The Bistro Group brings the Chicago institution to our shores with a glitzy 200-seater in Uptown East Gate BGC.
Steak-crazy Manila is in for a real treat with Morton’s The Steakhouse finally opening its first branch in the Philippines last December 1. Their local partner, The Bistro Group, now has 27 restaurant concepts under their portfolio with this new partnership, their first one being American casual dining chain TGI Friday’s back in 1994.
The first Morton’s in the Philippines is located at Uptown East Gate and features the stylings of Chicago art deco, but looking very glamorous and up-to-date. The entrance brings you to the bar area with comfortable banquet seating and dim lighting to set the mood for a romantic date or pre-dinner drinks.
The bar proves to have a deep roster of talent that can mix you a deliciously dry gin martini or a robust old-fashioned with one of their specially flown-in bourbons. Their temperature-controlled wine closet contains a comprehensive selection of both old and new world wines that are surely up to par with the premium seafood and meats on offer. After some aperitifs, the group can stay there for the rest of their meal, or perhaps move to the main dining room a few steps down, a massive space that—with the bar area—can seat up to 200 diners at a time.
The cold seafood bar would be a good place to start, with fresh oysters, shrimp cocktail, and lobster tails dipped in vinegar or cocktail sauce sure to get your palate primed. If cold seafood does not get you fired up, then you can also order these appetizers baked as a platter.
A proper steakhouse should have good salads, and Morton’s Caesar salad is straightforward with a tangy dressing and crispy croutons. However, people come here for the steak and rightfully so, because Morton’s has been doing them right since they opened the first one in Chicago back in 1978.
They have all the classic cuts you would expect at an American steakhouse, and we were lucky enough to try three—their tenderloin, New York strip, and ribeye. Although the leanest cut, its claim to fame is in the name, and their tenderloin at Morton’s—cooked to medium rare—is incredibly soft and flavorful. Because of its leanness, it is customary to accompany this with sauce— probably a béarnaise or cognac sauce au poivre.
However, these steaks were so well-seasoned we did not feel the need to ask for sauces or even sea salt to add flavor, save for some fresh horseradish that gave the meats a nice kick. The ribeye, too, was well-cooked and nicely seasoned in a cajun rub, so all we really needed were some nice side dishes to go with them.
And that, they have in abundance at Morton’s, starting with a rich creamed spinach that is dwarfed in terms of decadence by the smoked gouda au gratin potatoes. You can go full luxe and opt for the lobster macaroni and cheese, but we all know how good old garlic rice just really hits the spot.
If there is some room left, the candied walnut cheesecake is a classic way to end this decadent Chicago-style steak dinner. Or, if you’re like us, perhaps another round of those delicious cocktails would be a perfect way to end this glitzy evening out in the town.
At the launch where VVIPs and media friends mingled with Morton’s and The Bistro Group’s top brass, the incessant question was: what took them so long? Several steakhouse brands have planted deep roots in the Philippines, so we wonder if it was even worth fighting for elbow room in an already highly saturated market.
Still, The Bistro Group’s president Jean Paul Manuud is excited and optimistic about their latest partnership that was actually years in the making. “We have been looking forward to the opening of Morton’s since we signed an agreement with them a couple of years ago. They have the best quality and consistently great food from source to plate, genuine hospitality, and a solid reputation for over four decades. We see a tremendous opportunity for both The Bistro Group and Landry’s (Morton’s The Steakhouse’s mother company) in the country.”
As for us food lovers—we are just happy to have this restaurant giant in the country, definitely a resplendent jewel in our dynamic food and beverage landscape.
