Finding our Shangri-La
April 1, 2006 | 12:00am
Take a young daughter, place her in the environment of a five-star hotel – such as the Makati Shangri-La, with all its fine-dining restaurants, kiddy pools and other attractions – and watch her quickly become attached.
We call this "the Eloise effect."
"I want to live here," our daughter Isobel announced happily, after taking a look around our Executive Suite for the night. She was hopping up and down on the bed.
Like the young, precocious girl in the famed children’s book, most kids love being in a hotel. They love the idea of staying there forever.
We had hoped to drop her off at home that night for a little privacy. But Isobel had other plans.
"Is this my bed?" she asked us again and again. We opted for a rollaway bed, and resigned ourselves to the Eloise effect. She ran up and down the hallways, dutifully pressed the buttons on the elevator, and caught the eye of countless guests and staff people. You could have sworn she lived there.
There’s plenty for parents to do in Makati as well, and the Shangri-La is an ideal roosting place for those couples – or triples – seeking a little respite from the daily hustle and bustle. Instead, you can enjoy the hustle and bustle of Glorietta’s malls, just a few jaywalking steps away. Or catch a movie. Or go to the Ayala Museum. Or simply – and this is the main point – try to RELAX.
The Executive Suite is one of the best ways to appreciate the Shangri-La. With its recessed dome lighting above a king-size bed, the space is comfortably large and livable, and quite modern. Doing away with corners, the room’s ceiling dome is echoed by curvy blonde-wood interiors, rounded cabinets and glass tables. The mini-bar is illuminated from behind by colorful glass lighting.
For parents seeking a little recreation other than shopping over the weekend, Shangri-La Makati offers a 24-hour health club (free to guests, also available by membership) with plenty of state-of-the-art bikes, treadmills, free weights and strength-conditioning machines. Personal trainers are there to guide you through a program, or take a class in the Aerobics Studio. There are two tennis courts as well with personal trainers available.
After the workout, book a relaxing massage or Judith Jackson spa treatment at Stresscape in the health club. If you don’t want to reserve in advance, the hotel’s in-room massage service is 24/7. Simply call down for a masseuse who’ll bring her own fresh towels, turn your bed into a massage table, and work out the kinks with soothing lavender or orange oil.
But for our daughter, there was no other place but the Kiddy Pool. She quickly made several friends, while we took turns lapping the adult pool and relaxing on the deck chairs. An odd assortment of foreigners and Filipinos, young and old, congregated around the pool; we learned the Filipinos were mostly balikbayans, who enjoy spending their hard-earned money in a luxurious environment when back home. Of course, their families are free to use the pool facilities as guests as well. The foreigners were mostly young Americans and Europeans with their laptops open on deck chairs, catching rays between catching up on their spreadsheets and reports.
Here, at the poolside of Shangri-La Makati, you can see that the economy is still humming along despite perennial political noise and coup rumors; nearby is the Oakwood condo complex that was taken over by military mutineers in 2003. These days, however, Makati seems shockproof: the hotel was proud to report they had 100-percent occupancy at the moment, despite the coup attempt and "state of national emergency" a few weeks back.
For a foodie, it’s almost too much to ask for great hotel food on top of luxurious facilities and superior service. But one of the best reasons to enjoy weekending at Shangri-La is the food. We go to Red regularly for brunch and steaks, and Circles is the first place we head to if we literally feel like eating the world. But it had been a while since we’d visited Shang Palace and Inagiku, which have been recently renovated both in design and menu. Nothing could be more traditional than Sunday dim sum at a Chinese restaurant, but Shang Palace brings a contemporary flair to the familiar experience.
We revisited Shang Palace for a delicious dinner, though, while sitting at a silk-lined booth and enjoying their chic and modern décor. The ostrich leather lining the entrance walls to Shang Palace is a sure sign that this is not your great-great-grandfather’s Chinese restaurant. Hints of tradition – Chinese characters, painted panels, splashes of red – are mixed with ultra-modern design touches (such as low-key lighting and glass-cased bamboo décor) while non-traditional colors like fuchsia predominate.
But it was the menu that really caught our attention. While daughter Isobel, who loved the raised booth, kept sliding on and off the banquette to make friends at nearby tables, we chatted with Shang Palace restaurant manager Steve Tai, who recommended dishes from the all-Cantonese selection.
