01 Feb Hidden Dining Gem at Mckinley Hill: Restaurant 101 at Enderun Colleges
Nines Vs Food
If you are on the lookout for that perfect place to dine with your loved one, friends, and family, then you might want to try out Restaurant 101 at Enderun Colleges. But take note that this is not your usual dining spot in McKinley Hill at The Fort.
Restaurant 101 is the application restaurant at Enderun Colleges, which provides one of the leading undergraduate culinary arts programs in Southeast Asia. It is where staff members are comprised of students who are all working alongside each other to show off their skills in their own culinary stage. While it originally operates as an educational facility where students learn the techniques in French and Asian cuisines; during lunch and dinner time from Monday to Saturday, it doubles as a restaurant where students can showcase their culinary styles under the watchful eyes of the faculty members at the College.
While they offer monthly wine tasting dinners, special tasting menus and daily lunch specials, they also offer great function areas within the college that are perfect for large parties, weddings and other events.
Personally, I find Restaurant 101 at Enderun Colleges as a must-try hidden dating spot within McKinley Hill, where I imagine guys surprising their lovely dates in this place, filling their tummies with awesome dishes that somehow look quite intimate that you may urge to romanticize. Couples can finish off their dinners by strolling around the grounds and having a cocktail or two at Bar d’Etoiles, a chic yet cozy bar which is just adjacent to the restaurant.
But enough about dinners for two. A few weeks ago I had the chance to try out their menu which is specially created by the alumni members at Restaurant 101 at Enderun Colleges. Dubbed as “Cooking Up Fresh Starts”, the event started with a short culinary demo at the school amphitheater and followed by cocktails. Although I wasn’t able to see up close on how the dishes were made, I still managed to arrive just when they started serving up the appetizers. Here is a preview of our five-course Market Menu at Restaurant 101.
Our first course is a Scotch Egg enveloped inside a bacon crust underneath a bed of glazed asparagus and served with a smoked cream and truffle dressing. Apart from its bacon crusted exterior, one needs to put a bit of light and airy smoked cream and smother a bit of truffle dressing to discover how good this scotch egg is. The asparagus spears are fresh, crisp and tender.
We then had the Pan-fried Goose Liver served with mesclun greens and cranberry dressing. Goose liver isn’t really new to me but I cannot express enough on how glad I am to have tried it. It’s unbelievably crispy on the outside with a smooth and velvety interior. The cranberry dressing balanced the fattiness of the foie gras while the greens also helped to cleanse the palate with slightly bitter notes. The preparation of this dish is meticulously crafted with a focus on experience, taste and textures.
Next is the Cream of White Bean Soup served with a savory prawn and chorizo gallete. The students are aiming for high impression as they served the galettes first and then made rounds to the tables to pour in the cream of white bean soup to the bowls of the guests. The soup is thick and flavorful, while the galette was made in the right amount to blend in a different texture and flavor profile. I did find the prawn more dominantly used than the chorizo, so steer clear if you are allergic to prawns.
A course of this Beetroot Marinated Salmon with a layer of pickled cucumbers, horseradish mashed potatoes, and “chicharon” made from salmon skin is light but packed in all its freshness, with the soft juicy salmon fish that tasted excellent and looked excellent as well, thanks to the beetroot marinate that they used. It was a mixture of tangy, salty and sweetness, all combined into one savory dish, and you can only get salmon that’s this good at Restaurant 101 at Enderun Colleges.
I still had to pace myself for the last course though, ending with an Oven roasted Magret of Duck with some apple hazelnut chutney, celeriac puree and port reduction. Imagine the celeriac puree as a healthier option to your usual mashed potatoes, while the flavorful duck meat is moist and so tender. No struggles cutting through this meat. Everything is just. So. Delicious.
And that, my friends, includes dessert of course. The Layered White and Dark Chocolate Mousse with Butter-mint Ice Cream is a winner, and garnished with crafted chocolate discs that made it look like an architectural gem. The Butter-mint ice cream had a unique cracked texture but it goes really well with the mousse and I highly recommend you order this one at Restaurant 101. Your sweet tooth will be please for sure!
To learn more about the prices of the dishes, here is a link to their menu:
http://101.enderuncolleges.com/market-menu/
Restaurant 101 at Enderun Colleges is open from Monday to Saturday, 1130 to 2PM and 6 to 10PM,
Official Website: http://101.enderuncolleges.com/
Follow them on Instagram: @resto101
Source: http://www.ninesvsfood.com/2015/02/hidden-gem-at-mckinley-hill-restaurant-101-at-enderun-colleges.html
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