Classic Beef Wellington

By: The Moody Critic

At last, a restaurant that really knows how to cook steak!

I asked for a medium well steak and what did I get? A genuine medium well with a meat done throughout and with a slight hint of pink at the center and wrapped in a dura mater of puff pastry. With its glistening brown exterior, the sear was indisputably superb. You might forget your name as you take a bite of such tender and succulent meat. 

What is a steak without its sauce? The sauce, the dish's secret recipe for success plunged me into a state of euphoria. Among the variety of sauces, I believe that this one was born to marry this dish. Its diversity in flavor and spices complemented not only the well-seasoned steak but also the creamy mashed potato underneath.

I have searched far and wide for this extremely rare dish and I discovered that only a handful of restaurants serve this dish. A dish that represents tradition, art, and complexity should only be served by a competent restaurant -- a task LULU Restaurant was able to accomplish. 

Presentation: 8.5
Taste: 9.2
Texture and consistency: 8.4
Complexity: 8.5
Value for money: 7.9

Overall rating: 8.7/10
Mood: Euphoric

Resto: LULU Restaurant
Address: G/F V. Corp. Tower, L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village 1200 Makati City, Philippines
Full food name: Classic Beef Wellington
Price: P980.00
Serving: 1-2 person/s

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Milk Chocolate Cake

By: The Moody Critic

NOT BAD for a home-made desert! For such a small cake, it immediately earned it's title as one of the store's bestsellers.

The small grated chocolates which looked like pencil shavings matched the size of this cake. The milk chocolate frosting which served as the skin of the cake seemed like it underwent a lot of oxidative stress because its top surface was uneven. Furthermore, it needs 10% more sweetness because it lacked that penetrating chocolatey goodness. Lastly, the chocolate pillars, those vertical structures surrounding the milk chocolate frosting, should not have been there at all if they would look grotesque in the first place.

The cake was very moist and had the right level of sweetness. It was divided into a superior and inferior partition by an inconspicuous milk chocolate filling. However, you will need a magnifying lens to see this very thin layer of chocolate filling.

If it is such a drag to wash chocolate-smeared plates, then hire an indefatigable dishwasher rather than serve the cake on a disposable plastic plate. The dog bowl-like plate was such a nuisance because it prevented my fork from slicing the cake all the way down to the bottom. The menu brags that this cake is sinfully rich and moist, but I believe this plastic plate should be the genuine sin that they should talk about.

Presentation: 6.7
Taste: 8.0
Texture and consistency: 8.4
Serving size: 8.1
Value for money: 8.0

Overall rating: 7.8/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: The Parvati Store
Address: Mindanao Lobby, Trinoma Mall, Quezon City
Full food name: Milk Chocolate Cake
Price: P150.00 (mini), P595.00 (6-inch), P995.00 (8-inch)

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