A sports club is usually a place where the family goes to enjoy doing recreational activities. Members actually consider the sports club an extension of their home. After doing a number of laps in the pool, playing basketball, or doing your usual routine at the gym, the next best thing to do is to eat.
And what better way to cap off your visit to the sports club than with a very sumptuous meal that includes Tapsilog, Baby Back Ribs, and Kare Kare with a sauce made of five different nuts?
This is exactly what Tivoli Royale Country Club has to offer to its members. Tivoli Royale Country Club was originally founded 25 years ago. It is now a fully rejuvenated sports and leisure facility located in the heart of Quezon City. It was open for operations in May 2022.
Cherryl Ann Go, General Manager of Tivoli Royale Country Club, recalled that when the club opened last year and the threat of Covid-19 was still around, they only had a membership of less than 100 families. Now with 420 member families in their roster, Go said they make sure that they get as much feedback as possible when it comes to the activities that they organize and more importantly, with the food that they will be serving.
“We started with the concept of comfort food. The members and their guests, when they go to a recreational place, they will undertake their activities and then after that, they will look for food,” Go related.
“The members consider the club an extension of their home. We have members who come here every day to have their lunch. We don’t want them to think much of what they want to order. We offer the favorites and we started with many offerings. As we moved forward, we introduced more items and introduced our takes in different dishes,” she added.
Extensive experience
THE person tasked with coming up with the dishes to serve the club members is Chef Emmanuel Jonnel Cruz Roxas, who has extensive experience from the hospitality industry.
“We definitely consider the voice of the members, but we also allow our culinary team to exercise their creativity. We come up with our own takes with the dishes that we serve,” Chef Jonnel said.
Considered one of their best-selling comfort foods is their Kare Kare with a sauce that is made from scratch. Chef Jonnel not only makes use of peanuts but four other nuts as well. In addition to peanuts, he makes use of walnuts, cashew nuts, and two other nuts that he did not want to name. The result is a sauce that is creamier and tastier when compared to the other Kare Kare dishes from other restaurants.
Another favorite among the members is the Baby Back Ribs. Chef Jonnel makes the barbecue sauce from scratch, adding a homemade feel to the dish. The same can be said about the Salmon with Tamarind sauce, another sauce that is made from scratch.
“I brought the famous Tapsilog of Don Galo, Paranaque to the Country Club as well. Since most of our members are from the Quezon City area, they rarely have the opportunity to go to the southern part of Metro Manila. I thought that it would be a good idea to bring it to them,” Chef Jonnel explained.
Dipping sauce
TO ENJOY the tapsilog, Chef Jonnel recommends that the tapa is dipped into a sauce made of banana catsup, vinegar, and a pinch of salt. He adds that diners should make sure that the egg yolk of the fried egg is oozing on their order of rice.
“When you taste that, you will definitely order a cup of coffee to go with it,” Chef Jonnel said with a smile, adding that another dish to die for is their take on the Chicken Inasal.
For the younger club members, a big hit with them is their carbonara, hamburger and their pizzas. Go related that while the sauce of the carbonara is made of egg, Chef Jonnel added a bit of cream because their members prefer their carbonara to be “saucier.”
A meal would not be complete without dessert and the club has its to die for Chocolate Lava Cake that goes well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
“The perfect Chocolate Lava Cake is when you cut through the cake and the chocolate sauce comes oozing out of the cake. The vanilla ice cream helps to neutralize the sweetness a little bit,” Chef Jonnel explained.
More dishes to come
ACCORDING to Go, the culinary team will continue to add more dishes to the menu. The culinary team is slowly introducing healthier items with their line of smoothies.
“Chef Jonnel and the culinary team have a number of surprises up their sleeves and we expect to roll out these dishes in the next few months,” Go said, adding that the restaurants in the club are open to non-members.
“If non-members want to use the facilities, they will have to be endorsed by our members. We also do banquets because we have function rooms for them. We do a lot of birthday parties. There are instances when the visitors of our members made inquiries about our banquet services because they enjoyed their experience here,” she said.
For now, those who want to become members of the Tivoli Royale Country Club only need to pay membership fees and dues. Eventually, the club might consider selling shares.
September deals
The club is currently offering a special Corporate Membership package. Designed for well-rounded executives who need to balance entertaining clients, gathering family and friends, and working and playing, the P40,000 annual membership and P6,000 monthly dues are inclusive of 12 months of unfettered access to the refreshed club facilities such as the family pool, gym, locker, sauna, and steam bath.
Members can find both enjoyment and discipline games with the guidance of the club’s professional coaches to get started with an active lifestyle. Relish priority invites to club events and exclusive access to food and beverage outlets like the all-day dining restaurant Royale Lounge. Sign up this September and receive P2,000 worth of complimentary vouchers which can be used for sports activities or dining.
Embark on a fitness journey, sign up for at least five sports sessions at the Tivoli Royale Sports Academy, with options from basketball, volleyball, muay Thai, karate, taekwondo, fencing, and so much more. The package is inclusive of one free session to the country club’s partner registered dietitian-nutritionists, who will create a tailored nutrition plan that begins with a thorough assessment, intervention strategies, and an option for monitoring and evaluation.
The ”ber” months make the al fresco Royale Lounge a delightful destination for a freshly grilled, perfectly charred rib eye steak. For only P2,000 net, it is paired with mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, with expertly crafted signature sauces, every order elevates even the most straightforward gathering.
Start the day with a filling, freshly cooked breakfast and take advantage of the 20 percent discount on weekdays from 9 AM to 11 AM at the Royale Lounge. The extensive all-day breakfast with unlimited brewed coffee includes hearty rice dishes, comforting arroz caldo, fluffy pancakes, and many more.
“Tivoli Royale Country Club has a lot to offer to its members. We can assure you of five-star hotel service in a country club setting,” Go said.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza
