It was an awesome time to spend an afternoon with great friends... and twas time make new ones too.
An intimate luncheon was in session and I couldn't be more ecstatic to find out that it was going to happen at THE PENTHOUSE of Hotel Rembrandt. You see, this part of Quezon City is my hood. I've lived and breathed here all my life. Hotel Rembrandt used to be that sore thumb that naysayers said was crazy to actually been have put up in a residential district, but look at them now! Years after, they've been well received by the public, plus business travelers who want to be somewhere near the TV stations, fabulous restaurants of Tomas Morato and the multitude entertainment and businesses along Timog Avenue. This place held a lot of promise back then and in a way... they saw that coming. This place must have really smart owners.
Anyway, our business was to actually experience their Gin Bar which was located in the hotel's top floor hence the name of the place.
THE PENTHOUSE is first and foremost a real deal Gin Bar which means you'll get specialty mixes and concoctions made of that. Since we were in the mood for good drinks, we had them prepare everything on the bar menu. The gin concoctions were quite good, it was spiced right, had different flavors which they design perfect for the season. Aside from the signature ones on the menu, they always prepare a Drink of the Month so you've got something to look forward to if you're planning to frequent this place. I wouldn't be surprised if you do.
While waiting for everything to be prepared, we were served canisters of Cashew nuts. Judging from the way it looks, it ain't the usual ones that are roasted or mixed with Garlic. This is their Sambal Chili Cashew Nuts, it's got that zing you would expect from those Malay/Singaporean Sambal Chili dishes that I also love. That's pretty good, don't tell them I almost ate half of this container ah?!
My friends and I each had one glass, except for one because he doesn't drink (Hi Rodel! LOL). These glasses fell off of the table (or probably disappeared after a few minutes) because they used real spices, berries and even real cinnamon barks that further enhanced the notes of the drinks they concocted. If you're a little too tired to design your own drink (oh yes they can do that for Php 230), go for the Penthouse or the Manila (which were my favorites). I would love to have some more but that probably asks for another visit. We prepared ourselves for a sumptuous feast, a 13 course meal (15 if you count the three desserts we had! LOL) so let's see!
The Freshly Baked Rosemary Scones was unbelievable. Instead of the usual jam and butter combo, it was served with a small jar of honey which you can put on the nice biscuits with cinnamon sticks. I was trying so hard to actually not eat too much of it because I've seen the menu first hand, but the Rosemary scent in each bit proved to be weakening, my knees folded and I began pitying myself as I started seconds. I was preparing myself for the other dishes. Then they came!
This appetizer is called Deep Fried Anchovies. It's served with a couple pieces of green chili that's probably got a Scoville heat index of zero. It had that flavor, plus those salty anchovies fried to perfection like tempura. I could have sworn they used a lighter beer batter with it. They also dipped it with it in a garlic aioli, my mouth was watering just like you.
For starters, we had this bowl of hearty Cream Root Vegetable Soup. As the name suggests, they used root crops as the base for it. They added peanuts so it would have a different texture in every spoonful. Pretty good.
This is the Roasted Carrot Salad. To tell you the truth, this is one of my most hated vegetable right after bitter gourd but surprisingly I ate it all. It's got slivers of oranges, roasted carrots (it made it sweet) plus a puree underneath. They also used a citrus based dressing for this one to counteract with the sweetness of the carrots. They also added cheese so you get that little bits of saltiness from it. It's a miracle for me.
This is their Vannamei Shrimp Roll. It's sweet and toasty, but lovely and savory on the inside. This would be dreamy for those who love shrimps. It reminds me so much of Banh Mi sans the liver spread. The bread is special too as it is made of tapioca flour/potato flour. It's got it's own sweetness on the bread alone.
This is their Seafood Pasta. It's got the lovely clams, mussels, shrimps and all the goodness of the sea. The lemon crumbs on top provide a bit of citrus on the plate making it cut through that thick seafood sauce it's enveloped in. You get this fresh with miniature greens and cherry tomatoes, my Mom would love this for sure.
This is Braised Pork Cheek Gyoza. Now really, I thought this wouldn't work, but man I was wrong. It's like your lovely Japanese Gyozas but filled with your favorite Filipino Sisig sans the tons of onions. They laid on on a bed of pureed red cabbage and swirls of balsamic vinegar. It was not guilt free, but worth every bite.
I have to say I liked their Pan Seared Salmon. I don't often eat salmon but this was good. It's seared both sides, prolly put inside the oven and cooked further. They also laid it on a bed of cream risotto and a bit of micro greens. It was meaty, sweet from the light citrus sauce and a tad peppery from those small greens. I liked this and finished the plate in no time.
This is their Squid Heads. It's a good use of fresh seafood and
squid heads set on a squid ink sauce and a lot of heart warming gnocci
which was boiled and prolly cooked in butter. This is comfort food, the
kind that you fix in a bowl and curl up with a book while watching the
rain pitter patter on the window while the monsoon passes by. Okay my
mind floated there for a minute, but you get the gist right?
What you're seeing here is their Duck Duo Pan Seared Duck. This one was impressive as it wasn't gamey at all. I do shy away from the local ones because often times, they do not really raise them well. They actually use imported proteins in this hotel so that includes this one. You get what you pay for and for me, this was excellently prepared by the Chef. I think that's Spatzle if I'm not mistaken.
This is their 8 Hour Braised Lamb Shank. Again, they had this imported. The lovely mirepoix is a combination of staple vegetables from springtime in Europe. They do that and put a huge chunk of lamb on top, cooked that long to give you that super tender shank they prepared just for you. Quite good.
