Celi's Restaurant (Prize from TravelOnline's Father's Day Contest 2011)

Amy and I recently celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary and we were treated to a complimentary dinner for two at Celi's restaurant located on the ground floor of Hotel Celeste, located on the corner of Pasay Road and Makati Avenue (right behind New World Hotel, Makati). The all-you-can-eat Angus steak dinner, which costs around Pho 699++ per head, was generously provided to us by the kind people of Travel Online (http://www.travelonline.ph/) (https://www.facebook.com/TravelOnline.ph). Thank you very much to TravelOnline and Celi's for this wonderful, deliciously sinful yet satisfying dinner! (Visit TravelOnline  website for their updates, discount & exciting giveaways!)

We arrived at the hotel right time for our reservation and we immediately noticed the simple yet elegantly constructed facade of the hotel. The design was modern and had hints of its Italian theme. We were greeted right away by someone from the valet and guided us to a spot where we can park our car. We were greeted with a warm smile and saw to it that we got a spot near the entrance. We were ushered into the lobby of the hotel and we were greeted immediately by the restaurant's staff. We were seated on our table when we found out about a small misunderstanding regarding our reservation. While we waited for the staff to verify the details of our reservation, we were generously attended to by the restaurant staff (Heidi and Daileen) if we wanted drinks, coffee or even soup to start us off.

 

Once the details were hashed out, we opted for their offer to have soup for starters. We were given bowls of Cream of Pumpkin soup. The thick soup had a rich orange color and was served warm - I prefer my soup hot but I was willing to make an exception on this particular bowl. The soup had that certain sweetness to it but also had a hint of savoriness to it, which played well on our tongues. As great as the soup was, we were eager to dive onto the other dishes on the buffet table.

The buffet featured three main viands - chicken parmessan, fish and squid with sun dried tomato and their specialty, the Angus steak! They also had fried potato wedges, various grilled and stuffed vegatables. Another section showcased pasta - either spaghetti or penne - with our sauces, which were carbonarra, marinara, pesto and finally, garlic with olive oil. They also had a salad section with various salad greens, fresh tomatoes and at least 5 types of salad dressing (i.e. honey mustard, french tomato, caesar, thousand island, italian). And finally, they had an amazing spread of dessert featuring a big fruit platter, some cookies, pudding, cream puff and creme brulee - the last two were a big hit for me and Amy, which we'll get in detail later on.

The salad bar featured a healthy set of green romain and iceberg lettuce. They also had juicy tomatoes and cucumber, crunchy red & green bell pepper, golden brown cruttons and some slices of cheddar cheese. These were complemented with various salad dressings, but Amy had honey mustard and I had their Caesar dressing. The caesar dressing was well prepared - the dressing had a rich zesty taste; the honey mustard was just okay, as I was looking for more of the mustard tase as it might have been neutralized by the amount of olive oil in it. But all-in-all, the star of the salad were its fresh vegetables. This earned 4 out of 5 spoons in my book. 

Amy tried the carbonarra with penne pasta right after the salad. Although the pasta wasn't made from scratch from the hotel kitchen staff, but the sauce itself was good enough and deserves a round of applause <insert clapping hands sound here :-) >. I wanted to try some of the pasta myself, but I wanted to eat smart - and by eat smart, I mean saving most of the room in my stomach for the steak!!! But before we jump to that, I'd give the pasta a 3 out of 5 spoons.

Onto the main event: the ANGUS STEAK!!! Most of the other patrons wanted to have their slices of steak cooked a bit more to their preferred doneness, but I prefer the doneness that the chef gave it - a nice, moist medium-rare. I normally go for medium, but I was in an adventurous mood so I opted for what was presently done - and my oh my, was I impressed! The steak itself was generously seasoned and cooked in the oven just right that while the outer part was cooked to perfection, the inner part of the steak still maintained it dark pink, moist goodness. It wasn't at all bloody rare - not at all. The chef gave me 3 slices and I poured some cream sauce over it. Later on, I discovered that even without any of the sauces (cream, gravy, pepper gravy, hickory), the steak itself stands on its own. It has the right amount of spice and savoriness and it just melted in my mouth so well. To my surprise, it was tender and juicy and I immediately craved for more! And so I did, and ended up eating 12-slices of that baby! I'm salivating right now as I write this review. I give that steak a 5 out of 5 spoons!

