SINN'S

4.5 out of 5 stars

Sinn’s is named after the proprietor of the restaurant, Tomas Sinn, who is also the owner of another award-winning restaurant, Blue Danube. This restaurant is located at the new trendy Wembley Square Centre, where it takes the elegance of fine dining and makes it more approachable by offering affordable prices and professional, friendly service. It actually reminds me of Serendra or Bonifacio High Street Area, where it is newer, smaller and a little more edgy as compared to the VA Waterfront of Cape Town that could be likened to Greenbelt. The concept behind this restaurant is to have it capture the ambience of an upmarket inner city hotspot. It was very successful because of its location, where Wembley Square is located within an industrial site, sort of like NY’s meatpacking district, as well as its interiors with its geometric light fixtures, metal columns and walls layered with wood, mirror and slate.

Interiors

When at Sinn’s, one should also try the Sbar (adjoining the restaurant), where this cocktail lounge offers tapas style snacks and a wide range of classic cocktails and boutique style wines. After your delicious meal, one can go to Sinn’s Deli beside the Sbar, where you can get fresh bread or tapenades to bring home to your loved ones. They also do they do free wine tastings here every Friday from 5-8pm.

Sbar

We started with a Rocket Salad with Crispy Bacon and Pecorino (R 65 / 387.89 PhP). The salad was really tasty, tossed with a light vinaigrette dressing, as well as generous amounts of bacon, pecorino shavings, herbed croutons, cherry tomato halves and alfalfa sprouts. Their alfalfa sprouts look different from ours since the seeded ends are dark, but the taste is very much the same. Rocket leaves are basically arugula, so it is very spicy and nutty and are great raw as salad leaves. Overall though, I think what made this dish delicious was the addition of bacon and cheese. You can’t really go wrong with that, and adding these to a nutritious salad makes the salad more than just tolerable, but enjoyable.

Rocket Salad with Crispy Bacon and Pecorino (R 65 / 387.89 PhP)

For main, we had two Grilled Prawns (R 99 / 590.78 PhP), Fillet of Salmon (R 119 / 710.13 PhP) and Prime Aged Karan Beef Sirloin (R 99 / 590.78 PhP). All were beautifully decorated, but the Grilled Prawns were the least attractive, even if it did have an interesting flavor. Taking from Indian influence, it was basically eight prawns served with a light curry sauce and curried basmati rice. It tasted better than it looked, though, and was very light and healthy, where the shrimps did not drown in the rich yellow curry sauce.

Grilled Prawns (R 99 / 590.78 PhP)

The Fillet of Salmon was grilled to perfection and served on a whole grain mustard mash and Hollandaise sauce. It was decorated with the same black sesame lavash as in the prawns, forest mushrooms, beet chips and a protea flower, Africa’s national flower. This dish may be even more luscious and fatty than the prawns, as the hollandaise was poured all over the base of the plate.

Fillet of Salmon (R 119 / 710.13 PhP)

I liked my Prime Aged Karan Beef Sirloin the best. You had a choice of rösti (German/Austrian potato patties) or French fries and a selection of these sauces: wild porcini mushroom, Dijon mustard, garlic butter or red wine. I chose the rösti with red wine sauce. Karan beef is basically an integrated beef production organisation in Africa, much like America’s USDA. The steak was juicy medium well, and sopped up the red wine sauce beautifully. It came with a side of porcini mushrooms, 3 rösti patties and a whole grilled onion. The meaty taste of the steak, with the creamy mushroom side order, piquant flavor of the red wine and the sweetness of the onion woke up all the taste sensations in my mouth. Not only was there a good flavor explosion but also a combination of texture, with a thoughtful touch of crispy string sweet potatoes on top as garnish.

Prime Aged Karan Beef Sirloin (R 99 / 590.78 PhP)

Sinn’s is not only a great dive to eat in, but is also cool to be seen in. I would head back to this restaurant in a heartbeat next time I’d take a trip to Cape Town!

Menu. Click below to magnify.


















Wembley Square
McKenzie Street
Gardens
8001
Cape Town, South Africa
Open from 9 am to 11 pm

CICOU

.5 out of 5 stars (for me)

Heard a lot of buzz about this French bistro. Mostly good, compared to La Regalade, which is why I convinced a couple of my girl friends to accompany me there on a food trip. One of them agreed with much approval, after coming from a dinner with her family giving them the "vip" treatment. She even suggested good picks, such as the uni soup, the pork kurobota, the sea bass and the millionaire's pasta (not on the menu).

