A Little Bit Of Something

It’s an understatement to say that it’s challenging to keep a restaurant afloat, especially in times like these. Customers have so many other options, and frankly, tastes change faster than you can say Jack Robinson. One thing is in this month or this year, another the next month or the next year.

During the couple of years I spent working near El Pueblo in Ortigas (my former office was just at the nearby Orient Square Building along Emerald Avenue), I’ve frequently passed by a quaint little restaurant called Chateau 1771. I’ve never managed to get myself past the doors though – it looked too imposing and too posh for a humble employee such as myself. And just more than a year ago, I saw it torn down and replaced with something that looked much more hip and much less intimidating.

I thought nothing more of it until recently, since my office moved to a different and farther location in Ortigas, and I rarely got the chance to pass by again. Well, until the recent Eat’s a Date gave me the opportunity to finally cross the threshold and see what was inside – and what I could have to eat.

And what an experience that was. We were taken to the second floor, which apparently is a different establishment from the one downstairs – while the owner is the same, the branding is different. The lower floor, called Café 1771 is a more casual outfit, while Wine Bar 1771 upstairs has a different approach altogether. The people behind Wine 1771 and Café 1771 explain that each place is designed to attract a different kind of customer. With Ortigas Center being a hub for so many kinds of people from all walks of life, they saw the need to diversify and bring something new to the table – literally and figuratively.

Wine Bar 1771’s interiors are more serious than its sibling downstairs, but not the intimidating kind. Lighting is warmer, and the ambience sort of exudes a sort of vintage men’s cigar club feel with a modern twist, if that last statement makes any sense. There are books of all sorts and genres stacked on one wall, and wines (it IS a wine bar, after all) on another side. They even have a sommelier. Talk about knowing their business.

Wine Bar 1771 was designed to be a place where people could hang out and drink while eating good food. And the food IS good. Pricey, but the servings are usually too big for just one person to eat by himself/herself, and they taste good too. Which is sort of expected, since they have chefs who design the menu and manage the kitchen.

We were given several dishes to try out, but the standouts for me were the Ribeye Steak (which I unfortunately forgot to photograph, but fortunately got to take a hefty serving out off), the Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Mash (which is extra noteworthy, since I am NOT a fan of pumpkin or sweet potato), their Baked (Aklan) Oysters, and the Wine Bar Burger. We also had a couple of pasta dishes, but while they were good in their own way, I honestly think they’re not really worthy of the price – having ate at several other pasta joints that had tasty pasta as well, but with bigger servings at a much more wallet-friendly price.

Baked Oysters from Aklan

The Wine Bar Burger - and YES, that is bulalo on the side, which you scoop out while its still hot and spread it on the burger. 100% cholesterol goodness.

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Mash

We also had dessert. All the cakes I tried tasted great – especially the one called the Rose Noire. The layers of chocolate and the rice crispies – heaven on a plate.

I won’t comment about the wine, since I am a complete ignoramus on the subject, and I only had one glass – sparkling wine to boot – the whole night. As for the service, it’s hard to comment since we were guests so the waiters and staff were probably on the extra lookout for anything we might need, although I did feel a sense of promptness and alertness when it came to serving the other customers.

I have just got to give it to Wine Bar 1771 for successfully reinventing themselves the way they did. It’s not easy to change Chateau 1771, something that’s been in the same place for almost two decades (although they did transfer it to Greenbelt 5, where its old-fashioned poshness fits right in with the kind of crowd that frequent the area). It takes a lot of guts and brains to put out something of quality.

To end, the biggest factor that might turn people away will be its price range, but it’s a good, solid place to go if you’re bringing out someone special out on a date or celebrate a rare occasion. A group of friends with deep pockets will also be much better off here as compared to other (much) seedier-looking establishments that also cater to groups of drinkers. All in all, it’s a good, modern and decent place to eat, drink and hang out, just like it was intended to be.