Taste’s recent visit to a quaint Gerry’s Grill branch in the heart of Malate, and Century Park Hotel’s Cafe In the Park as it mused a US Angus Beef Festival seemed to be a wake-upper, as both establishments etuded a Filipino culinaria in their distinct little ways.
The Angus Festival at Cafe in the Park, seductively feasted the senses, as the scent of fresh Angus bounced through walls, knowing how much one could do away with it. It had prime ribs, ribeyes, striploins and tenderloin servings in best cuts for less than a thousand bucks.
To totally enjoy the beef in its best steak preparation, one should request young chef Christine Santos from the College of Saint Benilde, to grill it to perfection. More so, the said chef is in her headstart to perfect teethings for the country’s soon to be best pastries. But, that’s another story.
One could ask one of their chefs to sear a piece or two and enjoy its succulent meat with a combination of self-made materials from the Shabu-shabu station, knowing how much one could explore for a night out.
Executive Chef Rudy Velasco technically graces each night with his band of kitchen experts, offering international varieties from Italian Pastas, beefings from US and Australia, Shabu-shabu hits, but above all, the different pastichean sweets of Pinoy kakanin in modern preparations as taste indigena.
Maja Blanca, Casava tube cuts with cheese grates, Kutsinta, with Kalamay in cube-mold checks-blocks, ube in generous bulks, a fruit-barrage in tropical colors.
To add, Cafe in the Park stands as a Marian-type moderna cafe within Century Park, housing technically one of the best home-grown hotel-based pesto in the mainstream F&B. One should be noted, that if within Cafe in the Park perimeter, a pesto eater should request for the chef to prepare it with a toned-down basil-grind, and low-noted with olive oil. For sure, one will enjoy it at its best, hereby commending the place as a house for satisfactory pesto.
More to note, Gerry’s Grill atMalate Manila, still stand with their traditional Pinoy concoction, and probably still in every branch. Gerry’s may not be a house of Pinoy culinary perfection, but something puts it in place as a symbol of modern Pinoy eating. For one, the rudiments of serving Lutong bahay in prime, is good enough to know how much Filipino Gerry’s Grill is. And secondly, the most important factor in the restaurant business, Gerry’s has still maintained it quality over the years and fortunately, GERRY’S GRILL STILL OFFERS FOOD IN THE MOST AFFORDABLE PRICE without the degression.
Regular appetizers like Calamares are sold in 115 Pesos, to be enjoyed with a homegrown dip made of Mayo, Cheese, and Pickles; Inihaw na Manok (which is recommended for Tomadors within Malate’s night owling and secret night outs,) priced 175, one of the best Inihaw na Manok in all the casual-fast-dining hubs within the metro, being garnished with kangkong stalks, and carrots and waiting to be chasmed in a homegrown sauce of toyo and calamansi or any how one should enjoy; Sugba Kilaw for 165 Pesos, it is a Manila version of Davaos combination of Kilawin and Sinugba, grilled liempo is best be enjoyed with a garnishing of chili pepper, green pepper, onion slices, ginger bits, and garlic in a sour-sour vinegar; Gerry’s Steak for only 210 bucks, a local tenderloin beef, grilled in a tagala way and served with a bulk of mashed potato, baguio beans, carrots, sayote cuts, hot-steaming mushroom gravy; of course, traditional sweets like leche flan and others with good flavorful ice creams await a dessert round.
To conclude, it is indeed inspiring to witness such Filipino character-dishings in Manila’s modern regard.
Indeed, Cafe in the Park and Gerry’s Grill, are hereby commended for giving service and hail to Filipino cuisine in their own little ways.
