Melo's

Melo's Steak House has been around since the late eighties, and I distinctly remember raving about the food during their initial foray as Gold Ranch (at the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Pasay Road).  I had a business dinner at their branch at Burgos Circle at the Fort Global City, and we started off with my favorites, oysters, gambas and tomato soup!

The oysters were nicely served three different ways (blanched, with spinach, and with cheese), and I was lucky to pick up the plump pieces.  I would have enjoyed the shrimps better if the dish had a little more spice to it; while I am not a spicy eater, gambas needs a little oomph, or it would just be garlic shrimps, right?

While the restaurant is known for serving the Certified Angus Beef brand, we chose the Wagyu line--my friend had a porterhouse while I had a rib-eye.  I don't remember the exact grade of the beef (probably a 7 or 8), but the meat was soft and marbly, salted just right.  I asked for black-pink cooking (the restaurant staff refer to it as Oklahoma style); what I got was close to it but not exactly what I had expected (I wanted the edges charred a bit more).

Dessert was a token scoop of chocolate ice cream (I think this came free with the steak).  When you enter the restaurant the lighting is a bit on the dim side, so it takes a few seconds for your eyes to adjust.  Hmmm... probably designed more for romantic moonlit dinners rather than business meetings!  Our bill came close to P5,000, so that puts the average food check at around P2,500 per head.  Well, Wagyu is great only in moderation, I don't think my cholesterol level can take the more of that yummy marbled beef!

Elbert's Steak Room

Over at H. V. Dela Costa St. in Salcedo Village, at the ground floor of the Sagittarius Building, you will find a nondescript doorway to a staircase that leads to Elbert's Steak Room.  I was a little bit disoriented as I climbed up, but upon reaching the restaurant, the sight of the bar made me grin--it was the perfect place to spend after-office drinks!

I arrived a bit early for my lunch meeting, and I had time to take some pictures of the place.  Some of the furniture reminded me of study rooms and office boardrooms designed in the seventies, but over-all, the ambiance was pleasant and the table lay-out was comfortable for discussing business matters. 

The restaurant only serves USDA beef.  The lunchtime menu was pretty straightforward.  Three prime rib choices were available, these were (basically) small, medium and large.  I was particularly happy that each main course would already include soup or salad, and dessert.

The soup of the day was mushroom creme soup, and I liked the thickness and aroma.  Portion serving, however, was pretty controlled and while the picture above shows a full soup plate, take note that when I dipped my spoon in, I realized it was only half an inch deep.  The prime rib was nicely done, grilled just right.  It was soft, easy to cut and flavorful, with a slight buttery tone.

I understand that during lunch, non-steak dishes were also served, and the executive meals would go for something like P750++.   Lunchtime prime rib goes from P1,200++ for the small size all the way to P1,600++ for the large steaks.  At night, the menu is different, and more steak choices are available, including tenderloin cuts and short loins.  I saw a large wine collection and I would assume that they would be able to pair the steaks with your desired selection.

22 Prime

I had an impromptu business meeting last week in the Ortigas area, and the Discovery Suites along ADB Avenue came to mind as a venue.  We booked lunch at the 22 Prime steak restaurant of the hotel, located right within the Serendipity lounge at the 22nd floor.  I arrived a bit early, and had enough time to marvel at the view of the Asian Development Bank, SM Megamall and the Wack Wack golf course.  The restaurant was indeed a pleasant surprise for me--an elegant dining place, good for private meetings, tucked in the heart of the Ortigas Center.

The restaurant only serves prime beef, and has a soup & salad buffet for around P400.  Set menus were also reasonably priced, and my Angus steak, with salad, wine and dessert came to P995, while the Surf and Turf combination was P1,600.  I must say that both food and service left a good impression on me.

Holy Cow

Brought Monique and her cousin Louise over to the anime convention at the SM Megamall over the weekend, and much to their delight, they spent a good three hours soaking in all the trappings of the Japanese art.  Famished and exhausted, the kids were ready for dinner at the nearby steakhouse, Holy Cow!  I understand that this restaurant is a sister company of several other mall restos, namely Karate Kid (Japanese) and Congo's Grill (Filipino).  They had a large sign promoting a family treat which we decided to try--P1,300 for a meal good for 4 people, which included mushroom soup, grilled beef strips, back back ribs, a combo platter with fried chicken, squid rings, french fries and onion rings, rice and iced tea.  In addition, the kids had corn-crusted fish while Vicky tried the pork chop.  Popular-priced restaurant with easy on the budget meals (rice and viand can be had at P170 inclusive of a drink).

The steer head shown above is a popular decor item in a lot of American steakhouses & grills.  All the place needs to complete the ambience would be a mechanical bull and a rhinestone cowboy figurine!