Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Gustavus Twice Around

Photo credit: Gustavus FB page

One of the marks of a truly good restaurant is it's ability to consistently produce the same good food or to make it better.  More often than not, when I go back to a restaurant where my first experience was truly exceptional, I leave disappointed.

My first encounter with Gustavus Steak Lounge was a few month back when my friend was adamant that we should try it out.  So off we went, to this about a year old place that boasts of  their USDA prime beef and fresh oysters.
Fresh Gustavus Oysters on a Half Shell, P385
First order of business was the fresh oysters.  We were there for the steaks and oysters after all!  These fresh oysters served with a horse radish cocktail sauce, red wine vinegar shallot and cucumber mango salsa was truly a dream.  I would definitely go back for more of these.

Tempura Soft Shell Crab, P300
Soft shell crab served over a Thai mango salad and chili tomato remoulade.  I thought the remoulade overpowered everything on the plate.  And the soft shell crab was coated with too much batter. Maybe the saying just a little can go a long way is applicable here.
In addition, the presentation was really nice and colorful. But I have this thing about not wanting my food staring at me, it makes me feel guilty about eating them and this crab was definitely staring!
Spiced Squash Bisque, P265
Too bland. Needs a little something....nutmeg? thyme?

Tenderloin Steak
Aaaahhh....steak!  Love it.

Grilled Gustavus Glazed Porkchop, P490
A generous portion of chops served with a vegetable wrap and potato wedges.  The pork chops were nice tender and juicy.


Never understood why people buy overpriced sparkling water until now. This is some good agua!

truffles and coffee
Love the truffles!  This delectable chocolate tasted way better accompanied by a glass of red wine.

Banana Cake French Toast, 190
Dessert was a banana cake pan fried in a vanilla egg custard topped with mango ice cream, chocolate sauce and minted green mango compote.  For some weird reason, the green mango compote (those small brown cubes in the photo above)  ties all these element together, making this an elegant dessert. A must try!
Oh, and we got this dessert for free with our enjoy coupon

We enjoyed our first visit so much that we decided to go the second time around.  Because it was the Christmas season, we thought that this place was ideal because it was near enough to Greenbelt yet far enough to be able to get a parking on the street, which is free,  and best of all, no crowds!
So on our second visit we of course ordered oysters again....
Baked Gustavus Oysters, P390
You have a choice between Rockefeller, Casino and/or Pepper.  We chose Rockefeller - the ones at the bottom of the photo- was topped with spinach and melted butter and Casino - top of the photo - was topped with bacon and melted butter.  It was still good but I personally preferred the Fresh Oysters from our previous visit.

Grilled Salmon with Lemon Pepper Risotto, P720
The sauce tasted like cheese sauce- the ones you pour over nachos.

Grilled Romaine Caesar, P260
Caesar Vinaigrette with Crispy Bacon and Pesto Crouton.  Unfortunately the leaves were so soaked in vinaigrette that they looked really really wilted.


Tenderloin, P1492
The good thing about their steaks is that, because of its excellent quality, they don't need sauces.  Unfortunately, my friends had to return her steak twice because it was not properly cooked.

mashed potato
This came with the steak.

Avocado Chocolate Chili Crunch, P200
Chocolate Fudge Brownie topped with fudge, avocado ice cream and a lime chipotle infused pineapple compote.

Choc-nut Pinoy Buster Parfait, P200
I think the greatest invention the Philippines has put out is choc-nut.  Three scoops of  choc-nut ice cream topped with choc-nuts, roasted (salted) nuts and chocolate fudge sauce was GOOD!  Did I mention this was also free with Enjoy?
So overall, though not a total disappointment, I enjoyed Gustavus the first time more so than on my second visit and hopefully, my succeeding visits would be better than my first two.

G/F F&M Lopez II Bldg., 109 C. Palanca St., Legaspi Village
+63 2 813 0475
Mon-Fri: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
              6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sat: 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sun: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
        6:00 pm - 11:00 pm


http://www.gustavussteaklounge.com/











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