much. hehehe.

for the appetizer, we ordered papadum(?), which looked like thin crust, toasted pita bread and tasted like crackers. this is dipped in mango chutney, which tasted like spicy tamarind. it was somewhat sweet at first, and then sour, and then spicy - a burst of flavor that my tastebuds actually didn't like. hehehe.

and then we had kofti(?) which is kebab, (that tasted exactly like Brother's grilled burger. hehehe.) with grilled tomatoes and sweet onions (i don't know how they made it sweet but bobet said it tasted good). it actually wasn't so bad. except that i can order a half pound burger in Brother's for 130 bucks, while this kebab costs more than 700 bucks. haha.

and then glenn ordered cous-cous with beef something, which i know i wouldn't like because my best friend and i had a bad cooking experience with cous-cous a few years back. true enough, when the platter (more like bilao) arrived, the dish looked like bird food and tasted like parmesan cheese. aside from that, it cost 500 bucks. hahaha.

but i guess, it really wasn't that bad because everybody else enjoyed the food (except for the cous-cous). maybe am just not born to be adventurous with food. hehe. am probably fated to eat crabs ang shrimps and lobsters until the day i die.

now what i like about Ziggurat is the ambiance. we ate on low tables lit by a candle lamp in the middle, while seated on big, comfy soft pillows. it was really cozy and after eating, we had to fight the urge to lie down and close our eyes. hehehe. we would have stayed all night (the place is open 24 hours can you believe that?) if only we don't have to go to work the following day.

and then came the highlight of the night: The Hookah - a waterpipe connected to a tube of flavored tobacco (for the night, we chose cherry). it's supposed to be very low in nicotine and the waterpipe is supposed to filter out the nicotine even more. while singing "puff...the magic draguuun", we each took turns smoking from the pipe (yes, there's only one, and yes, it may sound gross that we're sharing, but hey, we're friends! and i have yet to see a person who can smoke the whole thing by himself. hehehe) and the non-smokers got dizzy and the smokers got light-headed almost instantly. hehehe. i wish i have a pic of the hookah. it's an intimidating piece of contraption - something you wouldn't want your parents to see you with because it'll look like you're having a pot session. hahaha.

and well, of course, as i always say, it really doesn't matter where you are as long as you're with good company. and the reason why i immensely enjoyed the night, despite the food, is because of the little group of nuts am with. :) all of us were being silly and we laughed so loud that we robbed the place of any hint of a romantic ambiance for the couple dining in the next table. hehe.

and so this morning i woke up at 8 and lethargically walked past the manager at 10:30. who cares if core hours start at 9? i had a late night. hihi. :-D