The art of fine dining

This article first appeared in the Jul/Aug 2012 issue of World Gaming magazine.

OPUS: Noun. An artistic work on a large scale.

Being a Panda you might expect me to frequent quiet little cave-like restaurants with a sleepy atmosphere. But with friends like The Stallion and The Dragon, who has time for quiet pursuits when I could be out in the thick of the action?

I found myself with a few members of the gang in Manila recently and we were all shacked up at Maxims at Resorts World Manila. When I say shacked up, I mean staying at one of the finest hotels I have ever been lucky enough to stay in. Manila is a bustling metropolis of incredible food and I have come to love the diversity of its international cuisine over the years. This particular night however, we decided to stay inside the Resorts World complex and treat ourselves to one of their first rate dining establishments.

Now when it comes to food, I usually put my paw down and demand obedience from my friends. After all, my good friend chef Cyrille Soenen, formally from Cicou at Hotel Celeste in Makati, had just opened Impressions, his new restaurant at Resorts World, and I was dying to try it out. I have also had a vast array of experience at many of the other restaurants in the Resort World complex so I certainly wasn’t devoid of good dining options.

The Stallion, who we all know is the biggest party animal going, said he was going to take me out for dinner at one of his favorite nightclub haunts, Republiq. I didn’t want to go to a bar for dinner! The Stallion explained that Opus was a first rate restaurant that was under the same roof as Republiq. He also said that it would be his treat if I would just take his advice this one time. The Stallion has led me to plenty of good places for drinks so I decided that I would swallow my pride and follow along for a free feed. All I can say is that I am glad that I did.

The lounge at Opus is perfect to enjoy a few after-dinner drinks

Opus head chef Carlo Miguel has been described as Manila’s “it” chef. I often find proclamations such as these a little overstated, but I have to say that Carlo has created an exceptional menu. It’s creative and interesting but not pretentious for the sake of trying to impress. This is food presented by a chef who uses great quality ingredients to make very edible food and then adds flair.

My choice for a main course was easy – eel. I love eel. It is one of the most underrated meats going and the grilled Japanese eel at Opus really is excellent. It comes with a seared foie gras cucumber jelly and picked radish salad and is a fantastic dish. Others in our group enjoyed a very special saron risotto that blended techniques used by both the Italians and the Spanish. The hand-made quail and bacon tortellini was perfectly cooked and presented.

There was an excellent array of starters, salads, sides and some exceptional deserts, especially the chocolate pudding and ice cream, which is outrageously good. The drinks kept on coming and I found the wine list extensive and reasonably priced.

Onyx bar & wine room

The décor and interior design that Eric Cua has created here is perfect. It’s a large property and all the areas seem separate enough so they have their own identities, but are close enough to provide the feeling you are in an establishment that will keep every sense satised until the end of the evening. No wonder the Stallion loves this place. As soon as you nish your meal, you are o to the Opus lounge bar for a couple of quiet drinks before you head straight for the Republiq nightclub.

I am usually one that likes my restaurants and my bars to be separate. Unless I am eating bar food like chicken wings or peanuts let the bars serve drinks. Opus and Republiq have broken this rule as they both work very well on their own but also compliment each other. When I was in the restaurant I felt like I was in a first class restaurant and when I was in the bar I felt like I was in party central. Congratulations to all involved, as this was a big gamble by the owners but they appear to have hit the jackpot.