The Cru Experience

I was the first to arrive for a birthday dinner treat by a very good friend and client at Cru Steakhouse. The weather was getting hideous as i left my Makati office yet fortunately for me traffic was still light as i breezed through South Super Highway towards Marriot Hotel at Resorts World and my cravings were skyrocketing so no storm or what have you can stop me from getting my steak tonight at Cru. The ambience that welcomed me was a sight to behold. Red, contemporary and dim lit, it was the perfect setting for a wonderful birthday dinner against the wild winds in the outside world brought about by the tail of a storm that's trashing northern Philippines this evening. I was not just the first in our table but the first in the entire restaurant. Not wanting to look desperate, i waited a few minutes before I helped myself to a piece of  Spinach bread [as in Popeye spinach and not Spanish bread from your neighborhood bakery which i also love!]  that the smiling server, Andrew, offered before me. That piece became the first of five or so, to my delight (no sooner than my friends arrived, i was on my third spinach bread already). After going thru pages of the menu, not wanting to make the mistake of ordering wrong, i decided to feast on Prime Tenderloin steak with wild mushroom sauce. As i shared a healthy serving of Cru's Caesar salad which was prepared right before us, the chef sent over a beautifully arranged tempura shrimp in a trumpet glass [if there's flute glass then this must be a trumpet glass, mind you, haha]. The Caesar salad was excellent, with the leafy vegetables fresh and crunchy and the dressing perfectly tossed together. Then it arrived. My very own medium-well and oh so juicilicious and pinkish tenderloin steak with its two side servings of the smoothest mashed potatoes and buttered fresh asparagus with slices of parmesan cheese. As i sliced away my first piece of tenderloin steak, i imagined how envious i was watching David Celdran as he enjoyed bite after bite his beautifully grilled steak at Cru in an episode of his food show a few months back. And here i was tonight doing the same thing as he was. I'm sure somebody would be envying me too was i being filmed for TV. God is good, isn't He? And so was my dear friend for the treat! hehe. Googling, i found out that Cru is a French term associated with wine which i did not have with my steak tonight as i would be having quite a bit of driving thru the heavy rains after dinner and i needed much of my senses and reflexes intact. The staff also surprised the celebrant with a complimentary chocolate dessert which I super enjoyed with my cup of decaf. The entire Cru experience-on food, ambience and service-was exactly how i imagined it to be..priceless! [Well, ok, not really but it sure was all worth it!] Thanks Pinks! I will be back at Cru in the near future for sure with another piece of prime steak and a glass of fine wine next time. Cheers! Later then...