Highlands Steakhouse - Mall of Asia

Beef. I love beef.

I love beef more than any other kind of red (or white) meat in the planet. Moreover, I love eating steak that's grilled to medium-well perfection.

Beef with broccoli and oyster sauce, the classic Pinoy-style (Filipino-style) beef steak, grilled steaks... you name 'em, I probably have had 'em.

When my fiancee and I had the sudden craving for steak and ribs while we were at SM's Mall of Asia, we only had one thing in mind... no, not Burgoo. The place in Tagaytay where they served excellent beef -- Highlands Steakhouse.

It was already half-past the hour of eight in the evening, so driving ourselves 55 kilometers to Tagaytay City was quite out of the question. Well, if, on our way there, traffic congestion is non-existent and I'd drive at around 165 kilometers per hour, we'd arrive before the clock strikes 9pm. I can drive at 165kms/hour. Easy-peasy. However, the traffic-gods might not be so kind.

As we walked on inside the mall, resigned to the fact that we'd have to visit Tagaytay some other day, the food-gods showed us kindness that the traffic-gods may not have provided had we gone on for the trip.

Highlands Steakhouse has a branch at the Mall of Asia.

In Manila! Yesssss!

Once inside, my olfactory senses were immediately treated with the smell of grilled beef. I thought we were in beef heaven -- angus beef heaven.

It's certified!
If only the prices were in yen. ^_^

We ordered. We ate. We relaxed. These three sentences just about sums up the entire experience. How's the taste, you might ask? Well, I have this to say, we wouldn't consider dragging ourselves to Tagaytay on a weeknight just to enjoy their steak if it didn't taste great, would we? I'm at a total loss on how to go about describing the food. You'll just have to experience it yourselves.

Awwww. Well, OK. Here goes.

As I've said, the food tastes great. Their plating, though, is another issue. Don't get me wrong, the beef tastes great (albeit the grilling was not as even as I hoped for) indeed and it is quite huge, but they could do a bit more with the plating. As you can see in the photo I took below, there's a drop of grease on the plate, the corn on the cob still has husks... I don't know, but the entire arrangement just looks so bunched-up. Maybe this is how cowboys prefer to have it... or maybe Yanks.

All bunched up... inclusive of residual grease and husks.

So maybe I'm just nitpicking... I didn't even know I was capable of fully consuming a portion as large as this one. Good thing I didn't order the 30-ouncer... now that would've been a real problem! I won't order an extra serving of pilaf rice the next time either. ^_^

I do not usually take pics of the food as they are served to us... since they are usually consumed before I can even get my camera out of its Million Dollar Home. Time, I made an exception. I squeezed in a few snaps before I treated my palate to a well-deserved and sumptuous dinner.

With my glass of iced tea re-filled on my right hand and a stick of Reds in my left, we relaxed at the spacious outdoor dining area fronting Manila Bay. This area, I think, is perfect for pics during sunsets... or the yearly fireworks competition.

Look to the right while fronting the Bay and you'll see MOA's parking. ^_^

Craving for angus beef while in Manila late at night makes one thank the proprietors of the Highlands Steakhouse for bringing in a branch at the Mall of Asia.

Burrrp...