Food Blog: Elbert’s Steak Room

Last night we were privileged enough to be called on by Elbert (the famed owner of Restaurant 12 *which we sorely miss* during the Greenbelt 2 days) to try out his new restaurant. He has just opened a small steak place called Elbert’s Steak Room (seating capacity is 12 persons at the moment) in Salcedo Village. His chic wife LizaIC recommended that he call us since Liza knows I’m a steak lover. Of course this baghag did not hesitate to make the call back to reserve 4 seats for the night right away because hey, we are in dire need of a new restaurant, and Elbert has just filled that restaurant “void”!

We had dinner with FV and wife DV (of D! Luxe) *thanks again guys!* and it was really befitting since they go out of their way to find good steak. It was perfect– DH and I are guaranteed to have good company, and are definitely excited to have good food.

The building (Sagittarius) was not hard to find at all. It’s in fact on the same bldg as this other mom-and-pop type Indian restaurant called New Bombay. The building is right across from Sommerset Hotel right along H.V. Dela Costa in Salcedo.

We had to take 3 flights of stairs to get to the 3rd floor where the restaurant is. I like the fact that the restaurant is something you don’t see from the ground. I like a little mystery when it comes to restaurants– it’s really part of the experience to have to look for the restaurant (it’s the hunter-gatherer part in us haha) although Elbert’s was easy to find. We were amused to find a huge red “wall” by the 3rd floor and wondered, ok, so we see the beautiful interiors of the restaurant, but where was the entrance? And like Ali Baba’s command, Open Sesame meant the red wall slides open 🙂 *that was cool!*

We like the ambiance already as soon as we entered the place. It was nice and cozy, and there’s a bit of that “exclusive gentleman’s club” atmosphere. It’s perfect as a steak house indeed, and we were already psyched. *Pardon the grainy photos, I had to use my phone cam since I had stupidly forgotten to bring my kickbootie camera… Thanks to Liza for lending me her camera when she arrived!*

We got ready to order– check out the menu at the restaurant’s website (www.steakroom.com). D! and I just had a very late lunch (late meaning we finished eating at almost 5pm), so we decided it was prudent to halve the 330g rib eye steak and order a lot of side dishes. If we like the place enough, we can always come back.

Our meal began with a nice plate of greens (with avocado too) seasoned with gingery vinaigrette. I can honestly say this is one of the best “greens” I’ve ever had. I like the dressing very much. I’d love it if they can offer portobello mushrooms or foie gras as add-ons next time (holy cow that would be sheer heaven!!).

A choice of soup– I had potato leek soup, while D! had the very flavorful tomato soup.

The potato leek soup got so good with every “slurp”. It got very flavorful in the end. There was a nice kick to it, and it was memorable.

Then came my halved rib eye steak, cooked medium. Now THIS is what I call medium. Some restaurants can’t serve their steaks right– when you say you want it prepared “medium”, they give you medium well. Medium has that slight pink in the middle. Not bloody, but pink. This was really cooked perfectly.

Then came a plethora of sauces which we had requested. Chimichuri (celery pesto) was the most memorable and the best actually. Choron comes a close second for me. We also had the red wine reduction as well as the peppercorn sauce and the herb butter Cafe de Paris. They all complemented the steak very well, but the steak definitely holds its own even without the sauce. And that’s what defines a good steak. You don’t need to mask the flavor with different sauces.

The side dishes were also very exciting, with the gratin dauphinois topping my must-have list. The angel hair pomodoro was good as well and can even stand alone as a dish! (We ordered: mushroom risotto, mashed potatoes with truffle oil, angel hair pomodoro, gratin dauphinois, creamed spinach)

The meal was perfect. We were not overwhelmed with food, and we were able to savor the flavors of the steak and the dishes. This is really the best way to go “food tasting”. Now, since we love the food that’s served here, we can be gluttons the next time we visit again 🙂

But wait, dinner was not over. We still had dessert, compliments of the chef, (actually compliments of the big boss haha). Tiramisu, Chocolate mousse, and caramel flan.
Hags with sweet tooth, you will die and go to heaven when you taste the chocolate mousse because it was really smooth and heavenly. It was fantastic and the best chocolate mousse I’ve ever had– seriously, this beats belgian chocolates. Elbert tells us that they played with native chocolates to create this confection. Imagine that, native chocolates! It’s something not to be missed indeed. The tiramisu is also wonderful.

What a great meal it was. I give this restaurant high marks. And I say this– when you have dinner at a restaurant that is on its dry run, you don’t normally expect the food to be great just yet. But I can say this with strong conviction– Elbert’s Steak Room exceeded our expectations– the food passed with flying colors (with honors even!). If you are a steak lover, you simply have to go to Elbert’s. For reservations, call (632) 339-3363 or check out www.steakroom.com for more info. Remember, you need to call first to check if there is seat availability. It’s a pretty exclusive place and definitely a memorable dining experience. We’ll definitely be back for more 🙂

xx
Mrs.T