The Establishment

I have been crazy over groupons since November of last year that I now have a spreadsheet that lists all of the coupons I have together with a status of whether I've used it or not and when it's going to expire. It requires planning on my end but essentially, we're eating better for about the same budget as before (okay, we're actually spending more though definitely eating better). If you want a copy of my spreadsheet for your own use, just drop me a line.

One of such places we've recently ate at (as a result of groupons) was at The Establishment at the fort courtesy of this deal from DealGrocer. The place just screamed fine-dining. Even at lunch, I was greeted at the door by someone wearing a coat and tie, and the hostess was in a cocktail dress. The Crystal Room at The Establishment had high ceilings and is decorated with chandeliers and flower arrangements using orchids (love, love orchids! H buy me orchids next time instead of tulips!). I was surprised to find that H dressed up for the occasion (although I had to wait 40 minutes for him to show-up). It has been some time since we've been out on a date (even if it were only for lunch). We've made arrangements to have Euna with our stay-out help spend an hour at Gymboree.

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Table setting at The Establishment: flower arrangement and scented candles.

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We started the meal with these salads: goat cheese roquette salad top and oriental chicken salad below.
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What the hell is this? Find out after the jump. IMG_0808
The first time I tasted foie gras.

At first I liked the oriental chicken salad because it had more texture with those strips on top but later on, I actually preferred goat cheese salad with the balsamic dressing. The foie gras, on the other hand, was gamey but with the sweet sauce, it was tolerable. Although I'm used to gelatin like consistency, I wasn't prepared for the foie gras' almost creamy consistency. And I still don't understand what the fuss is all about over foie gras.

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Another fave: salmon tartare which is surrounded with eggwhites on one side and yolk on the other, sour cream, and served with bread.

Don't let the above photos fool you. The servings are actually sample sized.
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But no complaints as it was actually enough for us 2.

The next batch are the sushi rolls and mains.
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My favorite among this lot is the tempura roll in the middle simply because I have a fondness for shrimp and it was crunchy.

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The hainanese salmon with teppanyaki rice on the right. H and I both love this. The combination of the Hainanese salmon and teppanyaki rice just worked together.

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Pan seared Angus beef with that dripping lychee apple sauce looks like it's just begging to be licked off the plate. H enjoyed this.

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And finally, for dessert, Chocolate Belle Noir on the top-left corner and Pistachio Jateau deLupe.

You can just imagine who finished which. The chocolate belle noir tasted of dark chocolate and wasn't overly sweet at all. And the pistachio Jateau de Lupe which looked like layers of pistachio crepe piled on top of each other with icing/whipped cream in between. My idea of heaven.

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The prices actually look reasonable considering compared to restaurants in the Serendra area. The question now is what the regular servings woulld look like. All in all, a great meal for us. Only regret was that we were in a hurry and weren't able to relish the dishes as much (or as long) as I'd have preferred.

If you'd like to check out what deals are out right now in the metro, better check this out every once in a while as I'll be writing a post listing all the groupon sites out there.


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