Where’s the beef? It’s at The Fireplace

New World Manila Bay Hotel extends chef Ivan Chieregatti’s Mayura Wagyu menu until Aug. 31 due to popular demand.

To those who know their steaks, Wagyu beef is in their top three. And to those who know their Wagyu beef, Mayura Wagyu from Mayura Station, a cattle farm located on the Limestone Coast in South Australia, ranks at the very top.

New World Manila Bay Hotel, formerly Hyatt Manila Hotel & Casino, highlighted Mayura beef at its signature restaurant The Fireplace in July. Oh, that cozy space that was one of the first to feature an open wood-fired grill-slash-kitchen was just perfect for this special menu and due to popular demand from loyal patrons and diners who want to try something new, The Fireplace has extended the Mayura Wagyu Menu by chef Ivan Chieregatti until Aug. 31.

Romina Gervacio, director of communications, explains that “Mayura Wagyu is highly prized by gourmands and chefs worldwide for its reputation as one of the best quality beefs with excellent marbling. In fact, Mayura was awarded a gold medal at the Australian Wagyu Association’s inaugural Wagyu Branded Beef Competition in 2012.”

What makes Mayura Wagyu from this particular farm special is that the cattle are from pure Wagyu blood lines. Add the “regional characteristics and good water supply to the farm in South Australia,” and you get award-winning Wagyu beef.

Mayura Wagyu has received an Award for Excellence from the South Australian Meat Industry and the world’s best chef (1999 and 2000) Julien Bompard once described Mayura Wagyu as “the highest quality beef available.”

It’s not only the quality of the beef that is significant here, it is also the farming methods at Mayura Station, which according to Romina, adopts “an integrated and cyclical approach to farming, focusing on self-generating and renewable production at the Limestone Coast in South Australia. Full-blood black-hair Mayura Wagyu cattle are born and raised in a chemical-free environment and nurtured in age-old ranges to produce a product with deep, earthy flavors and field mushroom aromas.”

You can taste and feel these aromas when having the Mayura Wagyu beef at The Fireplace.

We were able to sample chef Ivan Chieregatti’s Mayura Wagyu menu last month and all we can say is that it was an excellent dinner.

The wood-fire grilled Mayura Wagyu Beef Signature Cube Roll was the highlight of the set menu. It was so tender — as Wagyu already is — and it is seasoned so beautifully.

The set menu includes an amuse bouche of slow-roasted bone marrow with red onion jam (you wouldn’t be blamed for scooping it all up and having it to yourself with absolute disregard for your dinner companions or your health), tabbouleh and lemon confit; double-beef consommé with oxtail ravioli and chives; white truffle and white chocolate parfait with red pepper and Mayura sauce (where you can taste the pepper folded into the sweetness), and coffee or tea.

At P2,650 net per person for the set menu, it’s so worth it. But be warned that it can be very filling so it’s better to share with a friend and just order extras from the Mayura Wagyu menu, which is also available a la carte.

Of course, it helps that New World Manila Bay Hotel is such a nice place. With 376 guestrooms and suites, Residence Club executive floors, a spacious casino, six dining options, an outdoor pool, a spa and fitness center, it is right in the heart of the entertainment and shopping district of Manila, just a stone’s throw away from Robinsons Place Manila and the interesting little nightspots of Malate.

And The Fireplace is such a classy space. Open only for dinner, the upscale grillroom has floor-to-ceiling glass panels, minimalist artworks, leather furniture, and a two-level wine library.

Specializing in steaks and wines, it a connoisseur’s dream restaurant, which combines a steak menu with a wine list ranging from light to full-bodied wines.

The grillroom has 10-foot beech ovens, and a copper-covered wood-fired oven in full view of the guests. Romina says guests enjoy watching or interacting with the chefs as they prepare their dinner.

“The customized oven enhances the natural flavors of the ingredients, giving meat and seafood a wood-fired taste unlike anywhere else. The heat retained by the oven and its unique steaming action gives the ingredients an outstanding texture and taste that can never be duplicated by commercial ovens.”

Apart from the Mayura Wagyu, the menu includes certified Angus beef dishes like tenderloin wrapped in bacon, rib eye, T-bone, porterhouse and dry-aged rib eye as well as Australian and American Wagyu beef dishes.

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The Fireplace serves dinner from 6 to 11 p.m. For inquiries and reservations, call 252-6888, e-mail reservations.manilabay@newworldhotels.com or visit newworldhotels.com.