The Raging Bull at Shangri-La at the Fort transports you to 1960's uptown Manhattan residential with its interiors and aesthetics. It was designed by New York-based firm AvroKO and is the first restaurant the firm has designed in the Philippines.
“When designing Raging Bull Chophouse and Bar, we channeled the original retro-classic steakhouse, but infused it with mid-century residential Manhattan style and modern luxury,” said William Harris, AvroKo principal. “Careful attention was paid to bespoke details such as the whimsical caliper-inspired light feature and vintage metal and wood carving tool display at the entry to the restaurant. The restaurant and bar feature ebony-stained wood walls and hand applied ecru Venetian plaster, black and white marble with wood inset flooring, antique brass trim details, and intricate divider screens that create intimate zones within the space.” (source)
The bar features an extensive selection of spirits and libations with over 90 brands of American whiskey, as well as Scottish, Japanese and Taiwanese whisky, 30 brands of gin, 12 signature cocktails, including house-aged barrels of house-mixed boulevardier and Martinez, 22 brands of rum, 18 brands of tequila and mezcal, as well as selected brandy, wine and beer.
Here are some of the cocktails we got to try:
Bonifacio Penicillin
Elijah Craig Bourbon, fresh calamansi, homemade ginger jam, house Szechuan honey, egg white
El Toro Loco
Habanero infused 1800 silver tequila, Cocchi Americano vermouth, fresh cucumber, lime juice and Agave nectar
Each drink has its own personality. The Bonifacio Penicillin appears to be the perfect welcome drink as it comes with an embossed Raging Bull logo. It's the type of drink I imagine men having together by the bar while enjoying the restaurant's bestselling Beef Jerky and talk about business and politics. The El Toro Loco is a combination of cucumber and tequila, more of my type, but still not quite. Anyway, I'm not much of a drinker, so let's just move on to the food.
We started off with these complimentary dough rolls. If they can produce ice with embossed logos, of course they'll have bread shaped like a bull. Makes sense, right? I initially planned on having a small bite, but one thing led to another. Next thing I know, I'm already on my second piece of bread. Haha.
Caesar Salad (P395)
romaine lettuce, anchovies, pancetta crisp parmesan, 63 degree free range egg
Maryland Crab Cake (P475)
charred orange, aioli, palm heart
Between the two, I enjoyed the Maryland Crab Cakes more because of its crisp crust and flavors, plus I really wasn't a fan of the anchovies in the salad.
Naturally, the highlight of the afternoon were the steaks. Here, diners can enjoy premium grain-fed and grass-fed dry-aged beef and other premium grilled items from the Josper grill created by chef de cuisine Nathan Griffin.
The Chopping Block
Cape Grim Grass-Fed Tasmania Tenderloin 200g (P1,650)
1824 Grain-fed Queensland Rib-Eye 350g (P3,100)
Darling Downs Wagyu 5+ Grass-fed Queensland Scotch Fillet 350g (P3,400)
Choose your weapon
Raging Bull takes it up a notch by letting the diners pick their own knives!
I went with Berti's Assassin Knife which is a heavy duty steak knife that can cut through the thickest cuts of meat without needing that much effort. I love its curved design and long handle for control.
Select your sides
Josper-roasted Japanese pumpkin, sage pine nuts, puffed wild rice (P225)
Grilled asparagus, glazed hollandaise sauce, macadamia nuts (P265)
Salad of radicchio, rocket, pear candied walnuts, orange dressing (P225)
Dress Your Steak
Salts: Rock Salt, Porcini Mushroom Salt, Lemongrass Chili Salt
Mustards: Dijon Mustard, Pommery Mustard, and Raging Bull Mustard
Sauces: Truffled Mushroom Sauce, Choron, Hunter Valley Wine Sauce and Black Peppercorn Sauce
Some people like their steaks as is; they believe that the meat should speak for itself. But personally, I loved that they gave us all these options. It adds to the excitement of it all - I made sure to try each and every single salt, mustard, and sauce. Whether you're the plain steak kind of guy or the more flavors, the better type of person like me, I'm sure you'll enjoy their steak offerings here at Raging Bull.
For those who don't feel like drinking alcohol but still looking for something different to try, I highly recommend the Mama Mia. It's a mocktail that has a pineapple juice base and some hints of coconut. A definite must try!
For dessert, they served us their specialties (from left to right):
Granny Smith Apple Cobbler with double vanilla ice cream (P340)
Pistachio Creme Brulee with mint infused strawberry salad (P340)
Candy Floss Pavlova with passion fruit pulp and mango sorbet (P315)
I really enjoyed the Granny Smith Apple Cobbler. It's perfect for when you need some comforting or you just feel like pigging out, as it is more on the heavy side. I would suggest ordering an extra scoop of ice cream though, it complements the dish really well.
The Pistachio Creme Brulee had everyone searching for a bold pistachio flavor which the dessert lacked, but the creaminess and smoothness of the pudding underneath this sugary layer soon had everyone craving for more.
Thank you, Zomato, for yet another fun foodie meet-up!
Raging Bull Chophouse and Bar
Third Level, West Wing, Shangri-La at the Fort, 30th Street Corner 5th Avenue, BGC
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