After committing the sin of gluttony over their Angus steaks, we called it quits and made our way over to the dessert table. The fruits weren't as sweet as they looked and probably needed 2 or 3 days more to ripen. The cookies were okay meaning that it had the right amount of sweetness but lacked that fudgy complexion that I always look for in cookies. The bread pudding, however, was warm, smooth to the palate and had the right amount of sweetness on it. The cream puff was beautifully arranged with a sugar tuille on top of the heap. It has the right amount of sweetness, but the pastry itself was a bit too chewy than desired. Nonetheless, it deserves 4 out of 5 spoons for hitting the sugar tooth the right way.

Still on the dessert table, never in my life have I consumed so much of the Creme Brulle. The cream had just the right consistency, the color was a rich yellow and the sweetness wasn't over powering. The burnt sugar at the top was properly burnt that it didn't taste like burnt sugar at all, but rather, it complemented the soft texture of the cream right below it. With Amy having two servings and while I had four, this dessert deserves a 5 out of 5 spoons.

We had the pleasure of speaking to chefs Krizel and Leroy and complimented them on a job well done on the dessert. Never before had I consumed so much creme brulle that I just craved for me even on our drive home. Speaking to Chef on the steak, we gave him a good pat on the back for a job well done on the doneness of the meat and the way he smiled whenever he served up those delicious slices of meat. A round of applause to the staff of the restaurant for giving us excellent customer service with a smile. With their level of service and the quality of food, expect Amy and I to keep coming back to Celi's restaurant salivating for their steaks and creme brulles, and hopefully other dishes that will tickle our palate.

 

Squeaky clean, well stocked work place

Other than the site of our kids smiling and playing, nothing makes us happier than a squeaky clean kitchen and a properly stocked pantry and fridge! Not only does it feel like we're prepared for weeks to come, but it also gives us a sense of comfort that we wouldn't have to find ourselves one morning after another going to the market looking for fresh produce.

A squeaky clean kitchen also makes us happy because it makes our "work place" so conducive to cooking up a storm for the family. And tonight, once the kids are asleep, we'll be cooking up some viands for this coming week. Stay tuned for more <wink> <wink>

WoodenSpoons Saturday

A great way to spend a weekend is spending it at the kitchen cooking up a feast for your family.


Amy and I started off with plate full of Dynamite! Yup, you read that right - Dynamite! Imagine around a dozen pieces of long chilli peppers stuffed with tuna, cheese and properly seasoned to a savory perfection. Drop those stuffed chilli peppers in our special batter, deep fry 'em and voila! For the figure-conscious foodies, we have the savory and spicy Dynamite served with a special dipping sauce on the side.

 

Next up, we have our barbecued Salmon heads with buttered vegetables and cheesy potato croquettes. The Salmon was prepared in advance by a soy sauce based marinade, allowing at least 4 hours to chill in the fridge to allow the fish to absorb the salty-sour marinade. While waiting, peel and boil a few pieces of potatoes, mash and season them and set aside in the fridge to set properly. And finally, to make the most of the time we had, we chopped up a few vegetables - carrots, sayote, potatoes and corn - to complement the overall dish.

After four hours, grill the fish over char coal - this works best with actual char coal rather than an electric grill (more flavor this way). While Amy grills the fish, I take out my mashed potatoes and roll them into balls. I dip them in beaten eggs and roll them around bread crumbs and deep fry them until they're golden brown. And last but not the least, the mixed vegetables are tossed onto a pan with butter and seasoned.

Plate up the fish with a few pieces of croquettes and a hefty serving of the buttered vegetables, and voila! A meal fit for a king and queen.

This is perhaps one of the best ways to spend a rainy day weekend with your hubby/wifey. We had fun and we hope you will, too!

Outback Steakhouse, Makati

Nothing tantalizes our senses better than the word FOOD, and in the middle of a crazy day running around two cities while keeping up with our two kids, Amy and I long for a good dining experience.

Upon arriving at Ayala's Glorietta mall, one noticeable establishment that always catches our eye is Outback Steakhouse. This restaurant has been in that corner for as long as we can remember and we had an opportunity a month ago to buy some food to go on my way to work. I was both surprised and delighted at the quality of food AND customer service that I immediately shared it with my wife. Unfortunately, we weren't able to write about it then so we're making amends and now documenting our recent experience with Outback.

