Cru Steakhouse, Manila Marriott’s award-winning prime restaurant, gets adventurous with Upside Down Dinner. This unique 4-course dining experience is set to confuse and excite its diners as it breaks all the rules in luxury dining—from dessert, main course, soup, down to the appetizer, it’s a dinner in reverse!
Your entire dining experience is well-orchestrated from start to finish. From the time you enter the restaurant, you’ll be welcomed with a farewell gift, a box of handcrafted chocolate praline and a clean yet slightly cluttered table with a menu printed backwards that can only be read through the reflection on the mirror. There really is no dull moment in this culinary experiment because just like how you would normally end your meal, your bill comes first before everything else. Now, your topsy-turvy dinner begins!
If you think that you’ll lose your appetite with this unusual dining format, the sumptuous dishes will make you think twice and your utensils busy as you start with a sweet and tangy dessert! The Noisette Exotique, a dome-shaped hazelnut dacquoise covered with yellow exotic glacage is as pleasing as it looks. The raspberries, strawberries, and mango bits surrounding the cake adds a bright citrus flavor to this treat that goes perfectly well with the almond lemon crumble and sweetness of the praline-noisette mousse, yuzu cremeux, and orange passion compote.
It’s easy to get lost in the moment once you’re indulging in your dessert, but as the main course comes next, you’ll find your eyes glued at the beautifully grilled Rosemary Crusted U.S. Angus Beef Tenderloin. Let your knife slowly slice through the juicy piece of steak, have a forkful of the meat, smother it with potato puree, and dip it in the peppercorn sauce for that flavor-packed bite. Don’t forget to sink your fork into the crunchy butter-glazed vegetables, too! If you’re not fond of steak, you can opt for an equally flavorful alternative, the mild and succulent barramundi fish.
Followed by the main course is the Tomato Espresso. The soup is served in an small cup replicating an espresso shot complete with a frothy top—light, warm, with a hint of sourness that harmonizes well with the creamy and nutty gruyere pudding toast. Served along with the soup is Cru’s signature bread in tomato, spinach, and parmesan with herb butter and Davao cheese spread.
Everybody would say “Save some room for dessert!”but with this unusual fare it’s “Save some room for appetizer!” The Crab and Apple Salad is a bite-size savory dish bursting with flavors! The cherry tomato is stuffed with rich and creamy crab salad served with pine nut gremolata, avocado mousseline, and crème fraiche.
And for the finale, the servers introduce themselves to the guest— Good evening Ma’am/Sir, I am Isabelle, your server for tonight—a cue that the Upside Down Dinner has come to an end.
If this bizarre dining concept sparks your interest and curiousity, then reserve a seat now for only Php 2,800 nett per person (4 course meal)
Cru Steakhouse’s Upside Down Dinner is available every Thursdays of July to December, 6PM to 10:30PM. Prior reservation is required. For more information on Marriott’s dining offers please call (02) 988 9999 or visit http://www.manilamarriott.com. To join ongoing conversations, follow @manilamarriott at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
