The Establishment, Fort Strip: Lunch at Crystal Room

We just availed of our lunch coupon from dealgrocer.com. It was a full meal from the Crystal Room at The Establishment. I never knew The Establishment served lunch. Upon speaking with Chef Him Uy de Baron, he mentioned that The Establishment just offered a lunch menu starting this February, and they opened by serving 12 dishes that he prepared.

Crystal Room at The Establishment

Crystal Room, The Establishment with Chef Him Uy De Baron

I got to try just three of Chef Him’s specialties. For those who do not know Chef Him, he has had extensive training from Le Cordon Bleu. He was Executive Chef for Chef Cuisine Catering and consultancy. He has done some stints also for Rustan’s, Le Souffle and Edsa Shangri-la Plaza. He was very gracious and accommodating with all the questions that we asked him.

The Establishment is the big white building inside the Fort Strip. You have to go all the way around the parking space to reach its area (near Member’s Only club) Upon entering the place, we were greeted at the reception area. The waiter then led us to the entrance to the right that opens to a clean, white ambiance. He led us to the table, which had white leatherette seats and white table cloth. My only concern was that the seats and the table cloth were not as clean as we hoped it would be. Not noticeable if you’re having dinner under soft lighting, but with the harsh sunlight during lunch time, it’s glaringly obvious. Cleaning the seats and making the table cloth really white would make a lot of difference.

The Establishment, Crystal Room Bread Basket

Our lunch started with, of course, a bread basket, that we would munch on while waiting for our food. The dip was Arugula pesto and olive oil.

Tempura of Squash Blossom filled with Prawn Mousse

We were then served the Tempura of Squash Blossom filled with Prawn Mousse and Plum Chili Dressing. The dish was made up of little drumstick looking tempura balls. When you bite into it, you’ll see that this appetizer has several layers. The top layer is the crunchy tempura like covering. The second layer is the squash like covering. And the last layer is the prawn ball that’s juicy and tender. The dressing was spread out evenly in the dish. It tasted like sweet and sour sauce with chili. It was a good compliment to the prawn.

Pan Roasted Chicken with Asian Mushrooms Ravioli and Chicken Jus

The main dish was Pan Roasted Chicken with Asian Mushrooms Ravioli and Chicken Jus. The chicken was cooked well. It was very tender and juicy. The chicken was accompanied by dimsum looking ravioli. The ravioli covering was a bit dry, but I liked the mushroom filling. The sauce was so familiar. It tasted like vinegar, soy sauce mixed with ginger sauce that I like, mixed with my dimsum. It tasted like the sauce that we make in Shi Lin. It was actually nice to see that this kind of sauce also makes chicken taste great.

Mango Pannacotta with Pandan Cream, Muscovado Syrup and Fresh Fruits

The dessert was my favorite part of this three course meal. It was Mango Pannacotta with Pandan Cream, Muscovado Syrup and Fresh Fruits. I, personally, love Pannacotta. Kuddos to Chef Him for this really unique and delicious dish. It did not look like the usual pannacotta that everyone has tried. Upon receiving the dessert, you’d see a whole lot of fruit slices on top of the dessert — kiwi, dragonfruit, strawberry, and pomelo. It also had sago on top. The Pannacota had that delicious Mango flavor (much like mango sago dessert). I would come back for this.

The Establishment: Capuccino

The Establishment: English Tea Latte

To cap off the meal, I had the English Tea Latte. My friend tried the cup of Cappuccino.

All in all, it was a delicious meal. The Php 450 coupon for a Php 970 (original price) meal was well worth it. I strongly suggest though that the interiors be cleaned more thoroughly. If they do, people wouldn’t think twice about spending this much for a good meal.

Contact Details:
The Establishment
Unit A The Fort Entertainment Complex
26th St. corner 5th Avenue
For Bonifacio, Taguig City
Phone: (632) 844 6364

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