The restaurant is housed in Hotel Celeste, and one wouldn't notice that there was a restaurant to its front side. I mean that in a good way, because the restaurant blends effortlessly within the quirky modern-baroque feel of the place. The restaurant, though, contains more classic pieces, muted yellow lights (compared to the bright cheery whites of Celeste) and even wall fabrics.

There is only one page for the menu, and we were quick to order because our friend had already narrowed the choices down for us, picking the "Tomato" under their Hot Appetizers, as well as the "Sea Bass" in the Main Course. The waiter also highly recommended it, claiming it to be their best-seller. We couldn't request for the Millionaire's pasta (pasta with all the expensive trimmings, such as lobsters, foie gras, etc) since they didn't have any pasta to cook with.

It was refreshing (literally and figuratively) that our amuse bouche would turn out to be ice cream. In an "Iron Chef" twist of fate, it turned out to be balsamic ice cream with parmesan shavings in it. There was also a large circular puff pastry on top, just to balance off the tartness. I got bowled over with my first spoonful, the flavors were very intense...and tart! Actually, it's very good, but I'm not a fan of things tart and acidic in general. I was hoping to get to the middle of the scoop, thinking the vinegar flavor was stronger outside since I saw dark balsamic swirls ringing the sorbet glass, but when I dug deeper, it had the same tart concentration.

The Tomato (250 PhP) looked like a pizza of some sort, only that the crust was a puff pastry. Its "sauce" was eggplant caviar, which actually lacked taste. The mozarella and olives only brought color while adding nothing to the eggplant. Perhaps the only ingredient which brought it to life were the sun-dried tomatoes circling the pastry. As well as the parmesan shavings, though I didn't taste much of that, either. My friend and i had to add much salt for good measure. It was alright, but nothing to rave about just yet.

Tomato (250 PhP)

So their best-selling Sea Bass (680 PhP) arrived with much expectation. I was thinking that it must be good since the fish wasn't exactly that big. I was even able to take a picture of the entire plate without anything else just to make the fish look a little bigger! As I was eating it, I was relishing the sauce...truffle oil just makes everything taste good, especially if it's loaded with cream! I just slathered the sauce over the mashed potatoes and the fish, eating the leeks sparingly because it was a little tough.

Sea Bass (680 PhP)

I had a great time talking with my girl friends, and i really didn't have much to say anymore about the dish I was eating until...the sauce ran out! I guess that wasn't much of a problem, I mean, the fish must be good anyway, right? But I remember this incident distinctly, because my friend Julia was talking about Boracay when I chewed into something FISHY. Sea bass isn't supposed to taste like this! Wait a minute....I skimmed my fork over and through the fish....it was flaky....and brown! I've been so used to meaty, succulent, white sea bass without any fishy aftertaste whatsoever. As far as I was concerned, was it even sea bass to begin with? I stopped eating, and handed my plate over to Julia, asking her if I was just imagining that fishy taste. Her eyes start to widen in recognition, as my other friend Myta also grabs a forkful.

"I know! It tastes like Bangus! It probably is bangus!" exclaims Julia.
Myta interposes, "yeah, sea bass never looked this brown. It wasn't like that the other time." The other time being when she ate here with her family.
"I know, right?" I agreed.
Julia goes on to say that her mom eats that for breakfast with tomatoes and onions, making calls to her aunts and uncles about how weird this sea bass tasted.
I ask Myta to call one of our chef friends to ask if sea bass really look and tasted like this.
In the meantime, I was debating on whether to ask for the chef or not. I was never a confrontational customer, but I was really upset with the fish. The least I wanted was an explanation if I were to pay that much for something I disliked.
Myta just came from talking with our chef friend, and he ended up saying that we were being fooled if what we described to him was sea bass. Sea bass usually didn't flake, nor was it brown with such a fishy taste. That bolstered our courage to ask for the chef and ask him about it.

So I called the waiter, explained to him our situation, and asked him to call the chef. There we were, leisurely chatting and eating, waiting for the chef to come out. Lo and behold, rather than the chef coming out to answer our queries, another waiter comes out with a BOWL OF RAW FISH ON ICE. He then goes to say that the chef was showing us the fish he prepared our sea bass with, and that it was called "Apahap," a "local" sea bass. All of us were flabbergasted....to bring the customers a bowl of raw fish???!?!! What were we going to do with it???! We just nodded and the waiter left us.

