One of the pleasures my law partners and I have shared since we first started the Firm together is eating - more particularly, eating out and eating well.
While the different schedules we keep have had us meet over the dinner or lunch table infrequently, Macky proposed a new Firm policy: a partners' meeting every week to discuss caseloads, clients' concerns, and the culinary offerings of whatever new restaurant we may be meeting at. Resolution passed, unanimously :-)
Macky has extremely good taste in food, so we invariably end up dining at restaurants of his choice (Kenneth, whom I meet up with at the office once or twice a week, is happy with whatever might be prepared by the staff - and for the most part, so am I). So last Monday, after a client call, Macky suggested Mr. Rockefeller (Steaks, Ribs, Spanking Good Oysters) in Greenbelt 3.
The well-appointed space is quiet enough for conversation, and the service is beyond reproach. Patrons that evening ranged from a big family celebrating a birthday in the segregated dining area, to office executives enjoying a beer and a smoke al fresco. Mr. Rockefeller, with its predominantly American menu, also seems to be favored by the expatriate and Western tourist crowd - at one point there were as many foreign diners (curiously, all men - but hey, it's a steak place after all) as there were locals.
To start off our meal, we had a platter of Original Buffalo Wings served with a side of Mr. Rockefeller's version of blue cheese dressing (I'm pretty sure it wasn't blue cheese but instead some milder, less pungent alternative), and, since Kenneth hadn't yet arrived, a half-dozen order each of Buddha's Heaven (fried battered oysters with Thai chili dressing) and Boursin Oysters (named after the peppery sour Normandy cheese they slather on the steamed mollusks).
The wings were deep-fried to perfection, with just a hint of spicy Tabasco-based sauce drizzled over them - none of that floury batter or heavy ketchup sauce concoctions that has you go into a state of surfeit after one bite. I would have happily been content with the wings alone to accompany our icy glasses of San Mig Light, but with the piece de resistance still to be presented in different manifestations, I grazed through the entire evening.
The service was impeccable, and extremely considerate. I'd only just suggested to Macky that he line his empty stomach with some amount of food before proceeding to the oysters, when the server presented us with two demitasse servings of French onion soup, precisely for that purpose. The oysters themselves were delish, though I wouldn't binge on either Buddha's Heaven or the Boursin due to the extreme complexities of the flavors. But between the two of us, a couple of each was enough to satisfy our curiousity.
Since Kenneth had arrived, another round of oysters was in order - this time, in a simpler variation: the classic Oysters Rockefeller (to "honor" the name of the restaurant, according to Macky), and the Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell (you could actually order Fresh Oysters, unshucked - but who has the time or the patience to do that?). But by that time, I'd had my fair share of the slippery morsels.
Apparently my two growing partners (both are almost six foot, with appetites as big as their physiques) had only just started their meal, so they went on to plates of Batangas Tenderloin steak served with sides of buttered corn off the cob and baked beans. The bovine pride of Southern Luzon was buttery, well flavored, and tender as a steak should always be. My grazing was getting the better of me, so I just ate off Macky's plate for a bit before ordering the Grilled Kielbasa with a side of cole slaw and fries (I only got through a quarter of my meal before I had it bagged for later).
In all, the meal and the restaurant left us extremely satisfied. At only about PhP1,000 (US$24) per person, including several rounds of beer and other drinks, it was pretty much - pardon me - a good bang for our buck. I regret that I didn't take any photos, but that's pretty much all we ate. :-)
Mr. Rockefeller is at the 2nd Level, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.
Phone Number - (632) 757-4802.
While the different schedules we keep have had us meet over the dinner or lunch table infrequently, Macky proposed a new Firm policy: a partners' meeting every week to discuss caseloads, clients' concerns, and the culinary offerings of whatever new restaurant we may be meeting at. Resolution passed, unanimously :-)
Macky has extremely good taste in food, so we invariably end up dining at restaurants of his choice (Kenneth, whom I meet up with at the office once or twice a week, is happy with whatever might be prepared by the staff - and for the most part, so am I). So last Monday, after a client call, Macky suggested Mr. Rockefeller (Steaks, Ribs, Spanking Good Oysters) in Greenbelt 3.
The well-appointed space is quiet enough for conversation, and the service is beyond reproach. Patrons that evening ranged from a big family celebrating a birthday in the segregated dining area, to office executives enjoying a beer and a smoke al fresco. Mr. Rockefeller, with its predominantly American menu, also seems to be favored by the expatriate and Western tourist crowd - at one point there were as many foreign diners (curiously, all men - but hey, it's a steak place after all) as there were locals.
To start off our meal, we had a platter of Original Buffalo Wings served with a side of Mr. Rockefeller's version of blue cheese dressing (I'm pretty sure it wasn't blue cheese but instead some milder, less pungent alternative), and, since Kenneth hadn't yet arrived, a half-dozen order each of Buddha's Heaven (fried battered oysters with Thai chili dressing) and Boursin Oysters (named after the peppery sour Normandy cheese they slather on the steamed mollusks).
The wings were deep-fried to perfection, with just a hint of spicy Tabasco-based sauce drizzled over them - none of that floury batter or heavy ketchup sauce concoctions that has you go into a state of surfeit after one bite. I would have happily been content with the wings alone to accompany our icy glasses of San Mig Light, but with the piece de resistance still to be presented in different manifestations, I grazed through the entire evening.
The service was impeccable, and extremely considerate. I'd only just suggested to Macky that he line his empty stomach with some amount of food before proceeding to the oysters, when the server presented us with two demitasse servings of French onion soup, precisely for that purpose. The oysters themselves were delish, though I wouldn't binge on either Buddha's Heaven or the Boursin due to the extreme complexities of the flavors. But between the two of us, a couple of each was enough to satisfy our curiousity.
Since Kenneth had arrived, another round of oysters was in order - this time, in a simpler variation: the classic Oysters Rockefeller (to "honor" the name of the restaurant, according to Macky), and the Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell (you could actually order Fresh Oysters, unshucked - but who has the time or the patience to do that?). But by that time, I'd had my fair share of the slippery morsels.
Apparently my two growing partners (both are almost six foot, with appetites as big as their physiques) had only just started their meal, so they went on to plates of Batangas Tenderloin steak served with sides of buttered corn off the cob and baked beans. The bovine pride of Southern Luzon was buttery, well flavored, and tender as a steak should always be. My grazing was getting the better of me, so I just ate off Macky's plate for a bit before ordering the Grilled Kielbasa with a side of cole slaw and fries (I only got through a quarter of my meal before I had it bagged for later).
In all, the meal and the restaurant left us extremely satisfied. At only about PhP1,000 (US$24) per person, including several rounds of beer and other drinks, it was pretty much - pardon me - a good bang for our buck. I regret that I didn't take any photos, but that's pretty much all we ate. :-)
Mr. Rockefeller is at the 2nd Level, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.
Phone Number - (632) 757-4802.
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