Located inside a gallery, The East Asian Art Gallery, is Savoy Bistro, a restaurant that is inspired by the early European Cuisine’s from France, Switzerland, Savoie, Sweden, Russia and Hungary. According to Chef Robert, some of the dishes in the menu originated from recipes as early as 1837.
I have been invited to visit and review the restaurant by a blogger friend Ross last March 1, 2013. That night, I was joined by a fellow blogger, MJ.
Ms. Rose of Savoy Bistro attended to our dinner. She has selected a menu set for us to savor which consist of the best sellers of the house.
Appetizers
When I arrived and was seated on the table, I was served with the Chorizo with Tomato and Cucumber Canape. Alternatively, they serve also some assorted breads.
 |
| Chorizo with Tomato and Cucumber Canape |
Aside from the regular appetizers in the standard menu, they have Appetizer Specials. That night, the selection were as follows:
 |
| Appetizer Specials Board |
From the selection in the Appetizer Special, we were served the Baked Mushroom and Eggplant.
From the regular appetizer menu, we tried the Mussels and Company. It can be served in three ways:
- White Wine & Cream
- Tomato and Basic
- Marinier
The one we had was with White Wine and Cream.
 |
| Mussels and Company with White Wine and Cream |
What a great way to start the dinner. Both dishes were delicious!
Soup
A great selection of soups and we ordered French Onion Soup with Cheese Croutons.
 |
| French Onion Soup |
The caramelized onion flavoring the broth top with the soaked cheese crouton served hot in a heated soup bowl awakened my senses. One of the best French Onion Soup I ever tasted! Rich and flavorful.
Salads
We had the Napoleon Salad. It’s mixed Mesclun greens, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted vegetables, candied walnuts with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
 |
|
| Napoleon Salad |
I loved the roasted vegetables and it goes well with the sourness of Balsamic Vinaigrette accented by sweet flavor and crunchiness of the candied walnut.
Main Course
For the main, we were served two dishes:
- Tournedos Rossini
- 5 Hours Merlot Braised Lamb Shank
 |
| Tournedos Rossini |
The Tournedos Rossini is a Filet Mignon/Beef Tenderloin topped with pan-fried duck Foie Gras (fattened liver) with Black Truffle Sauce. The tender king of steak, beef tenderloin, accented with the Foie Gras was amazing culinary experience. I was not in to French cuisine but now I think I’m going to be a convert. It was the first time for me to try the Foie Gras. It’s delicate, rich and buttery flavor tickled my palette.
Trivia: Tournedos Rossini is a French steak dish, purportedly created for the composer Gioachino Rossini by French master chef Marie-Antoine Carême. The dish comprises a tournedos (filet mignon) of beef, pan-fried in butter, served on a crouton, and topped with a hot slice of fresh whole foie gras briefly pan-fried at the last minute. The dish is garnished with slices of black truffle, and finished with a Madeira demi-glace sauce. Source: Wikipedia. Roussini died in 1868, but this dish, to date is still served in restaurants worldwide.
The other dish was the 5 Hours Merlot Braised Lamb Shanks.
 |
| 5 Hours Merlot Braised Lamb Shanks |
The lamb meat was so tender that really convinced me that it took 5 hours to be braised. It was served on top of Tyrolian Bacon Risotto. I liked the Risotto because it complimented the lamb meat very well.
Desserts
For desserts, we were served the Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse & Passion Fruit Meringue.
The passion fruit sauce complimented the sweet meringue.
 |
| Passion Fruit Meringue |
The mousse taste was standard at par.
 |
| Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse |
The table adjacent ordered Crepe de Savoie, a signature dessert of the place. It’s prepared and flambeed next to your table. They opted for the Mango Jubillee flavor which was with mango, orange and rum.
The Flambee Desert
It was exciting to see the preparation and we were thinking to order it as well. However, we were too full to do justice to the crepes.
Review
 |
| Yours truly, Ted Claudio at the VIP room |
The ambiance of the place being inside a gallery was superb. Service was very good. The selection of European cuisine was quite unique but encompassing. The quality and the taste of the dishes were Par Excellence!
Budget around Php 1,200 – Php 1,700 per head for food only. They have good selection of wines and spirits as well. It’s quite reasonably price considering the quality of the food compared to the international hotel restaurants.
Overall, I highly recommend the place for a taste of authentic European dishes without flying out to Europe.
For more info about Savoy Bistro, visit their Facebook Page, or their website.
