Terry’s

It’s great that we have a colleague who truly knows how to dine.  He was able to schedule lunch at Terry’s for his & another colleagues’ anniversary celebration.  About 20 of us attended the lunch event.  Since it was my first time there, I had to go with colleagues in going there.  I didn’t realize that it would be far, and we ended up walking hahaha!  It was good exercise so I’m not complaining, and had great conversation along the way too 🙂

As soon as we got in, I immediately knew that the food was not going to be cheap!  The design of the restaurant is sooo cool and very chic.  The great environment was definitely because of just how simple it was.  With the great black and white pictures and with the black frames really complimented the simplicity of it all.  I actually found out that the spaciousness of it all was because it has 3 floors!  The first 2 floors is for dining, and the third floor they actually have their own gourmet shop!!  Wow!

If I recall it right, they have a shop located at Podium in Ortigas too.  I’m just glad that I was able to dine at Terry’s at long last and I can finally feature it here at HeaRty’s Haven.  We definitely ordered a lot, and I was so busy eating the yummy dishes that I totally forgot that just how blog worthy this place is.  So when we were about to be served the main dishes, I started taking pictures.

Here are the dishes that were pre-ordered so there was lil waiting time:

• Manchego Dumplings (Php 360)

Manchego cheese combined with salami wrapped in wonton wrappers then deep fried.  Nice too how they presented the dish with barbeque sticks inserted in each piece.  We don’t need to use our hands or utensils to get them.  Salami with the Manchego cheese tasted perfectly well together too!  Again, I love just how simple yet refined the feel of the place is, and it translates well into this appetizer too!  I often wonder how some restaurants come up with such unique dishes and appetizers.  This one was just perfect with the saltiness of the salami, combined with the smooth texture of the melted and warm cheese, then add on to that the perfectly fried and crisp wrappers.  Simplicity with great flavors!

• Morcilla Piggy Back (Php 144.77)

As much as I enjoyed the manchego dumplings, Morcilla piggy back is definitely the winner from all the appetizers that we were able to sample at Terry’s.  If you noticed in the photo, there was only 1 piece left in the plate 😛

Morcilla is a type of sausage that uses congealed blood as a filler.  In this case, we have pigs blood and seasoning added of course.  But when I heard the word ‘blood’, I was hesitant at first.  However, it smelled so good, so I just had to try it anyway, and was I glad that I did!  Yummy!  Sometimes the best dishes are really those that need to be tried without fear hahaha!  There’s actually different variants of Morcilla, and even since it was the first time that I had ever heard pig’s blood being used as a filler for sausage, apparently it’s common all over the world.  In our case, I believe they have it in a more Spanish style of preparation and perfect for the Filipino palette since it incorporated that sweet salty taste, a little spice too.

• Chistorado (Php 690)

Chistorra de Pamplona and rice are cooked in a sauce of red capsicum, Piquillo peppers and melted cheese.   If there’s always a rule of thumb in cooking, is that often, you really can’t go wrong when you have creamy and delicious cheese in a dish.  With Chistorra, you have the great taste of sausage bits, the taste of red capsicum which gives it a little of that sharpness and cuts through the richness of the dish.  The balance is there, and often times with each bite you almost get the feeling that you’re eating pizza only that it’s in a rice dish!  Oh so yummy!!  You will need to wait 30 minutes if you want to order this dish, but it is definitely worth it!

• Super Paella Parelada (Php 690)

This dish also takes 30 minutes to prepare.  A combination of squid, shrimp, chicken, pork loin, paella sausage, green peas, mushrooms, chorizo, and roasted red pepper that truly make this so delicious.  They are truly proud that this dish is originally of Barcelona.  Well, I couldn’t distinguish, I just know that I cannot get enough of it hehehe!  And just like many other paella’s, what makes them so good is the variety of seafoods that can be found all in one dish.  For any seafood lover, paella is always going to be a great choice.  This, of course, differs from most paella’s that we see in that it doesn’t have that strong tomato base that most other paella’s have.  But, again, with cooking that has been given a twist and made unique, it’s important that the balance of flavors is still there, and the seasoning of each ingredient is perfect.  Terry’s did a great job, conceptualizing this dish because it really is just so delicious!

