Red @ Makati Shangri-La Hotel

First of all, have you noticed how hotel rates have gone up these days – not only in terms of the room but also F & B? Makes me feel that I can never book again in a hotel unless am a balikbayan or Keanu Reeves living his life out of suitcases. The last time I inquired about this five-star hotel’s dinner buffet, it was a whoppin’ $50. Wow! All I can say is: “I gotta win them Christmas raffles!” 😛

Because it’s not everyday that I get to indulge in fancy dining (My Knight in Shining Armor is not around), you can just imagine how I ended up at Red, the Continental restaurant and wine bar of Makati Shangri-La. It was for some presscon. Red is so named because of the red upholstery of the furniture in the resto. How simple can it get? You can sit in a red chair by the window that overlooks a man-made garden with little waterfalls. The view is still better in Manila with the sunset and the bay, but this will do.

First to be served was the Lemon Olive Oil Poached Tasmanian Salmon with green and white asparagus, plus some egg-based sauce. This salmon was immaculate in its freshness, my first time to try it raw without Kikkoman and wasabi. Yeah, i imagined it was my favorite shake sashimi except that this one had the skin on. The sight of raw fish with raw skin looked unnerving, but yes, I was able to finish this one. Especially as I love salmon and asparagus!

No soup! After the fish appetizer came the main course. Between the Fillet of Grouper and the Grilled Prime US Rib Eye, I chose the latter. Sidings included creamy potatoes and rosemary jus. Sadly, this one was a disappointment. My rib eye cut was a thick one and far from being tender or juicy. The steak lay unfinished on my plate. I was ready to proclaim that “hey, if you’re looking for the best rib-eye in Manila, it’s not Red….” Enough said.

Luckily, the resto would redeem itself by their dessert. For the event, this was the jelly-like tagliatelle made from buco pandan topped by a salad of strawberries and Baguio Citrus Sherbet. The sherbet was the best thing as it just had the right fruity, lemony flavor.

Red’s pralines are also to-die-for. I brought home a box, only to find out they easily melted. I was more than happy to lick my chocolate-crusted fingers.

Capping the meal was hot brewed Lavazza coffee. Seems the servers were happy to serve more than one cup so I also had Shangri-La’s signature cappuccino. The best thing in life … is coffee after a gourmet meal!

Overall, service was good but lagged in certain aspects. Made me wonder if service suffers for a five-star outlet in big events, as opposed to just serving casual diners. There were close to a hundred of us and there was a considerable waiting time between the entree and the dessert.

Red
Lobby Level, Makati Shangri-La Hotel
Ayala Avenue, Makati City
Tel. No. 840-0884