My friends and I were talking about the plating when each of the dishes arrived. This is the Leek Ashed Wagyu Strip Loin. Just mention anything Wagyu and I'm there LOL. Well it's not just the tender piece of meat who's the star here but the Roasted Beet Root too. It was sweet and so good that you wouldn't think it was that when you see it. They also had a beet root puree with it which functioned as part of the sauce while they had a separate gravy in another container. I like the fleur de sel which the Chef put on top of the steak slices. It was perfectly seared, medium, like heaven in my mouth. Oh wait! There's dessert!
For dessert, we had a trio of Tart Au Chocolate, Berry Pavlova and Caramelized Bananas. Nothing was overly sweet, I like that they had options with real fruits on desserts because I prefer it that way.
At the helm of Hotel Rembrandt's restaurants is Chef Chester Delos Reyes. He's donned various restaurants here and abroad including Michelin starred ones. He also trained and did further studies in Vancouver, Canada. We talked to the young Chef in the sidelines, he just got married and stayed in the Philippines because LOVE conquers all!
Listen in:
THE PENTHOUSE at Hotel Rembrandt can hold small parties and functions (could sit around 50), just call ahead of time. They also accept walk ins, they're open business hours so don't hesitate to do that as well for lunch or dinner. The place is cozy, would be perfect for short meetings, even dinner dates or afternoon breaks. Whoever said Gin bars of this stature are not accessible should definitely try and give them a visit. They're not overly pricey, the ambiance is good and the service is great. If you don't want that to happen to your day, you must be crazy. Plus, again, the good food.
For those who don't know, the hotel is under the Art Stream Hospitality Management Group. This is a company that also manages Vitalis Villas in La Union and the gorgeous Le Monet in Baguio and the majestic Hotel Luna in Vigan. So it looks like this chain of hotels are named after famous artists, doesn't that just make you want to stay in the hotels even more? That and the food of course. There's a lot of other things to discover while in Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City, the discoveries doesn't end there!
If you like what you've seen in this article, do the right thing and pay them a visit at their official website www.hotelrembrandt.com.ph or call them at +6323733333 for reservations or inquiries. The hotel is located at Tomas Morato Extension in Quezon City (very near ABSCBN). Cheers!
It looks like the word is out! For the whole month of October (Weekends for the Diner) Trinoma is giving you a treat! They probably know that Halloween is just around the corner and since they've been holding the Choose Your Own Food Adventure call all this month, they're letting you experience a full blown Zombie Outbreak Diner and the oh so cute PAWS Pet Cafe too!
The Zombie Outbreak Diner is located at the Garden Area right beside the fountain in the front entrance of the mall. Just go right after the guards and you'll see it there. Now this ain't your ordinary diner of course because it's going to be a whole different experience if you need to PLAY while you're having lunch or dinner. The experience of being in the story was pretty interesting because this is a case of WHODUNNIT (A Crime Solving Game) and you might also get the chance to win prizes! Here's what happened during the launch!
Aside from this awesome dining experience, they've also got those cute little dogs and cats from Philippine Animal Welfare Society that put up their own kiosk at the third floor of the same mall. You basically just order coffee, get cat food or dog treats, then get to have tea or coffee with your friends and these lovely little furballs! Oh I just want to take them all home!
Anyway here's a short trip we did during the Dog day. There are cats too but it's scheduled on a different day. Both are so awesome, I want to take home adopt the white little dog :(
So come hurry and get your friends, family and yourself to Trinoma today! Aside from good things to buy, you can get these lovely dining destinations that's only available the whole month of October! Make sure you also visit the PAWS Pet Cafe just a few floors up from the Zombie Outbreak Diner, solve the mystery to help catch the one who killed the Doctor! Dun dun dun dunnn...
Thank you TRINOMA and Ayala Malls for having us! Super loved being there earlier!
Popular entertainment blog www.LionheartTV.net is marking this year as the moment to give back to the people who have supported them all these years. They just launched RAWR awards, a poll based awards show dedicated to the reason we have stars on radio, tv and on movies, the fans. Yes it's now you're turn to make it happen!
LionhearTV RAWR Awards
To celebrate 7 years of LionhearTV, we are rolling out the RAWR Awards to give it back to the fans.The awards night is our way of thanking the many people who have supported us since we first went online.It’s going to be a roaring good time. | www.lionheartv.net
Posted by LionhearTV on Friday, October 16, 2015
The nominees for the RAWR Awards was a result of a poll they made a few months back. After voting and deliberation, they came out with this list which they think currently represents fan favorites. There are actually new names, they also included several fan clubs in the mix to see who'd best support their celebrity/idols. They also mentioned that some of the stars nominated will be at the awards show so if you're itching to see them in the flesh, you better follow their social media accounts so you can secure tickets to the show to be held at the Meralco Theater.
They divided the awards show in three segments, one is the CUB Awards which includes Fan Club of the Year, Viral Video of the Year, Fashionable Celebrity of the Year, Online Influencer of the Year, Character of the Year, Presenter/Host of the Year, and Quote of the Year. The second one is the LION Awards which is for the Trending Love Team of the Year, Male Celebrity of the Year, Femal Celebrity of the Year, Male Newcomer/Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Female Newcomer/Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Male Performer of the Year, Female Performer of the Year, Movie of the Year, TV Show of the Year, and Advocacy Pusher of the Year. The last one is called Pride Awards which consists of your Favorite TV Station, Favorite FM Radio Station and Favorite AM Radio Station. You just have to vote on their website starting today November 4, up until November 30, 2015. Ready yourselves and go to https://www.facebook.com/LionhearTV to see where and how to vote for your favorite stars. Vote for your fandom too if you see your name on the list!
Just in, the official link is http://rawrawards.LionheartTV.net.
The actual awards night will be on December 10 so if you want to win tickets, check out the same channels okay?
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