For someone who grew up in another city, where going out at night meant paying high entrance fees and following strict dress codes in clubs, the night life of Quezon City sounds quite alien to me. As we spent the afternoon in Hotel Rembrant in Tomas Morato, I further understood what it meant to be more laidback in this neighborhood. Hotel Rembrant is a 7-storey boutique hotel with 5-star hotel amenities. It boasts of 71 newly-appointed guest rooms with contemporary furnishings and amenities.
To better appreciate the gastronomical art of dining, we started the journey at The Penthouse where we tried a Gin Pairing. Depending on your choice of base, it will only cost you Php190 to Php480 to make-your-own gin with spices and sides. This is the first time I experienced such a quintessential pairing since I am more familiar with Beer and Wine Pairings. It seems basic to many, but they have an array of gin, tonic and garnish combinations that make it hard to choose from – especially since all of the combinations taste so good!
The Penthouse menu is centered on Illocano-inspired seafood dishes. They only have one pasta dish in the main menu: prosciutto (Php400), but the shrimp (Php350) used in the dishes come fresh – directly from a privately-owned farm in the North of the Philippines!
As for the tuna tail (Php420), they have a supplier from General Santos. As much as possible, Hotel Rembrant sources from local suppliers in order to support fellow Filipinos and the industry. The salmon dish (Php450) has a deep-fried coating with a side dish inspired by binatog. Why deep fried coating? Because Filipinos love crispy food!!!
For their 20 oz Cab Ribeye Steak (Php2,100), the usual serving size can fill the stomachs of three to four people. To end this part of the experience, a deconstructed dessert called Mango Tasting (Php200) was served – inspired by the peanut kisses of Bohol.
Hold your horses! We’re not done with eating and drinking yet! We also went to the Tapas and Wine Bar by Titania to experience wine pairing.
The Tapas menu caters to everyone – whether you are a vegetarian, or love seafood or meat, in general.
The menu includes steak with local pardon (Php120), Gambas (Php200), chiprones tinta (Php180), boquerones or local anchovies (php200), and pulpo or octopus (Php180). What’s amazing is their wide array of wine, which brings out the most flavorful ingredients of each dish.
With our stomachs full of food and our tastebuds happy, we ended the day with a better appreciation of what dining really should be. Of course, it is best to wine and dine with friends and family, especially after a long day from work.
Hotel Rembrant
The Penthouse / Tapas and Wine Bar by Titania
26 Tomas Morato Ext. Quezon City
(02) 373 3333
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