CRU Steakhouse at The Marriott Hotel Serving the Best US and Australian Steaks in Manila

 

Sometimes, life in the Metro gets so busy that your body just craves for some down time. Sometimes, a good movie will do, some nights though, a really good dinner date does the trick.  When in Manila and looking for a great meal with the perfect date settings, you have got to try Cru Steakhouse at the Marriott Hotel. 

 

As my husband and I were staying at the Marriott Hotel for one night, Cru Steakhouse seemed to be the night’s ideal setting for the night’s down time. Located just inside the hotel, we didn’t need to go far to have a perfect meal for our dinner date.  Cru Steakhouse is also tucked away just behind the Hotel’s Marriott Cafe so it helps make you feel as though you have your own secret hideaway, and as if that weren’t enough, the booths on the left hand-side of the restaurant really gives you the much needed privacy you and your date would be sure to appreciate. These booths are so date-perfect, I wish other restaurants would give in to the same idea. What’s perfect about these booths as well is that they make you and your date feel as though you have your own private corner without excluding you from the rest of the scene. 

 

  

 

Cru Steakhouse is modern and very stylish. It’s dark wood floors, dim lights,  and private booths make a perfect setting for a romantic date. For those who want to go in with their friends, bigger booths can also accommodate them. The feel of the whole place is also very masculine I would say, the strong colors of red and the dark wood made me feel like the Godfather himself could be in one of these booths discussing mafia wars. The music is also kept at a low volume so it doesn’t drown out your conversations. On one side of the wall, you would also see Cru’s wide array of wines ready to be opened whenever you wish (be sure to check the price list as well so no surprises greet you at the end of your meal when they hand you the bill). We decided on an Australian Red to compliment tonight’s dinner.  

 

After taking in the wonderful ambiance of the place, my hubby and I were ready for our meal. The bread was served first (Parmesan cheese / Spinach / Tomato), All three were very nice but I found the spinach bread to be a delight as it was crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside. It was also served with sour cream spread and butter, I liked the sour cream better just because well, I can have butter with my bread at any other time, haha. The appetizers were next so we decided to try different things that way we could have made most out of the experience. I had the Lime Marinade Tuna Avocado Tartar while my husband had the Shrimp Gumbo. Both appetizers did not disappoint as we initially couldn’t decide whose appetizer was best. The shrimp gumbo was already filling, it reminded me of how the clam chowders in San Francisco’s Restaurants in Pier 39 always filled my tummy as they never scrimped on the seafood goodies. The Shrimp Gumbo was the same as it was thick because of their seafood paste and it was also very tasty. The Tuna also melted in my mouth, the tuna was soft and fresh and went perfectly well with the onions and the avocado tartar (ack,just the thought of this appetizer makes me hungry for it all over again).  With the appetizers being great starters for the night, we were pretty excited with what the rest of the night had to offer.

 

 

Cru steakhouse is not just about having the best steaks in town, they also boast of their fresh seafood. Knowing that, we had to try the best of both worlds. I got the Australian Grain fed Angus Rib Eye while my husband ordered the Grilled Lapu-Lapu fillet. We also had the option of choosing which sides would go perfect with our meals so I got their Spicy Wedges and Black Truffle Risotto and my husband tried their Steamed Broccoli and steamed asparagus Parmesan. To be honest, it was hard to pick which sides to get as they all sounded so good. 

We could see our meals being prepared as the restaurants modern grill serves as the restaurant’s centerpiece. Our Chef was kind enough to give us a nod and a smile while preparing our meal. 

 

 

Don’t let the simplicity of the way their plates look fool you. It was actually one of the things that I liked about Cru Steakhouse. When it came to their best sellers, they left the fancy-shmancy out the door and presented you with their best just as they were. My steak was cooked exactly as I wanted them, medium-well and they looked perfect.  We were presented with sauces as well to compliment our meal but as soon as I had my first bite of the steak, the taste assured me that I needed none. The meat was tender and flavourful on it’s own that I was afraid the sauce would just ruin it’s cooked perfection.  See? This is how steaks should be! Because if it truly were top-choice meat, it wouldn’t need a lot for it to taste great anyway.  I also tried my husbands surprisingly thick lapu-lapu fillet. The fillet was just juicy and fresh, it literally just melted in my mouth. I imagine coming to a steakhouse, it would be difficult to resist ordering steak and go for the fresh fish but I’m so glad my husband had the idea of ordering fish so we could try it too because he thought it was worth skipping the meat for (until he tried my steak!). Which would I suggest for your visit? BOTH. It can be taxing to find good restaurants that serve their best fish fresh here in the Metro (trust me, you haven’t tried the best of fresh seafood until you go to the provinces of the Philippines where no salt or pepper is even needed when cooking fish!), so finding the usual Lapu-lapu served really good here is like finding treasure, you just can’t pass up on the opportunity of having it. The sides also went great with our meal, I’ll have to say that the Black Truffle Risotto and steamed asparagus Parmesan proved to be our favorite side dishes (Must try guys!) especially because well, they were heavier than just the usual veggies like say, Broccoli. With the added Parmesan on my asparagus, these veggies looked and tasted far more interesting than the steamed Broccoli. 

 

 

You would think that after all that we had, there would be no more room in our tummies to have dessert. Well, we thought the same until we were served with our desserts, Sweet Mango Tarte Tatin and Warm Chocolate Cake and they looked too beautiful to resist. We had to have just one bite each and then we’d be happy. WRONG! Oh my, talk about the icing on the cake. Our meal was already perfect even if we just stopped with the main course but the dessert…oh man… the dessert was just…heaven. Whoever made the warm chocolate cake, we will gladly name our first kid after you! It’s served warm and when you slice the cake with your dessert spoon or fork, melted chocolate just oozes out of the cake, have that with a small portion of ice cream and you’ll be in dessert heaven in no time.  We couldn’t keep our forks off that delicious dessert! What a great way to end our meal. Definitely one of their must try fellas, trust me. 

 

 

All in all, the night’s 3-course meal was one for the books. We got to enjoy it in our private corner, over a few glasses of red wine and under the dim lights that made the whole scene even more romantic and memorable. It’s nights like these that I am thankful Manila can get so busy that down times like nice dinner dates are a must! It’s always great to catch up with friends, in my case, my best friend over a nice dinner to see how we’re both doing in our own lives separate from each other. So when in manila and looking for the perfect place to bring your date to, I don’t doubt that Cru Steakhouse will not just wow you but have your date thinking you’re pretty special too.

 

CRU STEAKHOUSE

No.10 Newport Boulevard, Newport City Complex, Pasay City
Telephone: +632 988-9992
Fax: +632 988-9946

Open for dinner

Dress code: Formal

Reservations required