Sage Grill, the Lobby Lounge and Shang Palace reopen with new chefs, new menus that best show the refinement and inventiveness in their food and cocktails
After a long hiatus, Makati Shangri-La resumes its operations, which means we get a chance to visit their restaurants again and partake of the dishes we have sorely missed.
The luxury hotel temporarily closed on Feb. 1, 2021, and last Aug. 8 they opened its doors to much anticipation. While in momentary suspension, a small group of staff continued maintenance and basic upkeep of the hotel in order to preserve its timeless grandeur.
“We have seen a significant boost of the tourism industry, especially with the easing of restrictions in the Philippines,” says hotel manager Udo Wittich. “For the domestic market, the events and social functions are making a big comeback having gone through the pandemic. We are optimistic about the market and hence have chosen to reopen during this period.”
He adds, “We aim to retain our guest-centric approach, innovating where we think has the most impact on guest experience such as refreshing restaurants’ concepts and menus for an elevated dining experience, introducing new offerings such as the Horizon Business rooms to help business travelers maximize their stay at the hotel.”
Gradual resumption
The hotel is in gradual resumption. Only a certain number of the rooms, for example, can be stayed in. As for the restaurants, only Sage Grill, the Lobby Lounge and Shang Palace are operational. Circles and Sage Bar are scheduled to welcome guests on the fourth quarter of 2023, while a new Japanese dining concept will be launched sometime in 2024.
Until then, we can indulge on the medley of authentic Cantonese dishes that have been given a unique twist by the new Chinese executive chef with more than 17 years’ experience in the cuisine. There’s a new menu and among them are eight signature dishes that best show the refinement and inventiveness in their food.
There’s pan-fried Australian Wagyu beef cube with asparagus in homemade sauce; steamed sliced Kurobuta pork with shrimp paste and ginger; traditional baked crab shell; stewed red grouper fillet in pea mash soup with pickled peppers and Chinese cabbage; poached rice with seafood and crispy rice in lobster broth; deep-fried bean curd roll with black mushrooms, assorted vegetables with truffle oil and pumpkin; and baked mango and sweet potato in fine pastry and vanilla ice cream.
They are all decadent in flavor and presentation, and are proof why Shang Palace has always been loved by many.
Sage Grill opens with an updated look and a new chef, too. Pablo Ramirez is a passionate and highly motivated chef from Argentina with 15 years of culinary experience in South America, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and the Philippines, to name a few.
Meatier menu
He made the menu “meatier” with a fine selection of grass and grain-fed steaks that have been naturally aged with kosher salt, then fed to the Josper grill that’s equipped with amber apple and cherry wood. There’s Jack’s Creek Black Angus from Australia, Black Angus Five Founders from Queensland, Oedslach Purebreds from Netherlands, West Flanders Red Pure Bred from Belgium and Satsuma Gyu Wagyu A5 from the Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan. Accompanying them is a slew of sides, including salt-roasted beets, classic potato gratin, charred sweet corn cob and creamed spinach.
The other mains are just as mouthwatering, from the Legado Iberian pork chop and rack of lamb, to the chef’s specialties such as the seafood copping and Mediterranean wild turbot fish, both of which are for sharing.
What’s equally interesting and exciting are the signature cocktails that Sage Grill have made available, allowing the meal and dining experience to be extra luxurious. They have handcrafted martinis using their own blend of vermouth and sherry to start your repertoire with, and it comes in three variants: rare (dry), medium (balanced) and well done (wet). Then, to finish, there’s the “holy grail” of after dinner cocktails, negroni. And there are three different styles too, ranging from the traditional blend to the most robust concoction.
It’s not enough that Makati Shangri-La is back. They made sure that they’re reintroducing themselves with a bold statement in the culinary department with their signature dishes and cocktails. INQMakati Shangri-La is located on Ayala Avenue, Makati. Follow the author @fooddudeph on Instagram.
Angelo Comsti writes the Inquirer Lifestyle column Tall Order. He was editor of F&B Report magazine.
