HOW could I possible write about a restaurant owned by people I know? I couldn?t! I would be too afraid to hurt their feelings. I would hate to incur their ire?the price of an honest review?over food.

Take Tangerine, where I know three of its restaurateurs. How could I possibly write an honest review about this restaurant? I would, without a doubt, have to hold back. I wouldn?t be able to express my honest observations.

I wouldn?t be able to say that it looks like the restaurant is going through an identity crisis because it seems torn between being a classy fine dining piano resto-bar and being a happening music venue with showbands. Instead of an identity crisis, I would probably have to call it ?birthing pains,? with the cheery optimism of a brighter tomorrow.

Let me paint a clearer picture before I proceed. Tangerine is the re-birth of Pilita?s restaurant, formerly located at the Theater Mall in Greenhills. Tangerine was, in fact, constructed with Pilita singing onstage in mind. As it turned out, the restaurant now houses a stage big enough to accommodate a band or a choir and I dare say this restaurant today must have one of the best, if not the best, acoustics in the country.

Conceived as a fine dining with fine music venue, it achieves this on Tuesdays when Pilita takes your breath away onstage. But on days when she is not around to sing, the stage is instead filled with other bands that play covers for the Abba or the Boogie Wonderland generation. And the effect isn?t quite the same. The music is not in tune with the restaurant?s theme, like Lea Salonga singing hip-hop, making Pilita?s lose its identity.

At the same time, neither would I be able to deliver well-deserved compliments to the restaurant, as these might be misinterpreted as unwarranted flattery. Such as the fact that the menu is extremely well-executed. Billy King, who designed the menu, clearly reigns supreme. From the freshly baked bread that is served warm to the elegantly tangy strawberry panna cotta that dots the i on the menu, the universal sentiment from the four times I have dined with different sets of guests is that the food at this restaurant is delicious.

The salmon carpaccio greets you with heightened flavors, as if the fish is extending its fin to shake your hand and say ?How do you do?? The sea bass meets melt-in-your-mouth expectations.The baked sole is rich and indulgent with the accompanying mashed potato brilliantly peeking with shiitake mushrooms from within. The osso buco is bold yet without that unwanted lamb aftertaste. And even the pizza, in spite of its petite size, is bold in flavor with its use of a variety of sharp cheeses.

But what deserves the most applause at this restaurant is that it is finally what the old Pilita?s should be (at least on the nights when Pilita is around): a place to tickle your ears, with Pilita?s first class music, while tickling your palate with its first class menu. Finally, thanks to the owners? foresight and design executed by Chito Antonio, Pilita?s hangout now has a stage fit for the queen that she is. And as in the old Pilita?s, on the evenings when Pilita is around, everywhere there?s magic. I wonder if the waiters at this restaurant realize how lucky they are to experience this every week: Where others would travel and pay almost $2000 just to hear Pilita sing, here they get to hear her and watch her signature kendeng every week for free!

She hops from table to table, personally greeting guests, as if welcoming them to her home. Then she will greet guests again from onstage: from the 95-year-old Spanish casino queen to politicians wishing to rub elbows with famous San Juan personalities to UP Conservatory of Music students taking a break from college life, she will make each one feel welcome. And if you feel like it, on a lucky night, you might even sing a duet with Asia?s Queen of Song herself, when she?s not too busy jamming with Rick Centeno or the Rainmakers. Music sheets are available for those who do dare and the pianist can play almost anything under the sun for your dose of piano-oke.

This restaurant also has the potential not only of becoming the go-to fine dining restaurant in San Juan but of making an impact in the music scene. They could introduce a whole new generation of OPM artists, future Pilitas, singing real music as Pilita does, like ?Ang Pipit? or ?Dahil Sa Yo;? discover a Ryan Cayabyab or two?God knows we need more creativity these days. America?s Joss Stone and Alicia Keys started in music bars, so Tangerine could also be a breeding place for Filipino jazz or other artists who both sing and write songs as well. But they should play real music, not just covers by Earth, Wind and Fire.

So these are the things that I would say if I were to give Tangerine an honest review. I gave Pilita?s an extensively critical review, which was published a month before it closed down. This new restaurant, however, I believe will last. After all, it has already aced the basic elements of good food and good music. If handled right, I predict this restaurant could become one of the best in the metro yet. And who knows, if it heeds this column?s call and truly realizes its identity, it might even produce another legendary artist or two, all while serving amazing osso buco. ?

Tangerine. Ortigas cor. Club Filipino Avenue, Greenhills, San Juan. Telephone 725-2811. Open Mondays to Saturdays only for dinner. Reservations recommended?make sure to inquire about music schedule. Major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible. P1,000 to P1,500 per head.