At this point, my friends and I were furious with the treatment we were getting. Julia all the more called relatives and friends, telling others about that incident. All of us were in agreement when it came to still wanting an explanation from the chef. So one of us calls the waiter to ask for him AGAIN, and the waiter just nodded his head and disappears through the kitchen doors. They most likely called the pair (the chef and his wife), but I think the latter didn't even feel the need to talk to their customers? I don't know... but suffice to say, we ended up waiting for idle time.

Julia adamantly insisted not paying for the fish should the bill arrive. As much as I wanted to, I knew that I'd pay for it in case the restaurant asks, just so that they wouldn't think I'm mooching off a meal. Worse part is, I was too full to eat another bite in a different restaurant, even if I wanted to just to make up for that awful fish. Our patience was wearing thin, and we finally called for a waiter one last time. I think the chef arrived only because we were teetering to the edge of losing our tempers. What fanned the flames was when we saw Chef Cyrille and his wife dilly-dallying around the place schmoozing and talking with their friends, both knowing that we wanted to call either of them, but none of them responding to our requests.

When he came, he shook our hands and asked what the problem was. So we repeated our "fishy" story, and how we never came across that kind of sea bass, let alone "Apahap." He goes on to explain that it's a local fish, that even other countries like Singapore call it "Asian Sea Bass." Fine. Okay. But then I went on to explain that the fish had a fishy taste, and that I was surprised that sea bass would taste like that. He just let that statement go with a, "Sorry you didn't like my recipe," without looking the least apologetic or concerned. I added that we were a bit offended because we tried calling them several times, but he was quick to reply that he was busy preparing the food in the kitchen. He said this with such ease, knowing that Julia saw him just around the corner entertaining his friends.

Not feeling mollified one bit, we just asked for the check. The waiter comes in with a plate of some pastries. When we said that we didn't want it, he replied, "Hindi, talagang binibigyan namin yan." At this point, we all just wanted to go since we were so angry, adding insult to injury in that the dessert given wasn't even one to make up for the unsatisfactory service.

We left in a hurry, Julia giving added info that all the more compelled us never to go back (I'm telling this story with her permission). Her Tito, who's a doctor in Makati Med, mentioned to the wife of Chef Cyrille one time that he's good friends with the owners of Celeste. He was planning on bringing the Board of Directors to have dinner there, and was half-joking when he asked for a discount. Much to his shock, she said, "You should have told me ahead of time. We could have planned a budget menu."

In so many words, it is apparent that my companions nor I have any intention of returning to this restaurant. Even assuming that the fish was indeed apaap, or a kind of sea bass, or even if we were wrong, there may have been ways which could have salvaged our disastrous trip:

1. They could have offered to replaced the dish with another one to our liking.
   
2. They may have offered to waive the expense of that dish, which we would have refused to do, but at least there was an act of good faith.
3. A simple and sincere apology would have even been acceptable (without any qualifications) because, as this phrase has always been used, "The customer is always right."

MENU. Click to MAGNIFY.












Restaurant Cicou, Hotel Celeste
San Lorenzo Drive cor. A. Arnaiz Ave., San Lorenzo Village
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 887-8080 loc. 242
M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:00 am - 10:00 am
M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

OLD SWISS INN

4 out of 5 stars


I have been a regular fan of Old Swiss Inn since the start of college (almost a decade ago). As much as college seemed like years away, it barely holds a candle to Old Swiss Inn, which had been around since 1946, the original one being located in Manila. (picture to the left is the one I frequent in Makati, care of Margauxlicious.

While many restaurants go for modern minimalist (industrialist → private joke), Old Swiss Inn revels in the traditional Alpine look. The walls are made of log timber, the stain glass windows depict scenes in Switzerland, Swiss flaglettes adorn the wooden beams and pillars….heck, even the staff has a Swiss costume on! ☺ And even if it’s been around for more than 50 years, it doesn’t feel old at all. Continued renovation and upkeep have made this place as fresh as the first time it was built, no musty odors, nor rotting furniture in sight!

The menu constantly updates itself, keeping the old favorites, but adding new dishes for the old-timers. To start with, I always get myself a Four Seasons shake. This is probably one of the rare restos that makes a mean Four Seasons since the fruits are fresh (not concentrate). Then they whip it up in different layers adding that touch of grenadine at the bottom, finally decorating it pretty nicely with a parasol hat for that tropical touch. As I said before, some of you rate the place by its service or ambience, but I am rather partial to a resto that blenders a good 4 Season Shake.

