Been there, done that? If you’re looking for a really good restaurant to top last year’s impressive Valentine dinner, then come to Resort’s World Manila’s Lumina Rose Garden on the evenings of February 13 and 14 for some beautiful romance starters.
Lumina is RWM’s brilliantly-lit indoor walkway connecting the all-suite Maxims Hotel with Newport Mall. For this special dinner, the place will be set as a lush rose garden with thousands of roses set against the walkway’s glowing lights. Classic love songs will fill the air to further set the mood for love.
As if the fabulous setting isn’t enough, the second half of this romantic experience is a seven-course dinner prepared by the award-winning chefs from Marriott Hotel Manila’s Cru and Man Ho restaurants, and from RWM’s fine dining restaurants Impressions and Ginzadon, along with the RWM pastry team.
Leading the Marriott team is Executive Chef Meik Brammer while the RWM menu was crafted by one of the country’s recognized chefs, Cyrille Soenen, a Maîtres Cuisinier de France (Master Chef of France). It’s also good to know that Marriott’s Cru Steakhouse has been included in Philippine Tatler’s best restaurants list for eight consecutive years while Cantonese restaurant Man Ho made it to the list within a year of its opening.
What to expect at this lavish romantic meal? Here are the seven ways:
Dinner starts off with an amuse-bouche trio that teases your palate and sets the tone for the rest of the courses. The Crispy Beef Tendon is a sophisticated take on the chicharrón, with the pickled aspic giving it a surprising pop of tartness and texture, while a dusting of brioche mustard powder gives it an umami finish.
The tendon is accompanied by an Air Baguette with Horseradish Cream and Beetroot Beef Gravlax, and a Maki of Turnip and Sea Urchin Flan topped with avocado mousse and ikura.
Appetizer consists of Terrine of Unagi and Foie Gras with Tuna Sashimi in honey beetroot purée, miso vinaigrette, truffled honey, pickled kyuri, and orange hibiscus foam. While each ingredient is a tasty morsel on its own, their flavors are made cohesive by the soft, rounded sensation of the citrusy foam.
The Braised Seafood with Caviar Soup, meticulously crafted by Man Ho’s culinary team, seduces you with its velvety warmth. Made with 24-karat edible gold leaf, the soup leaves no room for doubt about the level of luxury of this dinner.
The main courses present some of the finest bounties of the earth and sea. Starting off with Pan-Seared Scallops and Lobster Medallion with a watercress disc, mashed spiced carrots, coconut almond milk foam, squid ink tuille and edamame purée, this seafood dish by Impressions, RWM’s signature French restaurant is a perfect marriage of international delicacies and local flavors.
The meat course lets you experience one of Marriott Cru Steakhouse’s finest items. The Slow-cooked Angus Beef Tenderloin is served with a duck confit croquette, creamed cabbage, potato confit, and caramelized pear jus.
Sweetness is best enjoyed in twos, and the Marriott and RWM teams have come up with a delectable dessert duo that is the perfect ending to a romantic dinner. The mignardises by Marriott’s pastry chefs are fruit petit-fours that are as satisfying to look at as they are to taste.
The RWM dessert, crafted by award-winning Pastry Chef Mike Lopez, is a milk chocolate praline mousse filled with Raspberry ragout, and suspended in champagne jelly with a hazelnut crunch base and dehydrated raspberry. The near-symphonic harmony of flavors, textures, and sensations will leave you with the afterglow that can only come from a perfect evening.
Resorts World Manila’s Valentine’s Day at Lumina Rose Garden is by reservation only and with limited seating. For bookings and inquiries, call (+ 632) 908-8888.
