Oh, what a Grille!

MANILA, Philippines - For every food lover, there is always a salad that haunts him/her for life. For me, it may well be this — a salad of crisp mixed greens, slivers of smoked salmon, shiitake mushrooms, and prawns in a creamy balsamic dressing. At Old Vine Grille, this is known as the Tessie Tomas Salad — named after the seasoned comedienne, it will certainly put a smile on your lips.

Old Vine Grille is the place to be if steak is your comfort food. The menu is designed with indulgence (and heft) in mind. Also worth mentioning among the starters is the fried scallops and oyster salad as well as the panfried foie gras salad.

Among the entrées, the barbecue lamb spareribs Provencale style stand out. Slices of lamb ribs, tender and fragrant, make up this hot dish, surrounded by asparagus, tomato slices, and potato wedges. A must-try, too, is the irresistible duo of steak and mushrooms, grilled steak with a medley of mushrooms sautéed in au jus. And then there are more steaks.

The peppered steak French style features steak served with a creamy cognac sauce. There is also a medley of steak combinations. The steak and escargot plate features Cajun spiced steak with escargot bourguignone. Meanwhile, the steak and shrimp make a double treat of blackened steak with shrimp barbecue while the steak and prawns duo features beef tenderloin and prawns in mushroom sauce and cafe de Paris. Or how about some steak and fish with lemon butter sauce or a delectable steak and foie gras with Perigourdine sauce?  

Staying true to its mastery of the grill, Old Vine also offers sumptuous grilled prawns and scallops as well as grilled salmon tranche (with wasabi saffron rice) and baby back ribs. Off the grill, Old Vine cooks a tender lamb shank pinot noir as well as roasted chicken and poele lamb spareribs, tender ribs in curry sauce, served with vegetable risotto.

For dessert, there is the chocolate gooey fudge, a chocolate cake so light and moist that’s topped with a chocolate fudge sauce and crisp caramel bits, finished off by a few marshmallows. Sure to warm the heart is the warm apple and bread pudding served with ice cream as well as the Belgian chocolate fondue and soufflé of three kinds — banana flambé, chocolate caramel, and mango & cheese. 

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Old Vine Grille is located in Level 1, Eastwood Mall in Eastwood City, Libis. Call 706-5573 for reservations.

E-mail the author at ravin.facts@yahoo.com.