Sunday, May 15, 2016

Shangri-La's High Street Lounge: Elegance, Sophistication, and Delectable Bites

Photo from Dining at Shangri-La at the Fort Facebook page
For months, excitement has been building as BGC residents and employees were basking at the spectacle that is Shangri-La at the Fort finally taking form. Bonifacio Global City is already home to some of the most esteemed restaurants in Metro Manila and, with the completion of Shangri-La at the Fort, foodies are in for a treat with more exquisite dining options to choose from as the hotel will be adding over 15 new restaurants and bars, seven of which are run by the hotel, to Bonifacio Global City's food scene.

The first restaurants to open are High Street Cafe, a modern food hall that offers a colorful diversity of cuisines, and High Street Lounge, a place where guests can dine in a beautiful, relaxed atmosphere and have intimate conversations. Restaurants opening soon include: 1) Canton Road, a Chinese restaurant serving modern Cantonese cuisine, 2) Raging Bull, a steakhouse emphasizing premium quality meat, 3) Ranging Bull Burgers, a quick, premium burger joint, and 4) Samba, offering vibrant flavors from Spain, South America, and the Philippines.

I was lucky enough to try the small plates and cocktails offered at High Street Lounge, a place where guests can relax and enjoy small plates, high tea, amazing coffee, and exquisite cocktails. Here's what you can expect...



The Manila Prawns Escabeche (Php 525) consists of roasted prawns, garlic, chili, turmeric, and pickled vegetables on flour tortilla disk. The prawns were roasted beautifully but was still moist throughout. The combination of garlic and chili gave a nice kick of flavor that works well with the prawns and the pickled vegetables. Amazing craftsmanship!  


The Croquettas (Php 425) is a dish composed of Fontina cheese, mushroom, foie gras filled fritters and was one of the most exquisite dishes of the evening. Every bite oozed with the creamy goodness of Fontina cheese while the flavors mushroom and foie gras danced around our palates. The ripe mangoes added a nice, sweet contrast to an otherwise savory treat to make things more interesting. It's another crowd favorite!


The Teriyaki Glazed Gaclier 51 (Php 575) consists of grilled Patagonian toothfish, green soya beans, and orange segments. The teriyaki sauce paired beautifully with the perfectly cooked fish while the orange slices gave a nice tangy finish. I really loved the freshness of it.


The Tataki of Yellow Fin Tuna Loan (Php 650) consist of sesame seed crusted tuna, beansprout, cucumber salad, ginger soy vinaigrette, and grassini. You can really taste the freshness and quality of the slightly seared tuna was and I was pleasantly surprised how well the sesame seed crust complemented the tuna. It's definitely standout dish for tuna lovers like myself. 


The Crispy Duck Spring Rolls (Php 475) is prepared with crispy roasted duck, plum sauce, cucumber, and spring onion. The spring rolls were once again refreshing, exactly how spring rolls should taste like. The roasted duck added a nice savory element to it and was really delicious when paired with the plum sauce. YUM! 


The Board (Php 980) is a wooden board that has assorted hams and cheeses including Salami Milano, Spanish Iberico ham, smoked duck breast, manchego, St. Nectaire camembert, and toasted farmer's bread. As you can see, this board consists of some of the best ham and cheese in the world, now I think that's a bargain at only Php 980. It's perfect when paired with High Street Lounge's selection of quality cocktails. 


We also tried a number of their exquisite pastries that's conceptualized by their Australian Chief Patissier Anthony Collar, who has accumulated a wealth of experience at several five-star restaurants across Asia and Australia. He's known to craft some of the best treats in the city and it was on full display with the elegance and balance of flavors of each pastry.

I wasn't able to get the names, but they all tasted great - not loaded with sugar so that you can really taste the different ingredients that bring the flavors together.


High Street Lounge also has a Gin Trolley where you can decide on your drink of choice, consisting of a fine selection of some of the best Gin in the world. You can also see that they have a number of fresh fruits and herbs so you're sure that only the best ingredients are used to prepare your drink. 


Tito's Swing (Php 400) is a vodka-based cocktail that's crafted with Tito's handmade vodka, Massenez raspberry liqueur, blueberry puree, fresh lemon, and homemade balsamic glaze. I don't consider myself a tito yet but this has to be my favorite drink of the evening. I really loved the mixed berry flavors that has hints of quality vodka.  


The High Street Market (Php 400) is a gin-based cocktail made with Boodles London Dry gin, elderflower liqueur, cloudy apple & pineapple, fresh cucumber, and italian basil. It's the crowd favorite drink of the evening because it was oozing with freshness coming from the flavors of fresh cucumber and basil. It actually seemed more like a smoothie than a cocktail!

Food Quality: 4.5
Service Quality: -
Ambiance: 5.0


Overall Quality: 4.5

It's been a long wait, but based on my experience at High Street Lounge, the wait is definitely worth it. The atmosphere is definitely calm and relaxing, the service is top-notch as you'd expect from Shangri-La, and the food was just amazing. 

Prices may be a bit steep for the regular Filipino, but you're paying for quality. I liked how every dish served was well-balanced and each minute element helped elevate the star protein of each dish. It's a nice place to have meetings, to catch-up with friends, or to really just enjoy the sweet tunes of evening Jazz. 


Shangri-La at the Fort is just how I imagined it to be - nothing short of spectacular.



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    Cheers,
    Chef Jay

    High Street Lounge - Shangri-La at the Fort Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

    Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review. The author did not pay for any of the dishes mentioned in this article. This, however, does not impair the unbiased opinion of the reviewer. 

    1 comment:

    1. I was at this place last week. This is such a joy as a place for food! I had a beautiful time here. It reminded me of another center in Housten. A beautiful, wonderful venue houston that had excellent atmosphere.

      ReplyDelete