A meal we might break Christmas tradition for
Is it truly a Filipino Noche Buena if the traditional glistening lechon is replaced by a lavish slab of beef Wellington, adorned with a decadent crown of foie gras? And instead of the customary fruit salad, a rich English Christmas pudding graces the table?
I have to admit I was not quite convinced. But any misgivings began to fly out the window as soon the stream of holiday repast started arriving at our table: If we’re breaking with tradition this year, this could be a very good reason. A hassle-free celebration that will allow us to focus on spending quality time with loved ones minus the burden of food prep and clean-up? Sounds like a plan.
Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill at Newport World Resorts is serving a six-course Christmas menu on Christmas Eve, and on Dec. 25 for lunch and dinner (all services are two seatings), which features some of the British celebrity chef’s signature dishes, including the classic beef Wellington that everyone has been raving about.
The meal starts with a single plump Lambert oyster festooned with pomelo, chili oil, ponzu, and salmon ikura, its briny sweet flavor a prelude to what comes next: a classic bouillabaisse and saffron rouille with lobster fricassee and clams. Like your palate swam in the ocean.
There are two choices for all the succeeding dishes, but as our host suggested, order both and share, which is what we did.
Come hungry
For appetizer, there’s the classic Waldorf salad with a lighter (perhaps healthier) dressing than what I’m accustomed to, and there’s also the crispy crab cake and Oscietra caviar with poached egg and Hollandaise, another star of the regular menu that deserves the raves.
If you’re used to a Filipino Christmas table groaning with food, this liberal meal will have you swearing you won’t touch another nibble until the New Year. (And we all know that’s a lie.)
The entrée is a choice between grilled black cod on a bed of adlai lemon risotto, the latter so excellent I ate every morsel of it, and grilled salmon with cumin carrot puree, Tuscan kale and meuniere sauce. These aren’t tasting portions but a full serving, so come very, very hungry. Or, like we did, doggy bag to make room for the main course.
What’s a British Christmas dinner without roasted turkey and all the trimmings, in this case, roasted winter vegetables, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, and gravy? And what’s a Gordon Ramsay Christmas dinner without his signature beef Wellington, with its tender, MB7 Wagyu beef fillet enrobed with truffle and mushroom duxelles, served with creamed potatoes and red wine jus? (I promise, it’s as good as they say it is.) You get a choice, if you can still eat at this point.
Dessert is a choice between a favorite among diners at this restaurant, the chocolate mousse (and we can see why), and a very traditional British sweet I didn’t expect to like (oh, how wrong I was!): Gordon’s iconic Christmas pudding, which the pastry chef flambeed on our table before pouring the brandy butter sauce.
If you’re bringing the young ones, you can keep them entertained with a gingerbread house making kit, while you sip one or two of the holiday cocktails at the bar, including an eggnog and a warm mulled wine that would transport you to a wintry European Christmas market.
And for that alone, I’d gladly save the lechon for next year.
A different six-course menu will be served for the New Year’s Eve countdown. Message at 0917-1476576 on Viber or Whatsapp, or reservations@ gordonramsayrestaurants.com.ph.
