This isn't our first rodeo; we have been planning surprise parties/ events for countless of times already but I have to be honest, this surprise party for my father-in-law (FIL) by far was the most stressful of all. Because aside from the fact that we had to keep it a secret from the celebrant, we also had to keep it from his wife (aka my mother-in-law). Yup, instead of having her on our side & helping with the planning, she was kept in the dark as well. We chose to do this to prevent "leaks" of any kind.
It took a few number of late night talks; planning before we finally settled on the venue. There were a number of choices such as Gloria Maris, Umu & Mendokoro Ramenba (who unfortunately didn't allow rental of the whole place) but we felt for his 60th, we wanted it to be a unique experience; some where he hasn't step his foot in while still still keeping it intimate & classy. With that prerequisite plus good food, we knew we wouldn't go wrong with Blackbird at the Nielson Tower Ayala Triangle Gardens.
We were able to try out some of their dishes during Hubby's birthday (click here for the link). Although there were a few hiccups in the service, the food was simply good enough to compensate for it all.
We decided to reserve The Cabin, their 2nd-floor 20-seater private room accessible through the spiral staircase.
Privacy such as this does not come cheap. There is a standing 30k consumable rate for lunch (an amount we were sure to be going well over); that's already hotel buffet dining rates right there (for those with hotel membership cards at least). So you can just imagine how much we wanted this event to go as smoothly as possible.
Blackbird offers a selection of a pre-selected tasting menus but we wanted to be sure that no guest of ours would leave hungry therefore we arranged our own 4-course ala carte menu.
After several emails with Jeffrey, it was finally The Day. Hubby was stressing over the latecomers (you know who you are); coordinating with the appointed contact person (Hi Carol) to prep the other guests and making sure that FIL & MIL would have no excuse but to come with us for lunch. Finally, the stage was set.
First up is the Prawn Scotch Eggs (Php 280). Instead of having it for sharing, we had a full order for each guest and it did not disappoint. The crunchy exterior with wet yolky center of the quail egg plus the betel leaf is a definite explosion of flavor. The spicy kick at the back of your tongue comes from the coconut chili sambal sauce. A perfect starter for things to come.
In lieu of bread platters, we decided to have as our 2nd course their Buffalo Mozzarella, Tomato & Oregano Pizza (Php 480); with a little bit extra... we had them add some shaved prosciutto (add Php 140). All the flavors worked well together, starting from the salty prosciutto to the light & fresh oregano. To make sure everyone would have their fill, we had 6 orders of this dish. Food-Stars Tip: Ask this to be served in thin crust instead so you can really immerse yourself in the flavors.
Next up is their Porcine & Porcini Mushroom Cappuccino served with Tartufata Panini (Php 390). Earthy and hearty seemed to be the words that come into mind after taking in a couple of spoonfuls. The panini was actually quite good but was gone too soon.
And now for the main courses. We designed our menu in such a way that everyone's dietary restrictions were met so we had a total of 3 options; Lamb Shank (for the non-beef eaters), Wagyu Hanger Steak (for the beef eaters) and Tiger Prawns (specially chosen for the mom-in-law).
I had the Dry Rubbed Wagyu Hanger Steak with Mustard Butter & Twice Cooked Chips (Php 980) and it certainly did not disappoint. All my hesitations of having the steak cooked well done flew out the window, it was just that good. The Twice Cooked Chips was also a revelation.
Hubby had the Mussaman Lamb Shank (Php 860) and it was still as good as we remembered. This particular dish was specially ordered for our lunch since this was only available for dinner. The falls-off-the-bone lamb meat plus the tangy orange sauce; that bowl of of Thai Jasmine Rice was just not enough. Don't forget to spoon in the pineapple cucumber relish, this cuts into the flavors and brings in the much needed light & refreshing break from the heaviness of the sauce. **
** These photos were taken during Hubby's birthday. During FIL's surprise lunch, we were too busy hosting that I wasn't able to take pictures. Was a bit disappointed with the presentation which was totally different from our previous visit. Jeffery explained that they don't have enough of the boards/ cast iron pot to accommodate all of our guests therefore they opted to serve them in plain bowls & plates. Sayang, wanted to wow our guests pa naman. **
And to cap off the 4-course meal, we had the kitchen whip up their famous off-the-menu Baked Alaska (Php 380). To be honest, this isn't for the faint-of-heart, the sweetness of the Italian meringue plus the vanilla ice cream & raspberry jam all makes for a super sweet treat. The fresh strawberry and passion fruit on the side helps in giving a break from the saccharine high.
