That's More Like It, Ketchup!

"They say that love is sweeter the second time around.

I say that Ketchup was better my second time around." - ec

Ketchup's glaring red logo as seen in the streets.

I know that we've given Ketchup a beating for their services the first time we ate there. I really thought it was the last we'd see of the place. But if there is one thing you should know about me, it's that red is my favorite color and ketchup is my all-time favorite condiment. Suffice to say, I was lured back to give this restaurant a chance to redeem itself. And surprisingly, it did. Big time.

This time around, we called in our reservation: Sunday night, 7pm for a party of two. My good friend "A" (who was also with us during our first bout at Ketchup) was my dinner date. We arrived just in time after the Maghrib prayers and was welcomed by a tall and gracious Indian man who I could only assume to be the restaurant's maitre d'. The other guy who used to welcome the patrons before was not there when we arrived. Yeah, remember him? The one who rudely greeted us during our first visit there? Perhaps we weren't the only ones who complained about that dude's behavior.

Anyway, I came to know the maitre d's name as Asif and I must say, his presence and accommodating manner really made a difference. As you know, first impressions count, especially in a place where people come to spend money and he was conversational, without being over-intrusive. The same goes for our server of the evening, Jeremy. If our server before was aloof and inattentive, Jeremy was all smiles and had an impeccable attention to detail. I say "impeccable" because during the course of my meal, my red table napkin kept sliding off the lap of my silk abaya, and despite having couches that will seemingly block Jeremy's view of the floor, he would always notice it when I was picking my napkin up and was ready to offer me a new one. And take note, my napkin slid off more than five times (to the point where I told him, I don't think I need napkins anymore...a bib would be more like it! lol!)

Oh and remember those couches and window seats that we were deprived of during our first visit? Well, this time around, we were offered the choice of seating between the big, homey white couches or the seats nearing the view of the streets of Suleimaniyah. Perhaps having the reservation did grant us some more A-list treatment.

Where we sat.

Now that's more like it! Very lounge-y.

We've never had a bad thing to say about the food in Ketchup. Every bite is worth the penny spent. This is after all a fine-dining restaurant and their main commodity shouldn't compromise its quality any less. And it doesn't. My friend A ordered the same Calamari for appetizer like we did the first time along with their cream of corn soup. For our main course, I ordered the Shrimp Scampi Pasta and A got the Chicken BBQ. For drinks, A had her staple soda drink while I tried out the healthiest drink in the beverages list: The Herbal Wave (apparently the healthiest of all their concoctions!)

Have a see:

Ketchup's Calamari is crunchy and juicy (with a tad elasticity left in those squids)

For the Alicia Silverstone in you, have the Herbal Wave.

A healthy mix of fresh orange juice, basil and fennel.

Yes. You read that right. I said FENNEL. And BASIL (which I love :D).

Tickle your gourmet tastebuds, why don't you?

This Shrimp Scampi pasta is very, very different from the pasta of the same name served at Tony Roma's. Indulge me as I caption the hell out of this: The shrimp really tasted like it perspired inside the cloth of thin batter (my way of saying it was juicy :P). The angel-hair pasta added a smooth texture to each bite and the fried capers provided the crunch and flavor to the entirety of the dish. It may appear to be a small amount of food, but when I finished it I felt like I ate steak or something. This had me kissing the tips of my fingers like Italians do.

We capped the evening off with a generous offering of New York Cheesecake served with Oreos and whipped cream (Remember, the one we really wanted to have last time but didn't get?). Though we were already stuffed with our main course, but this was too much of a delight to resist.

Look at that beauty and tell me you don't want one.

As we prepared to leave, we couldn't help but compare our first experience with that of the night. It was the complete and total opposite of what we went through before in terms of service. I suppose improvements and further training was given to the staff in attending to their customers and see? It does pay off. Like I told Mr. Asif, most of the time, people come back to restaurants because they enjoyed the atmosphere -- having a place to relax and unwind with their friends or family after a hard day at work is important, especially to young professionals like us. And having an outstanding service is a major factor in having an enjoyable atmosphere.

Back then, Ketchup already caught our interest with its interiors and the gourmet-ish quality of their food got a big thumbs up for us. Now, I'm happy to report they are on their A-game with regards to service. I hope they really keep it up!

Having said that, I'll let this last photo say it all:

Cheers!

-ec-