My TOP picks for fine dining are as follows:
1. Tivoli at the Mandarin Oriental - My favorite. For one, it's relatively affordable. Approximately PHP 4,000 for two persons. Customer service is great. Wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Plus, they're sooo generous, like they truffled our mashed potato, gave us extra rice, and served us pralines for free because we were celebrating something one evening. Food is excellent. I love Australian steaks and they can cook meats to perfect rare. The restaurant itself is dim and intimate. Just how I like it. And the tables are padded.
2. Elbert's Steak Room in Makati - Dinner for two cost us about PHP 6,500+. Our steaks (ribeye and tenderloin) were really flavorful, but not as tender we would've liked. Ordered additional foie gras which I didn't finish because it had an aftertaste. Kinda gamey. Didn't like the location very much, too. Going up that grimy staircase was unfab. Restaurant itself is okay, though. And like Tivoli, tables are padded. (Haha. I have a thing for padded tables.) All in all, I feel we got what we paid for. So yes, I'll willingly go back.
3. The Nest at the Vivere Hotel - This ranks third just because I really like that it's perched on top of Vivere giving diners a good view of Manila. Food was good and reasonably priced. Around PHP 3,500 for two. We had Surf & Turf and Lapu-Lapu & Seabass. Steak was mediocre, but the fish tasted sweet-and-milky (which for my untrained tongue is synonymous to fresh). Went down well with white wine. Service was consistent throughout the evening. Tip: Request to be seated at far corner table out the balcony.
4. 22 Prime at the Discovery Suites - Loved the Surf & Turf and Cheese Bread. Soups were yum. Didn't like so much the Trio Steak, though. The sauces overpowered the taste of the meat. After dinner, we had a slice of chocolate cake and the dessert sampler. Both were good. They gave us banana bread to take home. Our dinner cost about PHP 4,500.
5. Impressions at the Maxims Hotel - Dining here felt very "professional", from the design of the place to the staff. They have imported oysters that cost PHP 400-600 apiece. We didn't try those. Haha. Food was great. We ordered steak, roasted chicken, dessert, and a couple glasses of wine. Prices are quite steep. I think we paid PHP 6,000+.
6. Masseto in Makati - I find this restaurant super sexy. Food was good. I didn't like the Crispy Duck Leg, which is supposed to be their bestseller, but my companion did. The prawns I ordered were creamy, so I liked those, as well as my after-dinner pavlova dessert. Our bacalao starter was just okay. Our bill was around PHP 4,000.
6. Cru at the Marriott - Another sexy restaurant. Service was remarkable, but our steak and seabass didn't blow us away. Maybe next time, I'll stick to Australian beef. The 3-flavor service bread was a standout. Our bill was almost PHP 7,000.
7. Goose Station - I liked the food, but I didn't feel that it was sulit. I went with the Memory Degustation Menu (about PHP 3,000 per person including VAT and SC). Everything tasted playful and interesting. The foie gras was the best.
8. Wine Bar 1771 - I'm not sure if I consider this as a fine dining restaurant, but I absolutely love the interiors. So masculine and rich. Food and prices were just okay. We had Oyster Rockefeller, WineBar Burger, Spicy Pasta Sardines, and a slice of cake. Maybe, allot PHP 2,800 for two persons.
