Allium

Nurullah Şenses

4.0

I've been wanting to try out this little restaurant tucked inside Legaspi Village. I've been hearing a lot of nice things about it but I always want to judge it myself being a certified website. I've been curious about Chef MArk Tan's creations.  And so we had a reservation for 10 for Mai's birthday. This was going to be fun because we can order a lot of things from the menu.   1. We started with Duck confit salad but I didn't get to take a picture of but it was good crisp and flavorful2. The scallops with uni sabayon was spot on. I love the creaminess of the uni paired with the perfectly seared hokkaido scallops and sauteed Nameko mushrooms. The Burrata Salad was divine with heirloom tomatoes which was very pleasant and the drizzle of balsamic glaze was just right. 3. The freshly baked Chorizo Cheese bread which is like a gougere or a pate a choux based dough that has a hollow interior which may be filled. 4. The house bread were cute little marble like rolls that was quite dense. 5. The gambas Y chorizo was quite predictable but still good.6. We literally finished the inventory of The Crystal Bay Oysters that was served with a pear mignonetteand a hint of wasabi but I would've preferred it with a tad more acid 7. We had baked oysters also topped with an aioli type of sauce and gratinated. It tasted good but I really go for the fresh ones as a personal preference. 8. The seasonal seafood had a seared Toro Tataki which was almost meat like because it was so fatty and rich, which is a good thing!9. For our Entree: China and I opted for the Creekstone Bone in Prime Rib with Garlic rice and bordelaise sauce. The bordelaise sauce is sucha classic that I still teach to my students up to now. It starts out with a red wine gastrique with bay leaf and thyme. Meat Jusor demiglace is added, mounted with butter and finished with bone marrow. Still a winner!10. I was also able to taste the Grilled Wagyu Beef. 11. The dutch veal cheeks was ok but I've had better veal cheeks in other restaurants. 12. For dessert: WE had a Peanut butter Valrhona Mille Feuille which was very pleasant and the peanut butter flavor was very subtle which I really liked and the refreshing chantilly on the side helped a lot. 13. The Laiskonis Egg which is a Pot du Creme filled with Caramel maple Foam was pretty good. It was a good interpretation of Le Bernardin's Michael LAskonis who is the pastry chef of Eric Ripert. We had a Heitz Cellars Napa Chardonnay which was refreshing but it didn't have the characteristic coconut, buttery or popcorn like character which I look for in a Napa chardonnay. that flavor is attributed to the malo lactic. fermentation together with the American oak which gives off the very pleasant buttery character. For our red, we had a Legende Pauillac which is a Cab Sauv and Cabernet franc softened with Merlot. It was full of fruit like black berries and a nice toasty finish. It really went well with our Prime Rib. I would go back here to taste the other items in the menu though it is quite pricey at around 4,000 plus per head.

Stella Edwina Mangowal

4.0

Allium Is Chef Mark Tan's latest entry into the restaurant scene. If his other restaurant, Studio Kitchen is any indicator, then surely Allium will be just as delicious. Tucked away in one of the Legazpi village side streets, blink and you might miss it. We almost did. The fastest way to get there is to take Dela Rosa street and turn left at Bolanos. When we first walked in, we were pleasantly surprised. Space was beautiful! Modern, homey and comfortable. Perfect for celebrating that special occasion, friendly get-togethers, date nights or business meetings. Their menu, while not very large, had a good selection. There's something here for everyone. Though admittedly, i wish they had more seafood and poultry options. I don't eat pork and the beef was all steaks. We perused the menu trying to decide and our waitress was super helpful and attentive to our preferences.On to the food:Must order - cheese chorizo puff bread. These Bite sized savory pieces of cheese and chorizo are the perfect starter to your meal. I can finish an order on my own.Must order - wagyu shortrib.Sigh. Love in every bite. The chef understands the diners so this comes with Rice. It's good too - duck confit.Perfectly cooked. The potato side was uninspiring though. Didn't really taste like anything other than raw potato. we were wondering if they forgot to season it. It's good too - egg dessert.Not sure what to expect but it was a pleasant surprise! It's a marriage of salty and sweet. It's rich so don't get carried away. Resist the temptation to have two. Other things to note: expect to spend more than 1.5K per person. Portions are to share (2-3 people). Noise level loud when there's big groups. They need to fix that. Loses the intimate feel. Enjoyed our meal here. Will be back. :-)

Devika Verma

4.0

World class restaurant owned and operated by Chef Mark Philip Tan and family.Allium opened it's door to the public only last March, 2014 but already have the big names in the Philippine business sector as their regular patrons. From food, ambiance, kitchen & bar equipment, decors and service, everything in Alluim is first class.Chef Mark is so high on quality that they even fly-in their meat and seafood weekly from other countries. Before Allium, Chef Mark was a chef in different luxury restaurants in Los Angeles, USA (where he also studied), opened Studio Kitchen in Alabang in 2011 before opening this restaurant in Makati. This restaurant will be the hottest destination for wine lovers like myself... With 2 units of the Wine Station (dispenser), wine enthusiasts can have or taste high quality and high value wines...As for art enthusiasts, they will enjoy all the paintings around the restaurant (as well as in the 2 restrooms) plus some sculptures...By the way, they recently changed their operation hours to 6pm-12am nightly, Lunch can be arranged for private groups and the restaurant is open to private functions.I would suggest to call the restaurant first for reservations since the place is almost always full since they changed their schedule.  Cheers!!!