A freedom of flavors and passion
There is reason for the sophisticated to seek a dining experience away from the glamour of top business districts after all. An unusual encounter with a hidden sanctuary of flavors provides us some answer.
We are surprised that a restaurant somewhere at the edge of the San Juan-New Manila area would be filled nightly come dinner time. On certain evenings, guests may overflow to the nearby function rooms which can accommodate up to 50 persons. An adjacent garden makes the place delightful for celebrations like prom or a debut.
The entrance to Lemuria is beautifully landscaped. A pond of pebbles and fishes greets our team. The interior transports the diner to the Provencal of France with its simplistic designs of dark wood, stone slabs and draperies. This very European atmosphere is designed by no other than Architect Jose Mañosa. A splendid meal and conversation with executive chef Golda May Ranada gave us an experience of liberated flavor and passion.
“What gives me delight in managing the menu of this restaurant is the freedom of flavor and passion. Since our location is kept at minimal cost, I am able to be more liberal with my ingredients”, says the executive chef. “I have worked in the posh restaurants of Ayala Center and Green Hills before and I had to make a tightly check on the cost of ingredients”, she adds.
The location of Lemuria isn’t much of a challenge. Diners flock the restaurant almost every night and major corporate events fill the compound on special occasions. On top of the that, the passion of Lemuria’s flavors are brought to the diner’s doorsteps through its catering services, SOIGNÉ by Lemuria, which is managed by her husband Rudolf Ranada.
“Our menu is French-Mediterranean. French cuisine is characterized with butter and cream. Mediterranean on the other hand is characterized by tomatoes and olive oil. This should give you an idea of our restaurant’s personality. Our best sellers include Sea Bass, Lamb Shank, Veal, Angus and Wagyu”, says Golda May. “Every month, we add up to our menu so as not to make it redundant all year round. Every year, we give our interiors an overhaul so that our diners look forward to something new”, she adds.
Our French meal began with the Lemuria Pate as appetizer. The pate is topped with passion fruit gel and served with walnut toast. Pate is very common in French cuisine and is probably made of duck liver. For our main course, we were served the Sea Bass which is poached in Saffron olive jus. It is erved with braised fennel and mashed potato decorated with chops of olives and zucchini.
The Dutch Veal Rib Eye Steak a la Lourges was so far the most exciting for Jose Marlo, perhaps because it is his first time to taste veal. The young calf’s meat is stuffed with foie gras (duck liver), baked and seasoned with anchovy garlic sauce and portwine reduction. The combination of the veal’s tender meat and the creaminess of the medium rare foie grass was excellent. Orgasmic you may even say. Unfortunately, this entry will be taken out soon but hopefully they bring it back if our dear readers clamor for it.
Finally, our meal was concluded with the Small Endings, a delight of white chocolates truffles dusted with violet crystals, home made marshmallows and Turkish delight and coconut rocher.
A fine meal cannot be without a great wine. Lemuria is home to a good selection of wines that are German, Austrian, Argentine, Chilean, Australian and Romanian. They are kept consistently at 16 to 18 degrees Celsius which is the global standard temperature for keeping wine. The cellar is located just underneath the restaurant. Lemuria also has a good selection of wine glasses which are appropriate depending on the make of the wine – light or heavy.
Lemuria is located in The Winery, 5 Julieta Circle, Horseshoe Village, Quezon City. You may contact them at 724-52-11. Lemuria is a member of the Brumms Quality Wines group.
We are surprised that a restaurant somewhere at the edge of the San Juan-New Manila area would be filled nightly come dinner time. On certain evenings, guests may overflow to the nearby function rooms which can accommodate up to 50 persons. An adjacent garden makes the place delightful for celebrations like prom or a debut.
The entrance to Lemuria is beautifully landscaped. A pond of pebbles and fishes greets our team. The interior transports the diner to the Provencal of France with its simplistic designs of dark wood, stone slabs and draperies. This very European atmosphere is designed by no other than Architect Jose Mañosa. A splendid meal and conversation with executive chef Golda May Ranada gave us an experience of liberated flavor and passion.
“What gives me delight in managing the menu of this restaurant is the freedom of flavor and passion. Since our location is kept at minimal cost, I am able to be more liberal with my ingredients”, says the executive chef. “I have worked in the posh restaurants of Ayala Center and Green Hills before and I had to make a tightly check on the cost of ingredients”, she adds.
The location of Lemuria isn’t much of a challenge. Diners flock the restaurant almost every night and major corporate events fill the compound on special occasions. On top of the that, the passion of Lemuria’s flavors are brought to the diner’s doorsteps through its catering services, SOIGNÉ by Lemuria, which is managed by her husband Rudolf Ranada.
“Our menu is French-Mediterranean. French cuisine is characterized with butter and cream. Mediterranean on the other hand is characterized by tomatoes and olive oil. This should give you an idea of our restaurant’s personality. Our best sellers include Sea Bass, Lamb Shank, Veal, Angus and Wagyu”, says Golda May. “Every month, we add up to our menu so as not to make it redundant all year round. Every year, we give our interiors an overhaul so that our diners look forward to something new”, she adds.
Our French meal began with the Lemuria Pate as appetizer. The pate is topped with passion fruit gel and served with walnut toast. Pate is very common in French cuisine and is probably made of duck liver. For our main course, we were served the Sea Bass which is poached in Saffron olive jus. It is erved with braised fennel and mashed potato decorated with chops of olives and zucchini.
The Dutch Veal Rib Eye Steak a la Lourges was so far the most exciting for Jose Marlo, perhaps because it is his first time to taste veal. The young calf’s meat is stuffed with foie gras (duck liver), baked and seasoned with anchovy garlic sauce and portwine reduction. The combination of the veal’s tender meat and the creaminess of the medium rare foie grass was excellent. Orgasmic you may even say. Unfortunately, this entry will be taken out soon but hopefully they bring it back if our dear readers clamor for it.
Finally, our meal was concluded with the Small Endings, a delight of white chocolates truffles dusted with violet crystals, home made marshmallows and Turkish delight and coconut rocher.
A fine meal cannot be without a great wine. Lemuria is home to a good selection of wines that are German, Austrian, Argentine, Chilean, Australian and Romanian. They are kept consistently at 16 to 18 degrees Celsius which is the global standard temperature for keeping wine. The cellar is located just underneath the restaurant. Lemuria also has a good selection of wine glasses which are appropriate depending on the make of the wine – light or heavy.
Lemuria is located in The Winery, 5 Julieta Circle, Horseshoe Village, Quezon City. You may contact them at 724-52-11. Lemuria is a member of the Brumms Quality Wines group.
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