7.179

2 (Sat) July 2016

New York Deli Style “HOT” Corned Beef Brisket

2.5

at Chelsea Grand Café

-Serendra Piazza, Taguig-

solo

As of this afternoon, I am now a resident of Bonifacio Global City (BGC) (aka “The Fort” — as it was once part of Fort Bonifacio), Taguig City, Metro Manila, Luzon, Republic of the Philippines.  The stuff will be moved tomorrow, but I got the keys today, so here I am.

TERSP.  Try Every Restaurant in Serendra Piazza.  When the family moves to Manila at the end of the month, we’ll be living in the One Serendra condominium complex.  The complex includes a mini-mall (“Piazza”) dedicated primarily to food and drink, with 21 restaurants.  Whereas TERSP is fully conceived to be a family project once they’re here, I’m getting a head-start.  In contrast to the negative net returns on similar projects conducted by myself in Ermite/Malate, I’m optimistic that The Fort — one of the country’s poshest neighborhoods, where food is taken seriously — won’t disappoint us.

Each restaurant is categorized and listed in order of preference based on the overall dining experience, including the quality of all dishes tried, cost, service, cleanliness, ambiance, and any other factors that may apply, cumulative through multiple visits (if any).

• (3) Lartizan (7.060 Vol-au-Vent de Poulet…) / 3.5 / French
• (4) 8cuts (7.122 I Got Big Game) / 3.0 / American
• (2) Zao Vietnamese Bistro (7.053 Seafood Rice) / 3.25 / Vietnamese
• (1) Sentro 1771 (7.004 Tortang Talong) / 3.0 / Filipino
• (6) Chelsea Grand Café (7.179 New York Deli Style…) / 2.5 / American
• (5) Larry’s Café and Bar (7.162 Roast Chicken aux Champignons) / 3.0 / French

While sad to leave Ermita/Malate (see 7.178 One for the Road) — also dreading the commute, which will have me in the car for about 3 hours roundtrip daily, sometimes 3 hours one way, even though home is only 11 km from the office — I’m supremely confident that we’ll be very happy as a family in BGC, especially where food is concerned.

For lunch, the New York Deli Style “HOT” Corned Beef Sandwich was pretty good.  Nowhere near an actual New York deli sandwich (see for example 7.038 Hot Pastrami Sandwich), whether in quality or taste or sheer volume, but decent enough in its own right.

The masochistically gluttonous “Try Every” series :

1. TERRP (…Restaurant in Robinsons Place) — complete (85) (5.247 KFC : Original Recipe Fried Chicken…)
2. TEITY (..Item at Tao Yuan) — complete (36) (6.095 DONE)
3. TERNWPPD (…Restaurant in New World, Pan-Pacific, Diamond) — complete (10) (6.081 Lobster, Baby.)
4. TERSK (…Restaurant in St Kilda) — complete (6) (5.339 Roasted Squid)
5. TEKREM (…Korean Restaurant in Ermita/Malate) — complete (45) (6.207 Dok + Ok)
6. TEIBR (…Item at Bistro Remedios) — cancelled (10) (see most recently 6.359 Kangkong Lechon)
7. TETRITSA (…Thai Restaurant in the International Terminal of Suvarnabhumi Airport) — in process (4) (see most recently 6.069 Spicy Stir-Fried Shrimp & Seafood with Basil)
8. TERSP (…Restaurant in Serendra Piazza) — in process (7) (see most recently 7.162 Roast Chicken aux Champignons)
9. TEKASM (…Korean Air Special Meal) — in process (7) (see most recently 7.108 Low Fat Meal)

For dinner, the Prosciutto & Roasted Peppers Pizza was meh.  Could’ve been pretty good, but a thick layer of dusted flour on the bottom rendered it nearly inedible.

But overall, the restaurant merits another shot, with the family someday.