My Birthday at Cru

This year I spent my birthday in Manila after eons of celebrating away from home.

Unlike my 30th where I was full of hope, zen, and optimism for what this decade will bring, my 31st was a study in depression. The realization of hitting my 30s must have come a year late as I heard most people experience this same phase of denial when they hit 30. Not when they hit 31.

I did try and start out with all the best intentions. I planned for a quiet night out (not really into huge parties) with my two BFFs, get a few birthday balloons, wear an "its my birthday" pin for the laugh, and plan for a good time. This idea was good up until I woke up the morning of my 31st. As soon as I opened my eyes, the excitement was gone, and in its place was this miserable monster of self pity firmly planted on my un-caffeinated shoulders. I was inconsolable the whole day (even after my regular coffee shots) and was on the verge of cancelling dinner if it weren't for my foody curiosity on how Cru will compare to the reviews its been getting. Tummy over heartache, I prettied up and was off to the Marriott hotel in Newport City.

Cru is tucked away behind the main dining / buffet area of the Marriott. Its location gave you the slightest impression that it might not want to be found. Its entrance is at the end of a long hallway where halfway through you'll find a small stand displaying the Cru menu and a small dining area to the left hand side. While the thought didn't enter my mind (probably because I already saw the entrance to Cru straight ahead), this stand actually confused my dining companions into thinking that Cru is off to the left where the cluster of chairs and tables were. Well, it wasn't. Instead, your way into Cru is still a few meters ahead and characterized by a dark looming entryway that reminded me of a posh cave styled in hues of rich brown that brings steak to mind and deep red reminiscent of burgundy wine. Perhaps the cave metaphor came from how intimately lighted the entrance was and how bright and cheerful the hallway leading to it was.

Cru Main Grill

Once in, we were showed to a very open dining area with its perimeter lined with booths and plush sofas, and few isolated chairs. Smack in the middle was an open kitchen with the main open fire grill facing most diners. The room had an imposing, yet cozy feel to it, and screamed steakhouse without being tacky or too carnivore oriented - if it were a person, you'd know that the place was a man, but a very dignified man with a quiet and solid strength to him. Nothing loud or too pretentious. To quote my mom's favorite word, it was a place with "class."

Bread

One of my BFFs had a Marriott card (I will have to ask her what these are really called one day) which gives the holder's party a discount when dining at any of the Marriott establishments and freebies depending on the restaurant. At Cru, because there were three of us, we get a 33% discount off our total bill and a free dessert OR appetizer, and a free glass of wine.  The latter was a welcome boon as we didn't expect that at all -- for this occasion, we opted to get apple tarts for our complimentary desserts and two of us decided on glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon while the other went with plain ol' regular Coca Cola.

We each ordered a different type of steak with different sides, there was medium well rib eye, medium well sirloin, and a medium tenderloin all cooked to the perfect level of done-ness. I had the tenderloin, and it was medium without being bloody runny, and theirs were medium well with just a hint of pink. It was great. I would say even better than the steaks prepared at Marco Pierre White along Dawson Street in Dublin. This part was a most pleasant surprise - as steak dining in Manila is a bit like searching for the holy grail. There are thousands of steak houses but few can actually cook their meat at the correct level you want. Usually each establishment would have different gauges, and Filipinos as a general rule, are not fond of bloody or pink meat. If they are one of the few who can cook steak well, you pray hard that the next time you patronize their establishment that they are able to repeat their previous performance.

Apart from the good food, the service was great. The wait staff was pretty young though, and I had the distinct feeling they were either fresh out of uni or still in university and completing an OJT requirement for their hotel and restaurant management course. That said, you can expect service to be tentative but enthusiastic at the same time, and painstakingly precise -- like each step is part of a dance  they had just learned and must by all means perform to the letter. It was cute. I guess my only complaint was that they took the plates away too soon. My two companions usually inhale their food while I like to savor every bite and pepper the meal with conversation so I am usually left still eating while they lean back and pat their bellies. I guess the servers took this as a sign that I might be done as well. 

Medium Tenderloin

Medium Well Rib Eye

Medium Well Sirloin

For such a great place, it wasn't very busy. This was probably due to the fact that we went there on a weeknight. But there were a few tables where people were holding business dinners - mostly men in their work barongs discussing their next big deal. There was also the odd couple but older, presumably in their 40s. I am guessing the age of their clientele has a lot to do with the fact that Resort World attracted more of this age bracket than the younger set plus the prices aren't exactly mainstream. Although I would say that I would be more than willing to pay full go for the quality of food that we were served and would even go so far as to say that the pricing is more than reasonable for the image that the restaurant is trying to achieve and for the product it delivers. Conservatively expect to shell out an average of PHP 3,000.00 per head to enjoy the full Cru experience.

As the remnants of our main course was being taken away and the dainty looking apple tarts were served, here come the wait staff, with the most decadent looking chocolate cake sporting a lone candle and "Happy Birthday" scripted on the icing. I had only noticed their approach as they started singing, just in time to my shoving a mouthful of tart in my mouth.

As they sang, I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me whole but at the same time cannot help but be touched by the efforts my BFF went through to arrange this and the balloon bouquet handed to me by our server early on. It was a good dinner that not only lifted my spirits up but also kept me sane for the rest of the evening and convinced me that maybe turning 31 isn't so bad after all.

Apple Tart

My Birthday Cake courtesy of Cru