[OK na Food Trip] Maria Luisa's Garden Room

Introduction:

happy fifth!

It's our 5th year as a couple. To celebrate the milestone, I scoured the net for a romantic place that should be close to our office in Makati yet not amongst our common date places in the area. Then I happened upon this restaurant tucked on an unassuming corner of the Makati Garden Club.

The low EQ in me spilled about it to Kat a week before the anniversary. That's a couple of weeks after I was having her guess where I plan to take her for our anniversary dinner. Ang clue ko: "Malapit sa EDSA, pero lampas ng Glorietta (from our office)." There's nothing much there aside from the InterCon (which is her guess) so that made her think for quite some time. LOL.

Anyway, it's still Kat who made the reservation. The place is for members only but she was able to get someone to sponsor us. Awesome!

On the Table:

• Mussels a la Baltazar (in white wine and cream)
• Sourdough Baguette (2 baskets!) (complimentary) + take-away
• Smoked Salmon on Pumpernickel Bread (complimentary)
• Salad de Maison
• Salmon la Maison
• Lemonade
• Watermelon Mint with Lemon Ginger

mussels with the best cream sauce ever!

As an appetizer, the mussels in white wine and cream is served first, together with the complimentary items. It's heaven on our palate! One, the mussels are cooked perfectly soft and the serving is generous (tingin namin pwede itong pang tatlong tao); and two, the sauce is, for lack of a fitting superlative, paradise on Earth! It's the perfect appetizer to set our first impression with Maria Luisa's. We finished the mussels in no time, all the while mopping up the sauce with the freshly baked sourdough (which we fell in love with too!). When the next course is about to be served, we refused the servers to take our bowl of mussel sauce. Gusto namin itong sairin! LOL. We can rave all day about it, really.

salmon over pumpernickel

Anyway, the complimentary bread is served with cute balls of butter. The sourdough is tasty as it is. Malambot yung loob at toasted yung outside crust. We bought one roll for take-away. We didn't like the other complimentary food which is the smoked salmon on small cuts of pumpernickel black bread. Kat opted to avoid it as the salmon might not be cooked enough to be okay for our baby. It has slices of mango, tomato, and some garnish. Medyo naasiman ako sa mixture.

greens

For their salad de maison, ang daming serving ng smoked salmon. It's dressed in mustard sauce which we did not like mixed with the sweetness of the mango slices. It works with the salmon and the mixed fresh greens though. Also, it was a nice combo with our main course...

salmon la maison

...the grilled salmon (la maison). The salmon is baked with mushrooms and potatoes then served over a bed of risotto with bacon bits and greens. The salmon is cooked just right. It's soft, moist, and falls away from the slightest slice. The risotto (creamy rice dish) is a perfect complement to the salmon but frankly it's heavy on the stomach and after a good run with the mussel dish, hindi na namin maubos ito ni Kat. Still, it's mmm mmm mmm! Sarap!

The lemonade tasted fresh. Parang yung lasa ng sa Muscle Beach ang asim.

We went a bit too adventurous with the watermelon drink. It needs some getting use to before I appreciated it. Kat did not like it at all. Parang mouthwash yung aftertaste nito. It's minty after all.

watermelon concoction

We should be going for the mango crepe for dessert but we just don't have the stomach-space to accommodate it anymore. Sad. I was personally looking for it.

About the Cost:

It's not going to be cheap. NO. Not on a place as romantic as this, that serves delicacies as great as these.

The membership alone is at P1,200 already.

Salads goes for around P350 while appetizers averages at P550. Desserts are in the P300 range. Entrees ranges from P600 to P900 while the grilled specialties goes for around P1,600.

Service charge (which is really justified) is at standard 10%.

A sourdough goes for 60 bucks only. Dapat talaga may special mention ito. It's good!

fish entrees

Other Comments:

Service is great! They refill everything almost immediately. It can be uncomfortable though as they kept monitoring your table for what else you might need. Kat felt uncomfortable na laging binabantayan kami. Sa akin naman, okay lang. Also, the staff are friendly and answered well when asked about the menu. Natatawa kami dahil it took four servers to lay down our main course. Good service, really.

The Swedish head chef, Chef Robert, walks around the place to converse with patrons. When asked about it, he gives recommendations on what to order based on their preferences. I overheard that night that he suggested the mussel dish (na kakaiba naman talaga sa sarap!) and an ox tail dish (kare-kare yata) to the family dining on an adjacent table from us.

flex those mussels!

Too bad, we came at night. I see morning photos online and the garden looks beautiful and well-kept. Sa gabi, we can't see anything aside from the areas where there are soft lights (mostly near the entrance). Aside from that, nababalutan na ng dilim yung buong lugar. Hindi namin inakala na may restaurant right in the middle of that dark corner.

caption this

The interior design is really pretty. The feel of the theme is girly chic with lots of flower designs and wooden furniture to complement that cute countryside look. There's an area for their bakery and a separate area for dining.

There's instrumental string music on their speakers which sadly cannot compete with frequent honks from buses on the nearby EDSA (isang dingding lang ang pagitan ng Makati Garden Club at EDSA).

very girly interiors

To Sum it Up:

A must for couples on a milestone date. The place is perfect for a quick escape from the Makati bustle. Just prepare to burn bucks.

Makati Garden Club

Rating:
6 out of 7




[obi.July.31]