Wolfgang’s Premiere Lounge at Gateway Makes Dinner and a Movie a Seamless Experience
Here's where you can catch the latest flicks while downing a juicy burger and more by Wolfgang's.
(SPOT.ph) There are now plenty of cinemas in Metro Manila touting a premium experience—theaters offering plush recliner seats, more extensive snack and beverage options, tableside service, and various other amenities. The newest of these cinemas, which just opened at Gateway 2 in Cubao, distinguishes itself by being partners with a restaurant: Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, by Wolfgang Zweiner.
They’re calling it Wolfgang’s Premiere, designated as cinemas 13 and 14 in Gateway’s expansive 18-screen cineplex. It has its own lobby, decorated to look a tad more old world than the mall’s futuristic interiors—it’s all wooden walls and granite tabletops, along with plush upholstery in a muted blue. Breaking into this classic aesthetic, however, are rows of TVs on either side, all of them oriented in portrait mode, endlessly running trailers for coming attractions. There is a bar at the very back of this lobby, showcasing the various alcoholic drinks that one might purchase.
The partnership makes for a rather stunning difference. While other premium cinemas certainly offer more options for the hungry moviegoer, they’re still largely limited to fairly typical theater fare, as these places generally aren’t running full kitchens. Wolfgang’s Premiere, on the other hand, is able to whip up steak and eggs, served with bacon rice. They’ll cook up a Classic Wolfgang’s Burger to order, served with a side of fresh potato chips.
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Wolfgang's Premiere at Gateway 2, Cubao
A ticket—as of this writing priced at P990—comes with a choice of either a Classic Wolfgang Burger, Roast Beef Sandwich, or Wolfgang’s Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich. You've got the option to add other plates to your order, too—substantial ones at that, with options like Roast Beef Sliders (P598), a Fish Burger with tartare sauce (P358), a Mini Charcuterie Plate (P598), even rice meals like the aforementioned Steak & Eggs (P588) and Angus Corned Beef with Egg (P498). There is also a complimentary bottle of water. You can enjoy the meal in the lobby, or you can have it in the cinema.
There are two cinemas: one with 56 seats, and another with 64. Every seat is a classic La-Z-Boy Recliner, with a handle on the side that you pull to kick your feet up. Both cinemas are equipped with Dolby Surround and state-of-the-art projection.
Seats are split up into pairs, with a little side table in between each pair. On the table, there is a cup holder, a little widget with buttons that calls the staff to take orders, and USB jacks should you want to charge your devices while you watch the movie. Weirdly missing from this set up is some sort of tray table that can hold your food. This is a place, after all, that serves full plated meals, and it proves to be a little awkward (and a little messy) to try and have these meals while enjoying a movie. You could keep the meals on the side table, and have to turn away to grab a bite, or you end up holding the plate in front of you.
This is a kink that really needs to be worked out. It’s really interesting that you can get a plate of corned beef to eat while watching The Accountant 2, but you’re giving up some comfort for that experience. It also might help if they offered some dishes on their menu that are more idly consumed, like French fries, or just the chips that they already serve on the side of a lot of the items.
On the beverage menu, there’s Soda (P108), Iced Tea (P158), and Lemonade (P158). There, too, is a small selection of wine (187-ml pours of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay by Fortant de France at P398, and 200 ml of Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut) and beer (San Miguel, starts at P108; and Stella Artois, P250). But there is also a bartender on hand to prepare a handful of classic cocktails. You can get a Negroni (P348), a Classic Margarita (P398), an Old Fashioned (P348), or a Classic Gin and Tonic (P298). Again, the association with Wolfgang’s ensures that these drinks are the real deal, as the steakhouse takes its beverage program pretty seriously.
One imagines, as these cinemas continue to operate, that they’ll start to come up with special menu items that tie in with whatever movie you’re seeing. That could be fun. As it is, even with some issues it still has to work out, Wolfgang’s Premiere already feels like the most premium cinema experience in Metro Manila. It compresses the concept of dinner and a movie into a single, mostly seamless experience.
Wolfgang's Premiere is at L/4 Gateway Mall 2, 28 General Araneta, Cubao, Quezon City. For more information, check out Wolfgang's Steakhouse's Instagram page.