First, there were Sauteed Prawns with Minced Garlic and Ginger Sauce that were delightfully crunchy and tasty, like soft-shell crab. We had no problem polishing off the plump crustaceans, shell and all. (The secret: lightly starching the prawn shells before dipping in boiling oil.)
Next came a Braised Shark’s Fin Soup that came in generously heaping portions. Isobel came back to our booth just for this delicacy, and gobbled down two bowls. Hot and delicious, Shang Palace got this perennial favorite just right. Then came a flurry of exquisite dishes – Diced Chicken with XO Sauce, Asparagus and Pacific Clams (our favorite), Pan Fried Beef rolled with Golden Mushrooms, and Salted Fish Fried Rice in case anyone still felt hungry.
According to Tai, a Malaysian-Chinese, the menu is a return to authentic Cantonese cuisine, after a long time of accommodating to Filipino tastes. After managing Shangri-La restaurants in Singapore, Tai says he was "shocked" by Manila versions of Chinese food: "It doesn’t taste authentic anymore… We’re trying to bring back traditional tastes, and keep it pure Cantonese. "He notes they never use MSG (monosodium glutamate), instead relying on a "superior soup stock" of Yunnan ham, spare ribs and scallops.
Before dessert was offered, a variety of 44 specialty teas was wheeled out for our inspection. These are imported from Hong Kong, often in small amounts (to maintain freshness). We went for the Jasmine Heart Tea, the flower of which unfolded miraculously in our clear glasses.
By this time, Isobel was lured back with an offering of Sago Balls cloaking either custard or red bean paste. On top of the ice cream she ordered, she even had her own "kiddy" dessert – mango and melon pudding molded into a pair of fish, which she adored.
Shang Palace proved that, even in modern packages, good Chinese cuisine tastes as ageless and classic as ever.
In terms of great dining, Makati Shangri-La offers almost an embarrassment of riches. For breakfast, there’s the incred-ible buffet offered by Circles. Filipinos have been enjoying this hip, brightly lit "theater buffet" for two years now, and for breakfasting guests at the Shang, it can’t be beat. Everything from Japanese fish to Western omelets can be had. Personally, we love a restaurant that can fulfill even the most bizarre morning cravings, like pairing Indian popadums with American pancakes.
The following day we had lunch at Inagiku. Isobel stayed at home, so we were able to enjoy – without distraction – the newly-renovated interiors and mouth-watering spectacles of its special menu. As you enter, there’s an eye-catching display – an intricate Japanese silk kimono handpainted with 24-carat gold. Set back against a bank of mirrors, it’s a harbinger of the complex culinary joys awaiting the diner inside.
Known for its tempura dishes, Inagiku also offers the luxurious kaiseki feast. Since that involves a couple of hours at least, we opted for faster fare. For starters, the Aburi Toro, or lightly grilled bluefin belly, can’t be beat. According to Joy Wassmer, Makati Shangri-La’s director of communications, the light grilling is more like torching – when you’re trying to achieve the perfect sear with such costly materials, total control is a must. A ridiculously priced delicacy in Japan, toro is justly praised: the chunk of bluefin belly was thick enough to be mistaken for meat, but no meat matched this tender, rich, heavenly mouthful. Another must-try is the Aburi Engawa, a flatfish from Japan topped with a surprising accent: cheese.
"The Japanese chef here is very daring," says Wassmer, who also pointed to his unwavering dedication: "He practically sleeps with his knife."
The dishes came in rapid succession after that: Dobin Mushi, a seasonal teapot soup with chicken stock, roots and mushrooms that cleansed our system after the rich sushi; Kami Usenabi, which was an intriguing mix of vegetables steamed at the table in a paper cup; then came the Seabass with Mushrooms, cooked in tinfoil to seal in the juices and flavor; and finally, we were presented with Jumbo Prawns dressed with a yellow sauce that we guessed was either cheese or squash – before Wassmer revealed it was made from fresh sea urchins.
One of the highlights was an order of Teppanyaki Scallops that were so plump and fresh they could never have seen the inside of a freezer; and a dish of fried tofu flavored with stir-fry vegetables and gently waving seaweed on top – a vegetarian’s nirvana.
With décor from local artists – such as Ovvian Castrillo’s "Rising Sun" that decorates the entrance to Inagiku – and design that implements the best of new Hong Kong (HK’s Natalie Blair), it’s a relief – and a great pleasure – to find that the restaurants at Makati Shangri-La have clearly upscaled their flavors to match the reinvigorated interiors.
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