Awaken the Carnivore in You at CRU Steakhouse in Marriott Hotel

Every special occasion deserves an equally special way of celebrating, and if you’re fond of steaks and looking for a place to visit for your next anniversary, date, or business meeting, head over to Marriott Hotel in Pasay City to try CRU Steakhouse.

Chef Adrian Esteban (CRU sous chef) prepares our steaks.

Priding itself for its top-quality meats, CRU Steakhouse boasts a premium line up of dry-aged steaks and seafood dishes meant to satisfy hardcore foodies.

Situated inside Marriott Hotel, CRU exudes a lavish atmosphere—you get to feel the luxury the moment you step into its sleek entrance, a silver gate that makes way for the reception area, where a gold tree-like structure stands beside a shelf displaying the reservation bars of regular guests.

The bar sits to the left, with plush stools, dark wooden paneling, and displays of imported booze. Walk on and you will get to the main dining area, dominated by black and red. Here, more lounges and tables are impeccably set-up, a few ones more privileged than others—like these tables directly in front of the open grilling station.

Watch the chefs prepare the rubs for your steaks and place them on the fire. You can also choose your preferred meats from the glass display.

I dined in one of CRU’s two private rooms, where I got to enjoy European dishes and sumptuous steaks alongside the company of fellow foodies. We started by sampling CRU’s appetizers—small plates which are meant to fuel you for the main attraction later. CRU’s Parmesan, Pesto, and Tomato Rolls officially commenced our dinner, a trio of CRU’s homemade bread served with blue cheese and herbed butter. They make really good bread I must say!

The salads at CRU are a must-order: The Organic Baby Spinach Salad (PhP550) came enclosed in a parmesan crisp that was simply addicting. Fork through to reveal spinach leaves drenched in balsamic, then scoop up some oranges, tomatoes, blue cheese, walnuts, and mustard dressing. The Organic Tomato Salad (PhP580) lets its premium ingredients shine through: giant and cherry tomatoes, red onions, balsamic, crushed olives, and feta cheese.

Organic Baby Spinach Salad
Organic Tomato Salad
Foie gras seems to be all over town lately—and expect a really good one at CRU. The Sauteed Duck Liver (PhP920) is a stack of rich foie gras with apple chutney and sweet maple lemon glaze. I loved the Certified Angus Beef Carpaccio (PhP750): sheets of raw, flavorful beef with parmesan, arugula, and tarragon dressing.

Left: Sauteed Duck Liver; right: Angus Beef Carpaccio
Two more of my favorites were the Seared US Scallops (PhP730) and the Tuna Tartar – the latter a part of CRU’s Seafood Specials for this March. For me, the sauces deserve the credit for elevating these dishes to must-order status: hollandaise for the scallops and wasabi aioli for the tuna.

Left: Seared Scallops; right: Tuna Tartar
The Salmon Tartar (PhP650) was remarkably good, a lightly creamy and acidic dish of raw salmon and lemon mustard dressing. The CRU Crab Cakes (PhP690) is recommended, medium-sized cakes with celeriac apple slaw and creamy Cajun remoulade. If you like shrimps, get the Chilled Ocean Shrimps (PhP680) with jalapeno salsa and cocktail sauce. CRU also offers a Lump Crab Cocktail (PhP690), Seared Yellow Fin Tuna (PhP650) and Tuna Sashimi.

Salmon Tartar
Top: Chilled Ocean Shrimps; bottom: Lump Crab Cocktail
Clockwise from top: Crab cakes; tuna sashimi; seared yellow fin tuna
CRU’s soups are all designed to comfort and impress. I loved the Shrimp Gumbo (PhP370) with its rich, mildly spicy broth. Bits of fragrant rice and minced vegetables provide added texture. The Caramelized Onion (PhP390) is a hearty choice—sweetish onions topped with gooey Gruyere. But the best among the three was the Wild Mushroom (PhP390), a creamy, earthy, heavenly bowl with a hint of truffle oil, designed to make truffle junkies like me irreversibly bonkers!

