Winebar: The Wine and Dine Spot of Café 1771

Last Monday, my date and I were fortunate enough to join yet another Eat's a Date event. This time, it's at Café 1771's 2nd floor dinning area called The Winebar, conveniently located in a restaurant-filled strip at El Pueblo, Ortigas.

The Winebar is only one among the 4 concept sections in Café 1771 which specializes in steaks, burgers, oysters and wines. Being part of the Chateau Group of Restaurants, the same owner of Chateau 1771 and Sentro 1771, it was expected that The Winebar will also have impressive decorations like its sister restaurants. And our first step on the building's 2nd floor did not fail to leave us in awe.

Upon walking in to The Winebar, we were warmly greeted by the quaint and rustic interiors of the place. The spacious area was elegantly decorated with faded red brick walls, dark brown wooden furniture, granite table tops, leather seats and lovely decadent accents which radiate that gentleman's club vibe.

The dark brown, deep red and white color scheme of the restaurant was even taken up to a notch by interesting bookshelf-printed room dividers, majestic crystal chandeliers and bottles of wine that filled various spaces of The Winebar. The place is just oozing with a cozy atmosphere despite having lavish decors. It also plays house and soul music, making the whole ambiance less overwhelming and less intimidating.

After enjoying the impressive interiors of The Winebar, it was finally time to satisfy our taste buds. First to be served was a plate of The Winebar's Oyster Rockefeller (P550).

This plate of baked Aklan oysters with creamy spinach, bacon and cheese was really good. Each piece was flavorful and oozing with creamy goodness. It somehow reminded me of Pizza Hut Tuscani's 3-Cheese Bacon & Spinach pizza that I love. The oyster version though is more flavorful and savory.

We then got to sample the Sweet Potato-Pumpkin Mash (P150), a side order item from The Winebar's menu.

Although I am not big on mashed food items, I really enjoyed this lovely dish. Take note though that the pumpkin taste is richer, making this siding seem like a solid version of a pumpkin soup.

After the light start, it was then time to have some carbs so we were next served with a 1771 staple, the Salabacho Pizza (P380).

Salabacho stands for salami, bacon and chorizo which are the main toppings for this beautiful thin crust pizza. Every bite is an explosion of strong but lovely flavors which are well complemented by the tomato paste, cheese and basil leaves.

We were also treated to a serving of Spicy Spaghetti Sardines (P350), a plate of al dente-cooked pasta topped with Spanish sardines, fried capers, toasted breadcrumbs and chili flakes.

Although I have quite a low tolerance for spicy foods, I got to enjoy The Winebar's Spicy Spaghetti Sardines pasta. Every mouthful is savory and just full of beautiful flavors. It also wasn't as hot and spicy as I expected so it has my approval.

Since Café 1771, The Winebar and Sidebar shares a single kitchen, we were very fortunate to be served with an item from Café 1771's menu, the Pasta Chorizo (P390).

I love chorizo and any dish that has it, so as expected the Pasta Chorizo which is a 1771 classic composed of spaghetti tossed in chorizo sauce reduction and topped with parmesan cheese really satisfied me.

We were also treated to a basket of Crispy 5-Spice Fried Chicken (P450) which I failed to taste. My fellow bloggers and OpenRicers seemed to like it though.

Our host for the night, Mr. Cyrus Cruz, marketing manager of the Chateau Group and a self-proclaimed burger connoisseur shared to us his love for burgers by treating us to a serving of the Winebar Burger (P410).

This burger which has 200g of certified Angus beef patty and Gruyere cheese tucked inside a homemade brioche bun is not for the fainthearted, figuratively and literally. Although it has the healthy-looking lettuce, roasted Baguio tomato, grilled onions and a giant house pickle, its sidings are sinful and quite lethal -- deep-fried french fries and a side of bone marrow. (Yes, you've read it right. A bone marrow.)

This burger is so good despite being scary looking. Each bite is juicy and very flavorful, and the french fries it comes with were also really good that everyone in the table nodded for approval. And if you're wondering, you can eat the bone marrow as is or spread it on top of the patty for that added creamy and fatty taste.

After one sinful dish that will probably ruin the calorie count of the weight watchers, we were then served with The Winebar's Grilled Angus Ribeye (P1,300).

This beautifully medium-cooked meat distracted me so I only got to take a photo after almost everyone got a share. But despite having a bad photo, I assure you that this 300g of pure certified Angus beef will not fail to satisfy any meat lover. It was very juicy and tender. And even without the mushroom gravy, a mouthful of this steak is so flavorful and oozing with meaty goodness.

Every dish we have sampled was really good. And to end our lovely time at The Winebar, we got to try the decadent desserts from Café 1771.

Strawberry Cheesecake photo was sourced here.

The most memorable cake for our group that night was the Chocolate Excess (P270) which is a moist and rich chocolate cake with a hint of orange marmalade, Valrhona chocolate ganache and a chocolate glaze. It tasted so rich yet not overly sweet. Although I wasn't able to sample the Rose Noire (P250), our table seemed to totally love it. With layers of dark chocolate ganache, meringue, hazel nut praline and chocolate glaze, how can it not win one's heart? Another favorite was the Strawberry Cheesecake (P220), a no-bake cheesecake with fresh strawberries, macarons and lemon sponge biscuit. Aside from sounding yummy, it also looked so pretty. (Again, I got so distracted and forgot to take a photo.)

We also got to try the plain-looking but good-tasting Chewy Lemon Tart (P190) which is not too sweet and not too sour, yet oozing with a clean lemony flavor. The piece of Valrhona Chocolate Caramel Mousse Cake (P250) is also worth mentioning as this caramel mousse-layered cake with chocolate bisquit and chocolate ganache tasted heavenly.

Some of the cakes that tasted just okay were the Apple Crumble (P185), a Bretton bisquit-based pastry with finely diced apples, cinnamon and butter, topped with caramel sauce, and the Mango Tower (P200), another Breton bisquit-based dessert with whipped cream, freshly diced mangoes and Valrhona dark chocolate.

With food this good, of course we didn't miss ordering some drinks courtesy of Café 1771. While some of the bloggers and OpenRicers enjoyed sampling wine, non-wine drinkers like my date got Brewed Coffee (P75), while I on the other hand, enjoyed a pot of aromatic and clean-tasting Jasmine China Monkey King (P180). There were also some who got themselves a tall glass of smoothie.

THE VERDICT

Dining at The Winebar was really a lovely experience. Just the interiors alone will never fail to please. The food and drinks were also impressive, and the wide selection of food not limited to The Winebar's menu, but including items from Café 1771, will surely satisfy just about anyone.

Although prices may seem a little on the higher side for a hefty eater like me, I will assure you that you get what you pay for, or even more than what you pay for. The lovely food presentation and rich flavors can definitely satisfy both your eyes and taste buds. And if you are someone who loves to drink but at the same time wants eat good food, this is definitely the wine and dine spot-to-be in Ortigas.

Taste - 4.5/5
Ambiance - 5/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 3.5/5
Overall Value - 4/5

The Winebar, El Pueblo
2/F of Café 1771, El Pueblo Real de Manila,
Ortigas Center Pasig City,
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 631-7340
Official Website
Facebook Page