Steak out! (22 Prime at Discovery Suites)

(Rib-eye Steak 400 gm. I had to share 2/3 of this with my friends)
OKAY, truth to tell, I'm not a steak person. I used to be...but when my mom took over cooking duties from my Lola, she really didn't how to cook then. So all she did was pan-fry or grill steaks...T-bone, Porterhouse, Rib-eye, etc. (yes, GK, bought from Jusmag, haha). Sometimes she would get really soft and tender beef tenderloin from her suki at the market. It was a good thing I was playing tennis back then otherwise I would have blown up like a blimp.

(Grilled Wagyu Beef Medallions)

Anyhoo, I seem to have fallen into a steak reverie and have been currently checking out the latest restaurants with steaks as their specialty. A few weeks back it was Pepper Lunch. Then just recently, I visited 22 Prime on the 22nd floor of Discovery Suites along ADB Ave. (across Podium).

We had mixed reviews of the dishes we ordered. Miggy thought her Wagyu Medallions were tough. I found them just the right tenderness, but mejo salty to my taste. My Rib-Eye was grilled to the right brown-ness on the outside, but red, tender and juicy inside (I ordered it a medium). I smothered it with the peppercorn sauce...and yum! It was sooo good. The others seemed to be happy as well with their petite Filet Mignon.

(Filet Mignon petite 150 gm.)

According to Marc dela Cruz, Discovery Suites associate director for marketing communications, they get their steak cuts from the world-famous Snake River Farms in Boise, Idaho, which is the largest producer of American Kobe beef. (I buy local Wagyu from Salcedo Market but it just isn't that really tender. It tends to be gummy because of the fat. Good wagyu melts in the mouth.)

Before you eat your steak, they offer you a choice of steak knives, which seems to have impressed a friend-chef when he ate there. The side dishes at 22 Prime were alright..we had grilled mushrooms, braised baby carrots, asparagus spears, but the waitstaff Lovely, forgot my corn kernels. The Baked Oysters Rockefeller were not so fresh, however. We also had the Asian Lobster Bisque which was creamy and tasty

(Choose your weapon.)

But my super-fave was actually the Cheese Bread which was just so sinfully-flavorful with four cheeses on it. And the bottle of red wine (Two Oceans Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot from South Africa) that went with our dinner was delightfully light on the palate, with just a hint of oak. So it complemented our heavy steaks well.

Oh and there's a singer who sings acoustic (with just his guitar) in the evenings so I actually enjoyed the night, especially so with the friends I had around me. I am told that Fridays are Prime Rib night, so you should check that out. I will :)

(Btw, we espied economist Toti Chikiamco, who was my columnist at Manila Standard before, having dinner with former DENR Sec. Antonio Cerilles and some friends in another corner. Hmmm...I wonder what Cerilles is up to these days.)

Price-wise, the tags on the steaks aren't too bad. They were just right as I would expect U.S. steak cuts would be at any fine-dining restaurant in a hotel would be.

(I super love Chef Rick's Cheese bread! Sino si Chef Rick? Ewan, but this is deeeelicious!)

(P.S. Ordering tip: The Rib-Eye and Wagyu Medallions may be shared. The Rib-Eye especially, is 400 grams, so I almost suffocated in trying to finish it. The Petite Filet Mignon naman, is too small. But if you order the regular size, you might be overwhelmed as well. Of course, I'm a ghel with a smaller tummy...but you big boys out there will probably have no problem finishing a 400-grammer. Arayko. But try to pace yourself, and order some salad! We were so stuffed that I didn't have enough space in my tummy to try out the desserts. Btw, my apologies, my shots of the interiors didn't come out so well so I didn't post 'em.)


(The artsy wine rack. Would love to have this in my house.)

(Order na kayo)

Hang on, Elbert's Steak Room or House of Wagyu...I'll visit you soon enough.

(22 Prime is at the 22nd floor of the Discovery Suites, 22 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City.)