Our Romantic Dinner at Restaurant 101
A couple of months ago, I was lucky to be chosen to win a romantic dinner date at Restaurant 101 by Pond's. Time went by so fast that Paul and I realized that the certificate was expiring next month and so we have decided to use it right away.
It was just timely that we celebrated our last monthsary before our BIG day last Saturday. Overlooking the sentence that says to call 72 hours in advance, I just took the chance and tried to book a reservation barely 6 hours before dinner time. With our fingers crossed, we waited for the confirmation from Restaurant 101. Luck must have been by our side that I immediately got a reply saying that we may proceed with our reservation for that evening. Yay!
Arriving at Restaurant 101, I was at awe with the grand interiors and the exterior reminds me of old western architecture with huge beams and high ceilings. Entering the restaurant, we were ushered by a nice Korean girl who happens to be a student of Enderun College, the culinary school running the restaurant.
We were ushered to our comfy seats and after handing over the certificate, our three-course dinner began with a piece of freshly baked bread and butter. Paul and I were trying to enjoy the ambiance as it has really been a while that we've gone out on a dinner date given our hectic schedules. This was truly a good break.
Not long after, our appetizer was served. Davao Goat Cheese Tart with Lingurian Olive and Confit Tomatoes (Php. 230). To be honest we were both hesitant when our server enumerated our menu for that evening. We were both not fans of tart but then later agreeed to just keep an open mind, heart and stomach for whatever will be served on our table.
Well, this turned out to be the biggest surprise of the evening... it was love at first bite. We both love the mix of arugula and goat cheese. The tomato has a slight hint of sourness that perfectly complemented the salty olives and cheese. All these were delicately placed on top of thin filo pastry that melts in your mouth.
Next was our main course, I chose the Buttered Poach Salmon with Pommery Mousseline and Asparagus (Php. 520). I love fish and nothing can make me more happier than to sink my fork into soft, buttery salmon meat and swirling it around the pommery mousseline before taking a bite. I was in salmon heaven and even Paul enjoyed the small slice of fish that I shared with him.
My fiance, the manly man, got the Australian Pork Chop with Mashed Potatoes (Php. 490). We were amazed to see a thick cut of pork placed on top of the creamiest mashed potato that we've ever tasted. It has the perfect consistency not making it too filling nor was it lacking in taste. Needless to say, it was just right. At times, we fear slicing into thick cuts of pork with hesitations that the middle portion may still be raw. Of course, raw pork meat is a big no-no. Taking extra caution, Paul sliced through his pork chop and every single bite-sized piece shows a well-grilled strip of meat.
For dessert, our server announced that we will be having ginger cake. We both nodded uncertainly. Once again, we weren't fans of ginger but after being impressed with both the appetizer and our two main dishes, we were ready to give this a try. Laughing as we recalled our experience of trying ginger juice (salabat), we cringe at the thought and just hoped for the best for our dessert.
Finally our Chocolate Ginger Cake came in a long white platter accompanied with a few pieces of mandarin orange and a tiny saucer of cream. Following the instructions of our server, Paul carefully poured a small amount of cream onto the cake. He cut it into half and out came the chocolate cream which surprised us both. It was a lava cake!
Taking my own half, I took a slice of mandarin orange and ate this with a small piece of ginger cake. No strong ginger taste here, in fact, we enjoyed the decadent chocolate flavor and the cream as it complemented the sweet mandarin orange. We loved it! Paul actually wanted more!
We had a lovely dinner at Restaurant 101. It's no wonder that families would go all the way to McKinley Hill to enjoy a quiet dinner here. In fact, some would even invite the entire clan and get themselves a function room where they can enjoy more privacy.
It surely was a good win and we're glad to be able to discover this. Definitely, this will be one of our go-to place for our future dinner dates.
Restaurant 101 is located at 1100 Campus Avenue, McKinley Hills in Taguig City. Call them at 856-5000 local 101.
It was just timely that we celebrated our last monthsary before our BIG day last Saturday. Overlooking the sentence that says to call 72 hours in advance, I just took the chance and tried to book a reservation barely 6 hours before dinner time. With our fingers crossed, we waited for the confirmation from Restaurant 101. Luck must have been by our side that I immediately got a reply saying that we may proceed with our reservation for that evening. Yay!
Arriving at Restaurant 101, I was at awe with the grand interiors and the exterior reminds me of old western architecture with huge beams and high ceilings. Entering the restaurant, we were ushered by a nice Korean girl who happens to be a student of Enderun College, the culinary school running the restaurant.
We were ushered to our comfy seats and after handing over the certificate, our three-course dinner began with a piece of freshly baked bread and butter. Paul and I were trying to enjoy the ambiance as it has really been a while that we've gone out on a dinner date given our hectic schedules. This was truly a good break.
Not long after, our appetizer was served. Davao Goat Cheese Tart with Lingurian Olive and Confit Tomatoes (Php. 230). To be honest we were both hesitant when our server enumerated our menu for that evening. We were both not fans of tart but then later agreeed to just keep an open mind, heart and stomach for whatever will be served on our table.
Well, this turned out to be the biggest surprise of the evening... it was love at first bite. We both love the mix of arugula and goat cheese. The tomato has a slight hint of sourness that perfectly complemented the salty olives and cheese. All these were delicately placed on top of thin filo pastry that melts in your mouth.
Next was our main course, I chose the Buttered Poach Salmon with Pommery Mousseline and Asparagus (Php. 520). I love fish and nothing can make me more happier than to sink my fork into soft, buttery salmon meat and swirling it around the pommery mousseline before taking a bite. I was in salmon heaven and even Paul enjoyed the small slice of fish that I shared with him.
My fiance, the manly man, got the Australian Pork Chop with Mashed Potatoes (Php. 490). We were amazed to see a thick cut of pork placed on top of the creamiest mashed potato that we've ever tasted. It has the perfect consistency not making it too filling nor was it lacking in taste. Needless to say, it was just right. At times, we fear slicing into thick cuts of pork with hesitations that the middle portion may still be raw. Of course, raw pork meat is a big no-no. Taking extra caution, Paul sliced through his pork chop and every single bite-sized piece shows a well-grilled strip of meat.
For dessert, our server announced that we will be having ginger cake. We both nodded uncertainly. Once again, we weren't fans of ginger but after being impressed with both the appetizer and our two main dishes, we were ready to give this a try. Laughing as we recalled our experience of trying ginger juice (salabat), we cringe at the thought and just hoped for the best for our dessert.
Finally our Chocolate Ginger Cake came in a long white platter accompanied with a few pieces of mandarin orange and a tiny saucer of cream. Following the instructions of our server, Paul carefully poured a small amount of cream onto the cake. He cut it into half and out came the chocolate cream which surprised us both. It was a lava cake!
Taking my own half, I took a slice of mandarin orange and ate this with a small piece of ginger cake. No strong ginger taste here, in fact, we enjoyed the decadent chocolate flavor and the cream as it complemented the sweet mandarin orange. We loved it! Paul actually wanted more!
P&F :)
We had a lovely dinner at Restaurant 101. It's no wonder that families would go all the way to McKinley Hill to enjoy a quiet dinner here. In fact, some would even invite the entire clan and get themselves a function room where they can enjoy more privacy.
It surely was a good win and we're glad to be able to discover this. Definitely, this will be one of our go-to place for our future dinner dates.
Restaurant 101 is located at 1100 Campus Avenue, McKinley Hills in Taguig City. Call them at 856-5000 local 101.
