TO a certain generation of Filipinos—and, perhaps, expatriates of a certain age—the mere mention of Cowrie Grill, one of The Manila Hotel’s four reputable restaurants, does not only prompt lovely memories of appetizing soups and salads, tender and well-seasoned steaks, rich desserts and nourishing beverages being served by smartly dressed waiters. It also evokes a Manila that is cleaner, gentler, quieter and more respectful than the Manila of today.
Fortunately for today’s generation, the qualities that have earned Cowrie Grill—named after the polished, spotted and somewhat egg-shaped seashells that adorn part of the restaurant’s interiors—a sterling reputation among lovers of fine dining have been maintained at its new location in the Promenade, the dining hub of the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City. Its startling reemergence last November in one of Metro Manila’s busiest commercial areas after a few years’ absence is part of substantial renovations—dubbed “Project Transformation”—that The Manila Hotel is undertaking for the next few years.
According to Kristine G. Facto, the hotel’s assistant vice president for public relations and corporate communications, it made sense to transfer Cowrie Grill to the Promenade. “Most of the restaurant’s customers come from the San Juan and New Manila areas,” Facto says, add-ing that the new location makes the 37-year-old fine-dining establishment more convenient—and more appealing—for them to go to.
Of course, a more accessible location is not the only thing that makes Cowrie Grill attractive. There is also the restaurant’s elegant appearance: Glass walls allow passersby—and potential diners—to freely peek inside. The earth tones used in the furniture and the interiors—the cocoa brown on the wooden panels and tables; the wheat-hued tabletops; the grayish-blue cushions on the chairs; the padded, burgundy-hued bar stools; the chocolate-brown cushioned seats, the mocha-colored padded walls and the gauzy, light beige curtains of the semi-private dining booths, among others—promote coziness and lend considerable warmth to the space. The general arrangement of the chairs and tables gives enough room for the neat-looking, uniformed servers to conduct their famed tableside preparations. And, most eye-catching of all, the hundreds of gleaming scotch bonnet shells that are incorporated into the two lighted panels at the entrance, as well as the hundreds—possibly thousands—of cowrie shells forming the wave-like chandelier near the booths, provide customers with something to talk about as they wait for their meals. These shells, Facto says, are the same ones used at the restaurant’s original incarnation at The Manila Hotel and repurposed to fit into the new incarnation’s modern design.
However inviting Cowrie Grill’s appearance is, there’s no question that what really draws people into the restaurant is the food, the high quality of which is ensured and maintained by Michael So Chan, the establishment’s accomplished, affable and youthful-looking head chef, and his hardworking team. This high quality is already evident in the French onion soup that the restaurant serves as a starter: the mildly sweet flavor and softened, almost chewy texture of the grated Swiss cheese provide a pleasant, appetite-stimulating contrast to the moderate saltiness of the broth, which must be consumed while hot.
If the soup somehow falls short in sufficiently stimulating taste buds, then Cowrie Grill’s classic Caesar salad will rise to the occasion. The freshness and brittleness of the chopped Romaine lettuce, the softness of the grated parmesan cheese, the hardness of the croutons, the crispness of the bacon bits—these, and other ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and egg yolk, among others), simply swirl around the mouth, exercising the tongue with the different textures and flavors they present.
The oral workout the salad offers is a fitting preparation to the meal’s main attraction: the “Surf and Turf”—grilled prime ribs au jus (French for “with its own juice”) and grilled prawns with white-butter sauce, which are served with fresh buttered vegetables and potatoes layered with melted cheese. Take measured bites of the meat, and you’ll understand why Cowrie Grill is renowned for its steaks—it’s succulent and well-spiced. The same can be said of the carefully sliced prawns, with the glistening white-butter sauce giving them a deeper, richer flavor.
Just as famous as its steaks is the restaurant’s signature dessert: the mound-like Baked Alaska Flambé. Though its appearance sometimes varies, the essentials remain the same: the small slice of a fruit (usually strawberry), placed on top of the creamy and dense baked meringue, which covers the moist chiffon cake that encloses the vanilla and strawberry ice-cream combo at the core. If the main course somehow fails to fill your stomach to full capacity, then this unbelievable confection—with the velvety warmth of the meringue and chiffon cake alternating with the welcome and melting coolness of the ice cream—will.
When Cowrie Grill first opened in 1977, it earned from a generation of fine dining-loving Filipinos considerable admiration and goodwill that, unsurprisingly, extended to what many people consider as the grand dame of Philippine hotels. It is expected that, with its recent reopening, the restaurant and its staff will resume generating esteem for The Manila Hotel as it tries to rebrand itself for a new, more vibrant and more informed generation.
For more information on Cowrie Grill, visit www.manila-hotel.com.ph/dining.
Image credits: Alvin I. Dacanay