When one hears of Shangri-La, images of luxury, sophistication, and grandeur often come to mind. Dishes served by Shangri-La restaurants are no different. Indeed, the finest dining experiences in the country will likely be in the handful of Shangri-La hotels across the country given the hotel's knack for excellence.
This was one reason why I had high expectations of Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar as soon as I found out that they had already opened their doors inside the beautiful Shangri-La at the Fort. I expected nothing less than the Shangri-La experience that the hotel is known for. True enough, Raging Bull exceeded my every expectation by providing spectacular service and delicious food.
Here's what you can expect when dining at the Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar...
Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar evokes a more modern and elegant take on the Old Wild West. It's a place where the modern, wealthy cowboy could relax by enjoying beautifully cooked cut of premium meat and sophisticated cocktails. They even have their very own bar where they serve delicious hand-crafted cocktails made with only exceptional ingredients.
We were served these pretty pieces of freshly-baked bread while waiting for the first set of dishes to come out. I really enjoyed it slathered with a generous amount of butter.
The Caesar Salad (Php 395) is a fresh medley of romaine lettuce, anchovies, pancetta crisp, parmesan cheese, and 63 degree free range egg. I loved the freshness of the caesar salad that's beautifully balanced by the crispness of the pancetta and the salty bits of premium anchovies. Being loaded with a generous serving of delicious parmesan cheese does helps make Raging Bull's take on Caesar salad even more delicious.
The Maryland Crab Cake (Php 475) has a crisp crust but filled with soft, moist, beautifully-cooked crab in the middle that's served with charred orange, aioli, and palm heart. I really loved how soft it was in the middle and the mandarin oranges and beets adds a lovely sweetness to the dish. This is definitely one highly recommended entree. Delicious!
The chopping block we tried consisted of beautifully cooked Tenderloin steak, Rib Eye steak, and Scotch Fillet. All of these are premium Australian cuts. The steaks are already beautifully cooked and seasoned to perfection, but Shangri-La you can also enjoy your juicy, delicious steak with a variety of salts and sauces.
Personally, I didn't even touch these because the steak in itself didn't need any of it. It was already so good.
The 1824 Grain-fed, Queensland Rib Eye 350g (Php 3100) was personally my favorite cut because it's everything you ever wanted in a quality steak - juicy and delicious. If you're ready to spend, this cut is highly recommended.
The Darling Downs Wagyu 5+ Grass-fed, Queensland Scotch Fillet 350g (Php 3400) is my second favorite cut of steak from Raging Bull. It was also delicious but I found that it was a bit less juicy compared to the Queensland Rib Eye. Nonetheless, if this was served to me any day of the week I would still be very impressed with the quality of the meat.
Maybe it was just a personal preference so let me know if you found this to be a more tasty cut.
The Cape Grim Grass-fed, Tasmania Tenderloin 200g (Php 1650) was my least favorite cut because it wasn't as juicy as the previous two cuts but it certainly was tasty. The Tenderloin is a wonderful budget-friendly option if you're looking for a tasty steak and you aren't looking to share.
Choose your weapon! You can select your knife of choice from a diverse set of artisan knives. No knife is the same so I personally enjoyed this bit of theater.
All of three steaks were cooked to a lovely medium-rare (in my opinion the best perfect doneness). They were all very juicy and delicious! I couldn't get enough of these steaks.
The Josper roasted Japanese Pumpkin (Php 225) was served with sage, pine nuts, and puffed wild rice. This was lovely, creamy dish is, without a doubt, my favorite side in the Raging Bull. The pumpkin was sweet, rich, and very buttery - everything you'd want to pair with a delicious steak. The pine nuts and the puffed wild rice added a nice crunch to it. It's sort of a 'healthier' mashed potato.
The Grilled Asparagus (Php 265) is a classic steak pair and is made even better with Shangri-La's version of hollandaise sauce and bits of macadamia nuts for added crunch. Asparagus and steak is a match made in heaven. The asparagus spears were not overcooked at all since they still had a nice crunch to them.
This is my second favorite side... simply because it's beautifully asparagus!
The Salad of Radicchio and Rocket (Php 225) is a refreshing side, but it's not one I would personally like to pair with steak. Consisting of radicchio, rocket, pear, candied walnuts, and orange dressing, this side was all about freshness and acidity. The candied walnuts added a nice, sweet crunch to the dish and the orange dressing gave it an added kick of sweetness.
I personally wouldn't pair this with steak, but it's highly recommended for those of you who would like to pair greens with steak. I personally prefer the creamy sweetness of the Josper pumpkin above the freshness that a salad would bring.
The Candy Floss Pavlova (Php 315) consists of a beautiful pavlova drizzled with a passion fruit pulp and served with mango sorbet and fresh berries. This is a kid's dessert because it the passion fruit pulp gave the pavlova a beautiful, tart sweetness. The passion fruit pulp is what brings the dish together and it's just a perfect dessert on the plate.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR SWEET TOOTHS! :D
The Granny Smith Apple Cobbler (Php 340) has a delicious Double vanilla ice cream on top.This was another crowd favorite especially for those of us who are a tad bit older. The medley of the apple cobbler and the vanilla ice cream is beautiful. I loved that the dessert was loaded with a generous amount sweet apples in the middle.
The Pistachio Creme Brulee (Php 340) is filled with a creamy pistachio creme when you break open the crust with a mint infused strawberry salad. The best part about this dish is that the pistachio creme brulee was simply a nice, creamy dessert with only a mild sweetness. If you love pistachios and you aren't a big sweet tooth, this is a nice treat to end such a heavy steak meal.
The Bonifacio Penicillin (Php 400) is a must-try for casual drinkers out there. it's a delicious concoction of Elijah Craig 12 yrs Bourbon, fresh calamansi, fomemade ginger jam, homemade sechuan honey, and egg whites. It's my favorite drink from Raging Bull and it's delicious!
All of the dishes were carefully curated by Chef Nathan Griffin, who was in charge of Shangri-La Hotel Sydney's premier fine dining restaurant, Altitude, before moving to the Philippines to head the Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar.
To know more about Chef Nathan, check him out here.
The Raging Bull also has a few lunch menu options with a 2 course menu with starter and mains for only Php 980 and a 3 course menu consisting of starter, mains, and dessert for Php 1,180. This is perfect for a nice, executive lunch at a premier restaurant in Bonifacio Global City.
Food Quality: 5.0
Service Quality: -
Ambiance: 5.0
Overall Quality: 5.0
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to label Shangri-La at the Fort as a premier dining destination in Metro Manila - one that focuses on the customer's overall dining experience above all. Early this year they opened High Street Cafe and High Street Lounge. The Canton Road opened next, a welcome addition to Metro Manila's amazing selection of quality Chinese restaurants.
This time around, The Raging Bull Chophouse & Bar is another premier steakhouse competing for the title of the best Metro Manila steakhouse. Their obsession for perfection by making sure every steak that comes out of their grill is delicious and is cooked beautifully steaks is their ticket for success. It helps that they're right in the middle of Bonifacio Global City - Metro Manila's budding business district.
I can't wait to be back to try out what else Raging Bull has to offer, including their a bit more affordable lunch specials next
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Cheers,
Chef Jay
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.
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