Intercon’s Prince Albert Rotisserie is one of the good ol’ places to get the five-star steak experience in Manila. This is notwithstanding the fact that top hotels seem to be the favorite gathering ground of anyone who has a serious ax to grind against the government these days… just think about the Oakwood caper and more recently, the Manila Pen siege. What are the chances that an armored personal carrier is going to ram through the door as you cut on that wonderful piece of prime rib? Probably nil.It’s just that people like Trillanes want to have their steak and eat it too.

The renovated Prince Albert is more airy and brighter to the eyes. It has a couple of private salons for exclusive meetings, and an open kitchen in the main dining area. Open kitchens have become a standard in most hotels nowadays… have foodies become voyeurs or are chefs just being defensive about being accused of picking their nose away from the prying eyes of diners? But I prefer the dark interiors of the old Prince Albert, thank you.. though the food is still great and the prices remain ideal for those with expense accounts

We began our meal with this appetizer of asparagus salad on a bed of Australian blue crab. Perfect. The crab meat was plump and the hint of cheese dressing made it even more irresistible. Modern Australian cuisine is best described as a fusion of different culinary influences, due to the wave of migration in Australia. But the common denominator is that the ingredients must be fresh, to take advantage of the continent’s abundant produce from land and sea.

(more…)