We start off with my favorite dish, and definitely one of the permanent mainstays in the menu, being this resto’s crowning glory: the fondue. Although most get the chocolate fondue, where Old Swiss uses decadent chocolate Toblerones, I prefer getting the Waatlander fondue (650 PhP), its cheese counterpart. In this fondue, you dip day-old bread (since freshly baked ones would not be able to hold its consistency upon dipping) in a bowl of melted raclette that is simmered with olive oil, a hint of garlic and a splash of kirsch (a cherry brandy). Eating this is pretty much dope for me, and I must confess to eating it every time I’m in Old Swiss. As much as this fondue is ideal for large groups, I still wolf it down even if we’re just a couple of diners. It’s also comfort food, and has the same consistent taste through the years, except for one time where they overloaded with kirsch. Remember the movie “Ratatouille,” where Anton Ego (the food critic) ate Remy’s ratatouille, transporting him back to his childhood days when his grandmother cooked the same for him? I can seem to relate with that situation because when I eat this fondue, it never fails to take me back to my college days, where we’d grab a bite here in the wee hours of the morning right after club-hopping. This transitions well into my next FYI, in that Old Swiss Inn stays open for 24 hours. Yep, it’s probably the only semi-fine dining place I know that stays open forever. And guess what? It’s now wi-fi! So as far as Makati yuppies are concerned, those all-nighter projects could be wrapped up here ☺

The famous FONDUE!

Going back to the food, I ordered Risotto Fruitti di Mare (Seafood Risotto, 375 PhP), since it wasn’t one of the usual dishes I got here, most being replaced by new ones, others still in the menu for being signature dishes. Two of my most often-ordered entrees still on their list would be the Zurich Geschnetzeltes (the latter word refers to the way the meat is cut and shredded into strips, 310 PhP) as well as the Rham Schnitzel (schnitzel being either of the upper or lower part of a cordon bleu, ). I actually like the Geschnetzeltes more. It’s basically pork tenderloin with a mix of mushrooms, wine, onions and a bunch of my favorite fatty things: cream, oil and beurre manié (50/50 butter/flour mix). It’s accompanied by roesti, a traditional Swiss siding of buttery potato pancakes. That’s not to say that Rham Schnitzel (there’s also a Paniertes Schnitzel, but it’s not as good) is chopped liver….It’s still delicious, especially with its siding of spatzle (something like Swiss pasta).

Back to the risotto, it was presented beautifully, with the Arborio rice forming a three-sided star while the seafood and tomato concasse meticulously placed on its top. However, I was mildly surprised that I wasn’t blown away with this dish compared to the Geschnetzeltes. The risotto was okay, above average at best. Sad to say, I didn’t notice anything extraordinary with the dish, be it the freshness of the ingredients or the intensity of its flavor.

Risotto Fruitti di Mare

My other friend got the Dame of Salmon (385 PhP) described in the menu as poached salmon in wine, fresh herbs, and served with a chive sauce. Fresh spring greens in raspberry vinaigrette on the side. Again, the same verdict as the risotto.

Dame of Salmon

Finally, Pao got the Corned Beef (350 PhP), Swiss Inn's very own corned beef brisket, served with sautéed cabbage and boiled potatoes. Pao also had a lukewarm response to his serving. I personally thought that it would have been better to have accompanied it with a spicy horseradish-mayo dip, which is often the sauce for this kind of brisket. But to its credit, Old Swiss Inn supposedly cures their own meats for their corned beef.

Corned Beef

All in all, I would have rated Old Swiss Inn 4.5 out of 5 Stars if not for my last visit there, where our dishes weren’t just hitting the spot. But considering that I’ve been here more than 20 times --- and that it has maintained its quality --- should speak for its reputation as a safe bet for any resto exploration. I would suggest to pick from the categories of “signature dishes,” “from the sea,” and “from the grill.” And if you’re a chocolate lover, don’t miss out on their toblerone fondue. Quite appropriate for the valentine season, if I may say so myself ☺

my MAS barkada in Old Swiss

ate in:

Old Swiss Inn Restaurant, Olympia Towers (24 Hours)
G/F Olympia Towers, Makati Ave. cor. Sto. Tomas St.
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 818-0098
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 12:00 mn - 12:00 mn

other branches:
Old Swiss Inn Restaurant, Alabang
2nd Flr. BMW Auto Centrum Ave., cor. Madrigal Avenue, Ayala Alabang
Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila
(02) 809-2326
Su, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Su, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Old Swiss Inn Restaurant, Garden Plaza Hotel
Ground Level, The Garden Plaza Hotel and Suites, 1030 Belen St., Paco
Manila City, Metro Manila
(02) 522-4835 to 39
M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:00 am - 11:00 pm