The Malayan Plaza Hotel is a revelation of sorts. This may sound as a surprise to most who frequent the place, but I didn't know that such a place existed until last week. Ridiculous, I know.
The hotel has been up and running since 2006, and has a restaurant named The Executive Lounge. The said restaurant has recently been rebranded into a restaurant for small to mid-sized gatherings. The restaurant offers a reasonable table d'hôte that the celebrant can customize with the help of the Executive Chef. The Executive Lounge, by the way, doubles as a breakfast buffet area for in-house guests, too.
Of course we started with a cocktail. A cocktail should be a pre-meal standard, right? They christened this cocktail "Feather Line". Not too shabby as a pick-me-upper before the main event.
The Salmojero is a gazpacho-inspired soup that's been made slightly creamy by a lonesome egg yolk. It's paired with a huge bread stick.
I quite enjoyed this rendition of Mejillones en Escabeche with Almejas. It's a salty-sweet-spicy affair that made me crave for seconds. A parmesan tuile added some salty richness to this delicious dish. And of course, the experience won't be complete without a sourdough on stand-by. That flavorful liquid sitting at the bottom of the bowl needs some soaking up.
Fresh greens and slices of watermelon are swimming in a pool of watermelon vinaigrette glaze.
The sugar beetroot paste did wonders to the grilled Jackfish and tuna sashimi. That was enough to make the dish good. But I still welcome the addition of cucumber salsa. It tempered the sweetness of the paste, and made the dish refreshing.
I was already too full by the time this delicious rendition of Callos was served. I still somehow managed to eat half of it. The usuals were weaved into the mix such as kidney beans, ox tripe, and chorizo. What made this version interesting is the thin blanket of mashed potato covering the mix. It eliminates the need for rice - which is what I would normally beg for when I'm given such dish.
According to the Executive Chef, the Shitake Wagyu Bar is the hardest to cook amongst all. The chunk of wagyu is paired with slices of shitake mushrooms plus a couple of button mushrooms. It's garnished with fresh herbs and truffle oil.
Arte de Remo (cream cheese, oats, crushed pistachio nuts, and desiccated coconut) is an enjoyable yet cloyingly sweet dessert. I like the taste and the chewy texture, but I prefer the sweetness level to be way lower than what was served.
The Executive Lounge
33rd floor The Malayan Plaza
ADB Avenue corner Opal Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig, 1600
Tel. no. (02) 706 0055
Facebook: The Malayan Plaza Hotel
Instagram: @executiveloungerestaurant
Onward and Upward!
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