FOOD FINDS at: Vittorio’s Steakhouse (Kamuning, Quezon City)
Contributed by J & C (the tell-it-as-it-is food critics)
Ed’s Note: Food Finds is a review segment by our contributors — Metro Manila-based entrepreneurs, J & C.
Voucher/s Used: 2pcs. (PhP500 GC for PhP299) MetroDeal voucher
Number of Diners: 2
First Impression:
This place was off the beaten path. One wouldn’t expect a steakhouse along the dark street of Kamuning. The parking area and the restaurant itself were also dimly-lit and gloomy, which made us feel uninvited. The only consolation we got was the ease of parking, considering that we dined on a Saturday night.
What We Ordered:
Noodle Salad with Miso Dressing @ PhP190
This was a sad case of “falling blindly in love with a new idea.” Yes, we got the idea, but no, we didn’t get the translation on the plate. Salads are meant to be bright, light and fresh. This salad however didn’t hit all three marks. It wasn’t that bright, which we think is totally forgivable as long as it fulfils the last two requisites – but it didn’t. The miso dressing, which was properly prepared – salty and rightly fermented – made the otherwise fresh greens heavy and unappetizing. That particular miso dressing recipe may go well in other dishes such as soba or any carb-rich dish, but definitely not in a green salad such as this one. And to add insult to injury (as if the miso dressing wasn’t enough injury), the choice of canton as noodle made the entire dish a disaster. Canton has a very heavy aroma that when served cooked needs very fresh herbs like spring onions and cilantro or spices like bird’s eye chilli to give that nice round flavor that it deserves. That being said, in this particular dish we think vermicelli would have been a better choice than canton. This plate reminded us that FOOD, first and foremost has to be GOOD. Then and only then, can creativity add a WOW factor.
P.S. To the chef, we don’t mean to be harsh. Our opinions are solely based on the food served to us. We consider food as both art and science that to hold back on our critique (whether good or bad) would be disservice to others! To the readers, please read on. Do not judge a restaurant (this one in particular) by just one dish. Good food are about to be unravelled in the next dishes. We promise!
Crab and Shrimp Pizza @ PhP299
This one was recommended by the waiter. Good thing we listened, because we enjoyed it. It was not your typical pizza. The crust was soft – almost like freshly baked bread, which we liked; and the toppings, though not as “fully loaded” as we hoped, was tasty, balanced, and surprisingly light. It might look a little greasy, but it actually wasn’t. And even if you do find it greasy, it’s nothing a few sheets of tissue can’t handle. A little dab here and a little dab there, voila!
CAB USDA Ribeye (330g) with Steak Rice @ PhP1,180
(Note: Upon the time of posting of this review, the published price of this dish is PhP1,220.)
This was one of the best executed steaks we’ve ever had. The meat was perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. We ordered it medium rare and we got it medium rare. It had that perfect pink in the center and without that “oozing pink blood” when sliced through. This doesn’t mean that the steak wasn’t juicy though, because it was. It had that perfect texture. And, it was also perfectly grilled on the outside – complete with a true grill flavour (not just charred or pan-seared), and was perfectly seasoned with the right amount of salt and pepper. And to cap it all off, the steak was topped with a contrasting texture and flavour from a generous amount of crispy pork bits, which just made the steak pure genius! We can’t stress enough how PERFECT this steak was. We know, we’ve used the word “perfect” several times already, but it really deserves each one of the seven of them. Our only complaint was the blah steak rice, which was just white rice flavored with what seemed like Knorr/Maggi seasoning. Tsk tsk tsk! How can one elegant steak be paired with one artificially-flavored rice?! Had we known that the steak rice was a bad choice, we would have gone for the fries instead! Oh well, shoulda woulda coulda… There’s always a next time! 🙂
Food Experience:
This new steakhouse shows a lot of promise. Perhaps with some minor menu-editing, it could potentially become anyone’s go-to steak place, since the prices are reasonable and the good dishes are REALLY good and worth having again, and again, and again. Our meal started off with us having very low expectations, which made the “steak redemption” much sweeter.
Service:
The wait staff members were nice and friendly, but obviously had limited knowledge of the food they were serving. You’d instantly know that they were taught to push some items on the menu even if those wouldn’t particularly go well with the other dishes that you had already ordered. Hence when ordering, just trust your instincts.
Value for Money:
if with MetroDeal voucher/s; if without
With or without the MetroDeal vouchers, you’ll leave this place happy and satisfied. The dishes are reasonably priced and the portions are not bad. Surely you’ll get your money’s worth (in terms of taste and quality), especially with the steaks. At the end of our meal, we were full, satisfied and happy to have a few leftover pizza slices (2 to be exact) to take home.
Will We Go Back?
(Definitely)
We are actually excited to return to Vittorio’s and have their ribeye steak again. With the MetroDeal voucher still available for purchase, the urge just doubled and the thought of eating there again just got more exciting.
Overall Rating:
VITTORIO’S STEAKHOUSE
Location: 121 Forab Bldg., Kamuning Road, Quezon City
Contact No.: +63-2-7386564
Hours: Mon-Sun @ 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-10:30pm
Let our palates and our pockets be your guide,
J & C