The guests also enjoyed cups of specialty teas, juices & coffee specially recommended by the wait staff.
No birthday celebration is complete without some birthday cakes!
Thank you Achi Anabel :)
Our customized "floating" cake for the FIL :)
With the happy faces all around & people not wanting to leave, this surprise birthday party was indeed a success!
We were able to try out some of their dishes during Hubby's birthday (click here for the link). Although there were a few hiccups in the service, the food was simply good enough to compensate for it all.
We decided to reserve The Cabin, their 2nd-floor 20-seater private room accessible through the spiral staircase.
Privacy such as this does not come cheap. There is a standing 30k consumable rate for lunch (an amount we were sure to be going well over); that's already hotel buffet dining rates right there (for those with hotel membership cards at least). So you can just imagine how much we wanted this event to go as smoothly as possible.
Blackbird offers a selection of a pre-selected tasting menus but we wanted to be sure that no guest of ours would leave hungry therefore we arranged our own 4-course ala carte menu.
After several emails with Jeffrey, it was finally The Day. Hubby was stressing over the latecomers (you know who you are); coordinating with the appointed contact person (Hi Carol) to prep the other guests and making sure that FIL & MIL would have no excuse but to come with us for lunch. Finally, the stage was set.
First up is the Prawn Scotch Eggs (Php 280). Instead of having it for sharing, we had a full order for each guest and it did not disappoint. The crunchy exterior with wet yolky center of the quail egg plus the betel leaf is a definite explosion of flavor. The spicy kick at the back of your tongue comes from the coconut chili sambal sauce. A perfect starter for things to come.
In lieu of bread platters, we decided to have as our 2nd course their Buffalo Mozzarella, Tomato & Oregano Pizza (Php 480); with a little bit extra... we had them add some shaved prosciutto (add Php 140). All the flavors worked well together, starting from the salty prosciutto to the light & fresh oregano. To make sure everyone would have their fill, we had 6 orders of this dish. Food-Stars Tip: Ask this to be served in thin crust instead so you can really immerse yourself in the flavors.
Next up is their Porcine & Porcini Mushroom Cappuccino served with Tartufata Panini (Php 390). Earthy and hearty seemed to be the words that come into mind after taking in a couple of spoonfuls. The panini was actually quite good but was gone too soon.
And now for the main courses. We designed our menu in such a way that everyone's dietary restrictions were met so we had a total of 3 options; Lamb Shank (for the non-beef eaters), Wagyu Hanger Steak (for the beef eaters) and Tiger Prawns (specially chosen for the mom-in-law).
I had the Dry Rubbed Wagyu Hanger Steak with Mustard Butter & Twice Cooked Chips (Php 980) and it certainly did not disappoint. All my hesitations of having the steak cooked well done flew out the window, it was just that good. The Twice Cooked Chips was also a revelation.
Hubby had the Mussaman Lamb Shank (Php 860) and it was still as good as we remembered. This particular dish was specially ordered for our lunch since this was only available for dinner. The falls-off-the-bone lamb meat plus the tangy orange sauce; that bowl of of Thai Jasmine Rice was just not enough. Don't forget to spoon in the pineapple cucumber relish, this cuts into the flavors and brings in the much needed light & refreshing break from the heaviness of the sauce. **
** These photos were taken during Hubby's birthday. During FIL's surprise lunch, we were too busy hosting that I wasn't able to take pictures. Was a bit disappointed with the presentation which was totally different from our previous visit. Jeffery explained that they don't have enough of the boards/ cast iron pot to accommodate all of our guests therefore they opted to serve them in plain bowls & plates. Sayang, wanted to wow our guests pa naman. **
And to cap off the 4-course meal, we had the kitchen whip up their famous off-the-menu Baked Alaska (Php 380). To be honest, this isn't for the faint-of-heart, the sweetness of the Italian meringue plus the vanilla ice cream & raspberry jam all makes for a super sweet treat. The fresh strawberry and passion fruit on the side helps in giving a break from the saccharine high.
The guests also enjoyed cups of specialty teas, juices & coffee specially recommended by the wait staff.
No birthday celebration is complete without some birthday cakes!
With the happy faces all around & people not wanting to leave, this surprise birthday party was indeed a success!
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Blackbird at The Nielson Tower
Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati Avenue cor Ayala Avenue,
Bel-Air Makati
(02) 828 4888 / (0917) 889 2782
Facebook Page: Blackbird at The Nielson Tower
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