I’m back in Manila! And if there’s one I thing i’m excited about, it’s discovering the good food that the greater Metro Manila can offer. First off, Chateau 1771 in Greenbelt.
Used to being told when i’m making restaurant reservations overseas that there is maximum waiting time for them to hold the table for you on the day of your eat-out, I was a bit surprised when I was told that they (Chateau 1771) have no maximum waiting time and that they can wait for us. I’m not sure if this is the general practice with high-end restaurants in Manila (probably considering the traffic?) but I sure am not complaining since for one thing, Greenbelt’s in Makati and I’ll be coming from Alabang. And since it’s a Friday (traffic!) and there’s a probability I might work an hour or so overtime at the office, there’s a high chance I might not meet my reservation time. Hence, their “rule” just suits me fine.
Now, I usually want to be seated beside the window. But they had us seated in the middle, where the seats were cushioned and have high backs that afforded us some privacy from the other diners. This, I like. So practically, we were already grinning when the Maitre D’ gave us the menu and asked us if we’d like to have a bottle of wine.
I’m used to having wine when I go fine dining but I haven’t talked beforehand with my ala-gastronomy clubmates if we’re going to have one and what their preference is, so we we’re a bit hesitant to order. But the Maitre D’ convinced us that the wine he’s recommending is their best seller and that he’s gonna let us taste it – if we won’t like it, then the bill’s on him. Good for him it’s good! It’s fermented pineapple, sweet and tangy yet doesn’t leave that much of a burning sensation on the throat. Nice.
While waiting for our hors d’œuvre, we nibbled on toast dipped in eggplant relish. Eggplant’s not among my favorite of them veggies but one would relish this relish as you couldn’t really point out instantly the main ingredient of this goodness.
As appetizer, we had Scallop Au Gratin (450Php). This gratin was sort-of creamy, yes. But I guess, they had half a cup of coconut milk with only 1/8 cup of cheese. Basically, the coconut taste just drowns out the cheesy taste. And well, it’s less creamier and more “milky”, sort of less viscous than usual. Also, the bread crumbs were more like biscuit pieces. They were not crumbs at all, looking at the size of them. The shrimp was just great though.
Now, if we were to choose Chateau 1771’s house specialty among those we’ve ordered, it would have to be the Shrimp and Shitake Salad on Bacon Balsamic Vinaigrette (550Php, large). Even on your first couple bites, your eyes would water on the goodness of this salad. And when we munched on the shitake, we all uttered shi~~~take in the most passionate tone we’ve ever used. Your mouth would water even when you’re already munching the shitake. The three of us shared this salad. But with how this salad is done, I think I could finish a large serving of this all by myself.
For the main course, we each ordered Hunter’s Chicken (500Php), Grilled Salmon on Balsamic Glaze and Pork Scalliopine. Hunter’s Chicken came with a pasta on cream sauce (that was really creamy!) whilst Pork Scalliopine came with a tomato paste with real tomato bits. I’m not really into tomato sauce and paste hence the scalliopine was my least favorite of the three (the pork itself was just normal to the taste). The Grilled Salmon was a bit dry but it being salmon, it was still good enough to be my last taste on our meal.
Hunter's Chicken
Grilled Salmon
Pork Scalliopine
Now dessert, dessert. One of us ordered Triple Chocolate Mousse. We imagined from the name that this would be consisted of dark chocolate, white chocolate and milk-chocolate. But we were surprised when our dessert was finally served.
The colors were not what we expected. But we were in for a good surprise though when we finally had a taste of it. The light-brown thingy was actually dark chocolate, there was white chocolate on it and some parts were milky chocolatey. The taste? Well, on our first bite, we could only utter “Mmmm” hence mmmm = heavenly.
And oh, the ambiance of the place? Romantic what with the subdued lighting, and elegant with the high ceiling and chandeliers. The toilet was my favorite. I think I could spend half a day there and I wouldn’t complain a bit. And well, I do envy the work of the distinguished-looking guitarist that Chateau 1771 has. He can work on his passion sharing his soulful craft to the diners with his guitar whilst having good food for his dinner. His music definitely adds to the romantic and elegant atmosphere of this place.
All in all, yes, there’s good food in this place.
