Founded in 1996, Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle went through a rebranding just back in 2014 as a hotel and tourism business school and if you are staying with them, it would be a crime not to get to try to dine at their fine dining restaurant that is of French-Mediterranean fusion, the Vatel Restaurant, wherein everything is meticulously prepared and served, promising an excellent dining experience.

Located at the roofdeck of Hotel Benilde, it is a wonderful space to enjoy a superb sunset view of the Manila Bay while indulging in a relaxing ambiance. Plus the staff and crew are very friendly and can even be asked for suggestions in regards to their dishes for the day.

As we are excited to dine, we were first given an off-menu dish that is usually served on fine dining restaurant as it is such a decorative food that is surely as pleasing to the palate as to the eyes, the Canapé was a lovely, savory food that was such a delight in every bite.

Following that, we had some of Vatel Restaurant’s Soup that was all served with sliced bread. Starting with the Prawn Brisque with Clams (2 Prawns) which is a duo of prawns and clams in a classic French Crustacean soup. This one is undeniably a creamy soup wherein the taste of the prawns is deliciously highlighted with the subtle yummy taste of the clams.

After that was the Spinach, Parmesan, Croutons in which the spinach and the parmesan are really scrumptious. Plus the crunchy pieces of croutons give a delectable texture to the whole dish.

While the Creamy Roasted Onion, Crouton is another creamy soup that totally gave pleasure with every spoonful we had. The roasted onion tasted so good with the soup – and that’s one thing we just couldn’t deny.

Next we had their yummy and healthy offering which are their Salads that are all served with sliced focaccia bread. The Grilled Chicken, Orange which is of mixed green, red onion, bell pepper, slice almonds, and Andalusia dressing has this lovely sweetness to it that comes from the orange and suits well with the distinct taste of the onion in the salad.

Another salad we had was the Warm Brie with Fine Herb Dressing that is consisted of mixed greens, tomato confit, topped with warm brie on croutons. This was such a splendid salad and the yum goodness of the brie actually took us by surprise.

Moving onto the main course, Vatel Restaurant first placed on our table their famous Beef Bourguignon which has captured the hearts of many and has been named a favorite by many as well, as the presentation of it definitely looks good and the beef was flavorful and tender, especially with its sauce being good tasting and somewhat creamy.

Followed by one of Vatel Restaurant’s new dishes, the Salmon Fillet, Tian Vegetables is served with red wine & mushroom sauce and fried marble potatoes. Its serving of rice was tasty while the salmon has that certain tenderness which we hands down enjoyed.

Meanwhile, the Braised “Diavolo” Pork Baby Back Ribs has a hint of spiciness we indeed loved as the meat is tender and rich in flavor. The side potato was also cooked well and it has that distinct taste and aroma because of the delicious spices that was put in it.

And of course, we are not to stand up from our seats without satisfying our sweet tooth. With that, we started digging into their Cerveza Negra and Chocolate Ice Cream that comes with local dark beer, and some ice cream that were topped with pistachios. This one is served with 2 scoops of ice cream and that alone got us hooked as the pistachio toppings blend well with it, alongside the hint of beer taste that we relished in.

Another dessert we had was Vatel Restaurant’s Mango Crème Brulee that is slow cooked with English cream. This dessert was such a light, sweet thing that has that particular teasing taste to it which we couldn’t seem to resist as we keep reaching for its refreshing flavor.

Ending this brilliantly mouth-watering meal wih Vatel Restaurant, what they served us last was their Apple & Blueberry Crumble which comes with blueberry coulis and pastry cream. This tasted great, no doubt. The mixture of the apple, blueberry, and walnut crumble altogether with the vanilla ice cream is something that we would want to keep coming back to.

And so, after all that, do check out Vatel Restaurant’s Bar Menu as they have a wide offering of drinks such as mocktails, smoothies, coffee & tea, sodas, beers, and wines, particularly white wine, rose wine, and red wine. Surely, you will find something that would go really well with your chosen dishes as well.