Two of our friends decided to celebrate their birthdays at 145° F Prime Steaks and Seafood Restaurant, since none of us have eaten there. It has become something of a tradition for our barkada to celebrate somewhere majority of us have not yet tried.
To start us off, we were served some complimentary freshly baked bread with pecan butter. The pecan butter was sweet and creamy. It had these tiny bits of crunchy pecan. It was so good I wanted to get some for take-out -- I can imagine how divine it would be spread on my breakfast toast.
For appetizers, we decided to go for US Wagyu Carpaccio (P590, pictured above left) and Baked New Zealand Mussels (P560, pictured above right). Carpaccio is the Venetian counterpart of sashimi. 145° F's US Wagyu Carpaccio was comprised of very thinly sliced raw beef served on top of some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with herbs and pieces of parmesan cheese. The mussels were pretty pig and baked with lots of herbs and cheese. Both appetizers were very flavorful, so much so that I don't think I would've minded if my main dish never came. We also had Onion Rings (P 260) and Calamari Frites (P310), but both were on the bland side and thus nothing really special.
For the main course, hubby ordered the US Wagyu New York Steak (P2,200 - first photo above), while I settled for Skewered Wagyu (P1,350 - pictured above left). I didn't think I could finish a whole steak so I asked the server for the smallest order of Wagyu that was available. She recommended the Skewered Wagyu, which is kinda like Shish Kebab with the cubed beef and veggie pieces on sticks. For every order of steak, you get a side dish of either mashed potatoes or creamed corn plus your choice of sauce. There are six sauces to choose from -- Steak Sauce, Beef Jus, Mushroom, Green Peppercorn, BBQ, and Red Wine. I had Green Peppercorn sauce with my Skewered Wagyu and I requested for medium well in terms of doneness.The verdict? Hubby wasn't too happy with his New York Steak. He said he didn't believe it was Wagyu since we've just had a lot of Wagyu imported from Australia when my uncle had a cook-out at his house some time ago. My Skewered Wagyu was okay, unfortunately the best part of it was the crisp and sweet fresh vegetables served on the side. My beef cubes were not very tender, and they were kind of salty. I ate it with and without sauce so I could get a sense of the full flavor of the dish. It was really just okay. I managed to finish one stick and could not eat any more. It was heavy, despite being toted as the smallest order of Wagyu at 250g per serving. I finished my creamed corn side dish though. I loved its milky taste.
Since it was a birthday celebration, 145° F came out with a complimentary Chocolate Mousse (picture above right). The waiter told me that normally the Chocolate Mousse would've been topped with caramel and bananas, but a lighted candle took their place for this occasion. Surprisingly, the Chocolate Mousse was divine. The bottom layer was made of very light white chocolate cream, which was overlapped with a thin layer of chocolate chiffon cake, milk chocolate ganache, and a rich chocolate topping. I would've finished the whole thing if I weren't so worried about my diabetic lineage and my ever-expanding waistline, but as it is, I just settled for a few spoonfuls.
Whatever shortcomings the food had was made up for by the excellent service. The servers are very alert and knowledgeable. You can ask them questions about anything on the menu and they won't falter. They are also quick to recommend if you are at a loss. We also loved the bright, cheerful, yet classy interiors. I was impressed by their open kitchen. You can see everything they're doing, which inspires confidence in the food you're being served. My brother is a culinary student who has worked in the kitchens of popular restaurants and I've heard stories that have made me swear these establishments off.
All in all, 145° F is generally above average. Everything is great except for the steak. Maybe next time I should try their seafood. It is an extremely pricey place though, and I can easily think of other places which can offer better steak for a lower price.
145° Fahrenheit Prime Steaks and Seafood
G/F Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato, Quezon City
703-2725
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