We were greeted at the entrance with a smile and was shown the way to their main dining hall at the second floor. The immediate feeling that we felt at that time was the same feeling we get whenever we're at Baguio or Tagaytay - relaxed, at home, cozy. The lighting was perfectly relaxing, the floor had wall-to-wall carpets (which were clean, by the way) and the staff waiting for us upstairs were all smiles and were happy to escort us to a table right by the window with a view of the heart of the Makati commercial district.

The staff also gave our kids some crayons and sheets of activity paper to keep them busy. But as interesting as the view and "kiddy activities" were, we were interested on seeing their menu more than anything else.

The dinner menu was well organized, had pictures of some of their best sellers and each dish was well described. But did it taste as good as it looked on picture? We shall see.

And while we were pouring through the menu, we were served with a delicious, warm bread - I hate myself for not asking the kind of bread, but we love'd every crumb.

Now, I'm a steak lover. I love to eat steak! But this time around, we decided to go for something different - the cow shall live another day for now! Amy ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna and the Toowoomba pasta. We also ordered the soup of the day, which was a baked potato soup - a hefty bowl of thick cream soup with chunks of baked potato, topped with bacon and cooked to a savory perfection that it almost seemed to resemble a chowder. I'd have this soup every day for a week - it's that good! We give it a rating of 5 out of 5 spoons.

Seared Ahi Tuna

First up, our half order of Seared Ahi Tuna ... a-work-of-art! Our compliments to the chef. The tuna was well-season and was deliciously encrusted with various crushed peppers; cooked perfectly encasing the freshness of the tuna within. The two sauces that accompanied were well prepared - one had a touch of zestiness and a kick of heat courtesy of wasabi, while the other had a blend of savory and sour. Such a perfect way to start our meal. We rate this dish 5 out of 5 spoons!

Toowomba Pasta

Next up, our full order of Toowoomba pasta - a pasta dish tossed with a generous portion of shrimp, mushroom and a splash of spices perfectly cooked in a cream sauce. The sauce wasn't too heavy or thick and the pasta was al dente. And finally, the shrimp was cooked perfectly. We rate this dish 4 out of 5 spoons.

Chocolate Thunder from Down Under

And finally, complimentary dessert from the Marketing Manager, Vanessa Calimlim in the form of a plate of Chocolate Thunder from Down Under. A home-made chunk of brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream and finished-off with a chocolate tuille. We were advised to eat it by scooping from top to bottom in order to appreciate the varying temperature of the brownie against the ice cream and whipped cream. If you can picture heaven, this dish would be among the top of the list. It was a real treat digging in this dessert. As simple as it may sound, this decadent dish will satisfy any sugar-tooth, especially mine. For chocoholics such as ourselves, we rate this dish a big 5 out of 5 spoons!

The water and iced-tea was free-flowing and so was the level of customer service. My wife even asked them if they had gone through a specialized training session on customer service, but we were surprised to find out that all training were done in-house - the rest they learned on the job. Guys - we find this to be a delightful surprise. Any business that wishes to operate for many years needs to have their people trained on a regular basis. For a well-known establishment such as Outback to be open for the past 12 years or so (and still going strong), say much about their culture. For each member of the staff to be able to handle themselves professionally as well as they did must have been the result of a healthy working atmosphere as well as the culture and values imparted from top management down to each member of the organization. For the overall experience, we give it a 5 out of 5 spoons!

To Vanessa Calimlim and Dan Co - we've said this before and we'll say it again. Whatever you're teaching your people, keep it up. Give Regine, Jaja and the rest of the staff in and out of the kitchen a pat on the back. Tell them to keep up the good work for they represent a very well known name in the food industry.

For as the saying goes in this industry, people come and go ... but its your regulars that will keep coming back not just for the food, but for the quality of service that your team exhibits day in, day out. You may change your repertoire from time to time, but your professionalism and sense of customer service should always be at par with what we have witnessed this past weekend.

More power to you and your staff of Outback.

Samantha with Mrs. Vanessa

@Home @Outback

with the friendly staff, Rhegine & Jaja                                         

Samantha's artwork

Sophia enjoying her dessert