Another winner is this awesome dish of chicken livers, perfectly seared (again, something the chefs in the kitchen should be patted on the shoulder forover-searing makes the livers as hard as pencil erasers), and mounted in a bit of cream and truffle oil. The livers come out smooth, velvety even, and are knocked out of the park when eaten with some bread to sop up the rich sauce. Again: simple, but done with care equals killer goodness.

Fried asohos came with a lemon aiolia nice little snackas was crostini (little bread toasts) topped with a goat cheese blend. A refreshing counterpoint to the tapas are their salads which kind of surprised me, actually, as they are very well composed. Not overdressed, with their well-balanced vinaigrettes gently coating each leaf so as not to overpower the other components. The salad with apples and blue cheese, and the one with prosciutto and orange slices are both excellent choices.

For mains, one of us had a plate of well seasoned, rosemary infused lamb chops—“hard to go wrong with a combination like this. Easily the best entrée our group ordered. I had a lamb risotto which, while made well and had generous bits of tender lamb, was a bit corny, as was the prawn risotto of our other companion. Well, to be honest thoughI'm not really a big risotto fan (I often find it too heavy, and at its most delicious I still can never finish the whole portion) so I say if you like it, give it a go anyway. My other friend's squid ink pasta was properly al dente yet lacked a certain something something, as well as a kickso we requested for some lemon and fresh chilies, which did the trick. Quite deliciousbut horrible if you're on a dateso beware the black mouth!

Since we're still on the honesty tip, I feel I have to say this: if you go in this March, they have a promo of 50% off on their rib-eyes. Yes, 50% off of something that normally costs around P1,200 so you get a 200g rib eye for P600 or so. Uhm, I would steer away from that, unless you really, really have to have some steak. I knew in the back of my mind that it was too good to be true, but sucker punched myself by ordering one anyway. Although cooked to my specifications (another rarity in Manila), it tasted of freezer burnwell, of course they had stock they had to sell, hence the promo. Sorry, Spassohad to call you on that one. I still like you, though.

Since then I've been here two other times, and I still haven't seen the place full. You see, it's in the ground floor of a building that isn't on a main stretch of the Fort (even if it's right across that palace of partying, Encore), so you won't really have many chances to pass by. You have to know it's there. Hopefully if you've read this post, your curiosity will be piqued to check it outthey deserve it. It's worth finding, and will be a great place to bring friends, or a hot date, or to celebrate something with your family.

RATING: —¢—¢—¢. 3.5 Spots