Thursday, January 14, 2016

First Bite: Morganfield's

When I find a new restaurant, I stalk. I visit its social media pages. I check all hash tags with its name and occasionally drool on several food photos I see posted. I lurk in Looloo and read every single review about the place. And one of the places I stalked last month was Morganfield’s, the new ribs place in town that recently opened in the hardly open Uptown Mall in BGC. (Take note, BGC. It is not the UPTown Center in Quezon City. It’s the one beside Valkyrie and The Palace Pool Club. Clear? Okay, let’s move on.) So just imagine how happy I was when the adorable P of Looloo invited me to Morganfield’s for their first eat up (known as rendezvoos by the Looloo users) for 2016.

Hello, Morganfield’s!

I arrived a bit too early (I did the same last time with Le Petit Soufflé) and got to have a one-on-one chat with E, marketing head of Morganfield’s. 
From our short talk, I found out that Morganfield’s is a brand developed in Malaysia that focused on delivering delectable American dishes and specializing on ribs
I asked how they differentiate themselves from other ribs places here and in the US and she told me that it all boils down to the ingredients. E was proud to say that their ribs are sourced from Spain and that they are one of the few, if not the only, ribs place that serves “full slab”. She even told me to see it for myself on what a full slab should look like. (Cue: *Oooooh~*)
After a while, the others arrived and we all went gaga over the adorable mugs. And I was pretty amazed that they made the mugs gender specific. The blue mugs have pig snout with mustache and were given to the guys and the pink mugs with snout and lipstick were given to the ladies. I loved that the server took time to make sure we get the right ones. And I do hope that they keep it that way even when they're packed and busy. 
Here's the other mug design. 
Even their aprons are adorable!!!
I was starting to see flying pigs and imaginary ribs on the table when our drinks were served. I got the Agua Fresca (PHP195) which was a blend of watermelon chunks and juice with lime juice, served with rose syrup and a scoop of calamansi sorbet. The serving size of the drink was decent and could last me the whole meal if I'm not too thirsty. My issue though with my drink was... it was not thirst quenching. It was too sweet! I didn't even got a hint of lime or calamansi. All I got was the taste of syrup. Good thing the servers were very quick with my request for hot water. (Note: Hot water helps me eat more.)
As soon as everyone got their drinks, our first dish arrived. And it was the... Smokin' Duck Salad (PHP395). I absolutely loved this one from the salad dressing to the duck meat

The soy vinaigrette has that Asian flair to it. It was slightly sweet and salty and unlike other vinaigrette dressings I tried, this one had no weird and bitter aftertaste. Delightful! 
The greens were crisp and definitely fresh. There were slices of boiled egg and century egg too but I didn't notice that there were only two wedges for each kind. I felt really bad for getting one wedge of century egg just for myself. >.<

The applewood smoked duck was superb! Not sure how it was prepared but it reminded me of applewood smoked duck bacon. It had the right amount of fat and it was very flavorful but not overpowering. 

After putting together the greens, applewood smoked duck and century egg... my guilt for getting one wedge of century egg went *poof*. (Well, thanks too to K for saying it's a-okay for me to have it.) It was a must-order dish! Oh, did I tell you that this is not even their bestselling salad?
And just when we were about to finish our salad, the Awesome Threesome (PHP495) plates were served.

This set reminds me of the Trio platter of Chili's. This one also comes with spicy chicken wings and some carrot and celery sticks. But instead of some wraps, this set comes with Crab and Spinach dip and Russet Potato Skins.
Everyone loved the spicy chicken wings. Though flavorful enough to be enjoyed on its own, it was also great with the sour cream dip. (Note: Non-spicy food lovers rejoice! It is not that spicy. In fact, it was very very mildly spiced.)

I dipped the nacho chips on the crab and spinach dip which was very thick and creamy. It was a bit bizarre at first as my taste buds were yearning for spinach and "artichoke" instead of crab. It was good and had a nice seafood flavor to it. Though I still prefer to mix my creamed spinach with artichoke.

And I felt bad for the Russet Potato Skins. It was cold when I got to take a bite. The cheese also solidified. I bet it would have tasted so much better when it was eaten hot and fresh from the oven. But we have duties... click before lick. (Okay, it sounds terrible but I couldn't come up with a wittier way to say that we foodies have to take photos first before eating.)


I blame the scrumptious Jim Beam BBQ Iberico Baby Back (PHP950) for making the potato skin wait. It was served right after the Awesome Threesome.

But... boy oh boy! I can't turn my back from this baby! Named as the king of all glazes, this piece of juicy (and tender) meat was oozing with flavor. Why is it called Jim Beam, you ask? In order to prepare this dish, they use 300ml of Jim Beam to marinate the baby back with. Yes, we're referring to the alcohol brand. And no, you won't get drunk but you'll be intoxicated with its aroma and succulent meat.
And then finally... the skateboard ribs.

We were lucky and got to try two of Morganfield's bestsellers--Smoked Peppercorn Spare Ribs (PHP1,595) and Garlicky BBQ Spare Ribs (PHP1,395).
The Smoked Peppercorn Spare Ribs is their bestseller and upon trying it, I knew why. It was goooood.
Just like the baby back, the smoked peppercorn was marinated overnight for a mean meat packed with flavors. It was slow cooked the next day to ensure its tenderness. 
The tomato-based sauce and smoked peppercorn gave it the delightful kick that would make it challenging for you to stop getting more ribs.
The Garlicky BBQ Spare Ribs was pretty good too. Smothered with 100 cloves of garlic, it didn't scrimp to give you the aroma Count Dracula finds (ir)resistible. And just like the smoked peppercorn, the garlicky spare ribs was also very tender and effortless to chew. 
Try not to order this dish though if you're on a date and is still on the "I'm-gonna-impress-you-and-you'll-be-mine" stage for garlic breath is still not attractive to both genders. (Sad.)

The last dish served was the 300 gram New York Strip Steak (PHP1,395) and it was quite photogenic.
Sourced from Australia, the thick cut seems like a good deal for the price. It was lowly seasoned so that diners get to appreciate the taste of the meat. For additional flavor though, Morganfield's topped the steak with Merlot garlic butter. The dish was also accompanied with baked potato and veggies.

Sadly, this was my least favorite dish. I love steak and I also love it seasoned with just the basics salt and pepper. But this dish was very bland and the meat was not tender (considering that it was medium rare).
Overall, it was a very filling meal. The ribs were delectable and worth going back to. I heard that Morganfield's sausages are also remarkable. I must try it soon!

Morganfield's is located at 2nd Floor Uptown Mall, 9th Avenue corner 36th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

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