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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New England Pot Roast Beef

By: The Moody Critic

The first time I got acquainted with the pot roast was during my childhood days when I used to play the popular old game- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. After being dropped by the Flail Guard - a monster in this game, my mouth would usually drool over this item because it looked very tempting to eat. In those days, I promised myself that I would someday savor on this dish. Finally, I did; and I was not disappointed!

Seeing the gargantuan serving size of this dish, I was immediately shocked when it was finally served on our table. It can actually be shared by two persons. Surprisingly, it didn't look the same like how it was shown in the menu where it looked more of a typical beef stew. Nevertheless, the arrangement of the meat slices and the sprouts helped in giving that appetizing presentation.

The only way to deal with tough beef cuts like the ones used in this dish is through slow-cooking. So far, they were able to achieve this because the meat was very tender and succulent. However, what they failed to achieve was the Maillard reaction - the browning effect which the meat cuts evidently lacked. Lastly, the seemingly unrelated "ribs" was overcooked because some of its segments were already charred.

Excellent choice of flavors, well-cooked meat, generous amount of sauce, and more-than-enough serving size - sum them all up and you'll get a satisfied mouth and a happy stomach.

Presentation: 7.7
Taste: 8.0
Texture and consistency: 8.0
Complexity: 8.1
Value for money: 9.0

Overall rating: 8.0/10
Mood: SATISFIED

Resto: Uncle Cheffy
Address: 3rd Level Atrium, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Full food name: New England Pot Roast Beef
Price: P495.00

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Angus Au Jus

By: The Moody Critic

Every time I eat at Racks, Angus Au Jus never fails to be included in my eating program. One simply cannot deny or ignore the quality of a genuine Angus beef.

Without any sauce, any sidings, or any elaborate plating, the Angus beef can definitely stand alone on the plate. The way the meat was seasoned was very remarkable. It is delicious on its own and any sauce would just serve as a bonus. Even if I would asked for a well-done steak, the meat would still remain very tender and juicy.

This dish comes with two sidings of choice. I would almost always choose mashed potato and macaroni & cheese out of the variety of sidings because of their caloric value. But if you're on the heavier side, veggie siding is the way to go!

I found the mashed potato shockingly lumpy and watery. Moreover, it was made very bland given that it has no accompanying gravy. The macaroni & cheese was basically "okay" but the macaroni was slightly undercooked. I almost knocked the living daylights of the waiter because my mac & cheese still had the bacon bits after I specifically asked him not once, but twice to remove them.

With an average size of around 13 cm x 10 cm x 1.7 cm, this beef dish can surely say "shut up and eat!". Sometimes, I would even fast for a whole day just to allot space for this dish because I usually had problems in ambulating afterwards due to my overly distended stomach.

Choice of side dishes:

1. Baked Beans
2. Corn Bread
3. Potato Salad
4. Gravy Fries
5. Mac and Cheese
6. Corn on the Cob
7. Coleslaw
8. Garlic Mashed Potato
9. Buttered Vegetables
10. Pasta Salad

Choice of Sauce:

1. Au Jus (comes with the dish) - Red wine plus the Angus beef's own juice
2. Racks' original barbeque sauce regular (on the table)
3. Racks' original barbeque sauce extra hot (on the table)

Presentation: 6.5
Taste: 8.3
Texture and consistency: 7.5
Complexity: 7.2
Value for money: 8.1

Overall rating: 7.7/10
Mood: Satisfied

Resto: Racks
Address: Ground floor, Entertainment mall, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Full food name: Angus Au Jus
Price: P680.00

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Spaghetti Bolognese

By: The Moody Critic

What a delicious-looking dish! The shape of the plate and the parsley really stirred up my appetite. As expected, the parsley gave the effective color contrast on the plate. However, the pasta was undercooked; it needed five more minutes. The bolognese sauce was lacking an effective flavor. All I could taste were the sourness and the metallic "canny" taste from the canned mushrooms.

How about the bread? In one look, you can say that it is inferior. The bread did not have an interesting personality (e.g. garlic bread). Though you can see minute amounts of an unknown herb, it was still very bland. I'm sure a little spread of butter will go a long way! This bread also seemed out of place on the plate due to its elephantine size, its paleness, and the way it was sliced. Lastly, it was moderately rubbery in consistency so a little precaution to those with brittle or loose teeth. Considering the price of this dish, is quality bread too much too ask?

Whenever I would see meat sauce in the food description, I find it exasperating to ask the fastfood chain or restaurant what their meat sauce was made of (I can't eat pork). There are two reasons behind this: (1) just the act of asking the person who cooked it takes a lot of time, and (2) some establishments don't actually know what it is made of. Consequently, I would usually shy away and would not order the dish that has "meat sauce" in it. But thank you Dolcelatte for specifying in the menu that this dish has an all-beef meat sauce.

Presentation: 8.0
Taste: 6.4
Texture and consistency: 6.2
Serving size: 8.5
Value for money: 6.5

Overall rating: 6.9/10
Mood: DISAPPOINTED

Resto: Dolcelatte
Address: 1616 Quezon Ave., South Triangle, Quezon City
Full food name: Spaghetti Bolognese
Price: P295.00

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