• Gnocchi al Gorgonzola conPorcini (Php 380)

The traditional potato pasta shells in a creamy Gorgonzola and wild mushroom sauce, garnished with prosciutto crisps.  Gnocchi is basically dumplings, and the best gnocchi is always light enough that it absorbs the sauce.  So, the sauce in this dish was critical for it’s success.  The earthiness of the mushrooms blended well with the gorgonzola.  The buttery flavor of the gorgonzolla which taste almost like your normal blue cheese also went well with the white sauce.  The added saltiness and strong taste of the prosciutto crisps really made this dish rich.  I couldn’t get enough of the gnocchi with its soft texture, contrasted with the smoothness of the sauce, and the bite of that crips prosciutto.  This is definitely a traditionally simple dish that Terry’s restaurant has perfected!  Bravo to the chef!

• Lengua a la Sevillana (Php 490

Ox tongue in itself is one of those dishes that you really have to try for those who truly love to dine.  It’s not your normal steak, or other cuts of meat.  But when it’s cooked to tenderness, the taste and the texture is unbeatable.  Terry’s did a great job with this brown sauce, a superior gravy that incorporated the sweetness of the sherry wine too.   this is usually the way gourmet brown gravy or sauce is cooked, and this is why the deep flavors of the mushroom and the onions as it’s cooked with the sherry really blends in a truly delicious gravy, and is perfect for a great meat like lengua.  The surprise in this dish, which puts it over the top is the olives that were added to give it that slight tartness to the overall rich dish of this lengua.  Again, conceptually, it’s a great and simple dish that is executed to perfection, and that one last touch with the olives, even though it may not be noticeable really makes this dish stand out.

• Tarta Imperial Russa (Php 160)

This dessert was just my favorite!  It was moist, full of flavor, words just cannot describe how good this was, maybe ‘perfect’ is the word!  Truly yummy!  It says in the menu that this was adapted from Sansrival.  It can’t compare, this dessert by Terry’s was just too good.  This is gourmet desert at its best.  With attention to detail, and quality ingredients that you can taste in every bite.  The presentation was simple, yet appetizing, but the taste is what makes or breaks a desert, and trust me when I say that you won’t be disappointed!  It had that moistness to it, which means that it was prepared in advance, the nuttiness that you would expect from sans rival, and the layering which gave it some crunch and a contrast in texture too.  The sauce, which was a bit caramel in nature, combines all the layers perfectly.  You have to try this dish when you dine at Terry’s!

• Tocino del Cielo (Php 110)

When I tasted this, all I can say that it’s just the same as leche flan.  This dish though was named beautifully 😛  Just a bit sweeter than our Filipino version.  This dish wasn’t as much a standout as the previous dessert, but if you love leche flan, and you have a sweet tooth, this may be the desert for you :p

This post is somewhat special to me too.  As the last picture that I took was the entrance of Terry’s.  Right that minute, my camera lens’ broke :'(  To have it repaired, I need to shell out such big amount that it’s better for me to buy a new camera.  So there, the pictures that you see above were the last shots from my beloved Canon G10.

Lucky enough that I was able to take all the pictures so I can share with you my experience with Terry’s.  Wonderful dishes, with a great European and Mediterranean combination of dishes.  The strong Spanish influence in the concepts of the dishes is also evident, but what’s most important is that they gave many of the dishes their own unique touch, and I think also incorporated the Filipino taste into much of their dishes too!  With a wonderful atmosphere, great presentation in dishes, and the unique but traditional, European style of dishes, I really think Terry’s is a must try for those looking for great and delicious gourmet dishes right in our own backyard! 🙂

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Terry’s (from Terry Selection)
G/F Lafayette Square, Salcedo Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 889-3198