Clockwise from left: Shrimp Gumbo; Wild Mushroom Soup; Caramelized Onion Soup
There were so much starters I thought we’d never get to the steak (LOL), but as I was scooping up the last drops of my mushroom soup, in came the server with three slabs of CRU’s US Certified Angus Beef Bone-in Rib Eye (PhP5,400 for 900 grams/31.75 ounces). It took all of my energies not to drool all over the table!

Look at that!

The steak was perfectly charred, and still beautifully pink inside—after all, a great steak, like great love, is rare (LOL, #PushMoYan). Despite its thickness, the meat was incredibly tender and juicy, and flavorful on its own. The server will carve it for you tableside. Also, no need for sauces, yet CRU provides 4 selections for guests who would prefer some extra flavor to their steak.


Each 900-gram serving comes with 5 sides of your choice plus 2 extra sauces; since we had 3 slabs, we got to try almost all of their sides. I highly recommend the Truffle Mac and Cheese (f*ck!), potato gratin, honey glazed carrots, grilled Portobello mushrooms, and the INSANELY DELICIOUS BLACK TRUFFLE RISOTTO—chef, take my life now!!!

CRU uses special, personalized steak knives.
We had some of CRU’s house wine while enjoying our steaks—but for diners who would prefer beverages other than wine, a wide variety of cocktails, beers, and liquors are also available. Also, a selection of other steaks are available like the US Certified Angus Beef Prime striploin, tenderloin and porterhouse, as well as Australian wagyu.

Left: steak sauces: Shiraz, black peppercorn, forest mushroom, Bearnaise; right: Benchmark house wine
I could’ve sworn my airways are clogged already until somebody mentioned dessert—at which point, I knew I would spontaneously combust. Unbelievably, I still managed to try all of them. LOL! The Banana Foster (PhP410), a dessert that involves a server flambĂ©-ing it in front of you, was delicious but not really extraordinary. If you dine at CRU, I would say it’s better to go for their ice cream and cakes—like the Sweet and Salty Chocolate Moist Cake (PhP400), which is one tower of a cake.

Left: Sweet and Salty Chocolate Cake; right: Banana Foster
My top choices were the Chocolate Caramel Crunch Log (PhP380), with its multiple layers and textures, and flavors dominated by hazelnut, and the Praline Mousse (PhP400), an ice cream cake of chocolate and cognac.

Chocolate Caramel Crunch Log
Chocolate Praline Mousse
I still couldn’t get over at how impressed and satisfied I was with our dinner—from starter to dessert. And I loved the fact that even if a lot of appetizers and cakes stood out, the steak simply stole the show and reigned all over. In addition, the wait staff and chefs are so friendly, you would hardly feel you’re in a snooty fine dining restaurant.

The next time you’re in a celebratory or show-off mood, and craving for really good steak, visit CRU Steakhouse at Marriott Hotel and revel in their indulgent appetizers, succulent steaks, and luscious desserts. The prices are on the steep side, but if you have the money anyway—why not? After all, if you’re a serious foodie, a great dining experience is always better than a pile of money rotting in your wallet.



~*~
CRU Steakhouse
G/F Marriott Hotel Manila, #10 Newport Bldv., Newport City, Pasay City
(02) 988.9990 local 8109
Sun – Thu: 6:00PM – 10:30PM; Fri – Sat: 6:00PM – 11:30PM
Menu: click here
Dress code: smart casual; shorts and slippers not allowed
Special note: kids below 10 years old are not allowed


Have you tried CRU Steakhouse? Where is your go-to place for great steaks?

Special thanks to Cru Steakhouse and Zomato Philippines. All opinions in this article are my own.

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2 comments :

  1. Those are really awesome shots. Now I'm hungry for steak, great job! :D



    Eleigh
    www.misseleighneux.com

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