Christmas Celebration

Christmas eve dinner was unusual this year

Unusual because we opted not to go to a buffet. Hubby instead made reservations at one of Philippine Tatler’s 2009 Philippines’ Best Restaurants, 22 Prime.

Located at the 22nd floor of Discovery Suites in Ortigas, the place is upscale and offers a panoramic view of the metro. The restaurant was not crowded, unlike most of the Christmas buffets we’ve gone to the past few years. I thought the ambiance was perfect for appreciation of good food. We were ushered to a window seat, a little dark for my photos, but with a nice view.

The staff was friendly and very accommodating. Anyone i called for queries was knowledgeable of the dishes we were served including just a passing waiter serving water to the guests. Our server was also well opinionated when it came to dilemmas in choosing dishes or drinks. This is something i value. It reflects the restaurant’s good staff training. Tat, however, thought the service was a bit slow (hence the extra charge even after validating our car park ticket), but i thought the flow of dishes served was just right for a sit down dinner.

A set of complimentary spreads were already at the table when we arrived

One was a potato based spread, the other, tomato and olive oil and the third, chicken liver pate. The tomato and olive oil would have to be my favorite. Although i love liver pate, i have yet to find one that would beat the one we get at Cibo.

Chef Rick’s Cheese Bread

Sun dried tomato bread topped with four cheeses. The texture was amazing, a mix of delicately crisp crust and moist and airy center. I wish the flavors of the cheeses were more prominent though. But then again that’s just me and my penchant for cheese!

Grilled Bone Marrow

I don’t think an explanation is needed as to why this was ordered. I love bone marrow so much that i got half of the serving and ate the marrow directly *grin*, the other half was shared by hubby and i in a 25-75 fashion (him with the former and i with the latter portion) but this time i used it as a spread for the toast that came with the dish…so that’s what the bread was for! hahaha!

The bone marrow was perfect! A firm glob that had such a delectable flavor topped with herbs and spices, and something i could not seem to place, that gave the marrow a good crunch. It was delicious!

Rib Eye Steak

Hubby ordered their famous rib eye steak, medium rare and paired it with a Cabernet Merlot from South Africa.

400 grams of unadulterated, perfectly cooked steak! Delicious! No wonder 22 Prime was named the Best Steak Restaurant in 2008 by Goldspot

Wagyu Baby Back Ribs

I loved what i ordered. A tender dish of “fall off the bones ribs” deliciously marinated and cooked perfectly! A must order if you feel that a big slab of steak is a little intimidating. This was paired with a glass of Shiraz.

The ginger pilaf i ordered as a side dish was however a little disappointing. It was pretty bland for my taste and not at all the fluffy and flavorful rice i expected.

Surf and Turf

Tat was not in the mood to scrutinize the menu and decided to order a set. It came with soup of the day, fresh tagaytay greens, a main course of seafood and steak with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile and a dessert sampler.

For dessert, hubby and i shared a dish of Creme Caramel

A smooth vanilla custard with caramel sauce. It was good and big enough to be shared by 2-3 people, that is after a deliciously heavy dinner!

Dessert was of course paired with brewed coffee.

We were surprised that aside from the usual sugar and steamed cream that is offered with brewed coffee 22 Prime served glasses of shaved dark and white chocolates

Deliciously brewed coffee with hint of chocolate

Paired with delicious sweets

Makes a perfect ending to a lovely Christmas dinner

Oh and Santa did come early this year but forgot to wrap my gifts…again

And so the famous Christmas eve script of Santa when it comes time to open gifts and i hand him my surprise package “Oh, wala akong gift sa yo” (“i don’t have a gift for you”) referring to not having any wrapped gifts for me, but im getting used to it…THANKS SANTA! i love my new gadgets =)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I hope you had an equally delicious Christmas meal!