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Dessert comes first at this steakhouse's special 4-course dinner

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Angelo G. Garcia

MANILA -- This dinner starts with dessert followed by the main course, then soup, and ends with the appetizer. This is the latest offering of Manila Marriott Hotel&#x27;s Cru Steakhouse, a restaurant known to create unique experiences for its guests. Called the “Upside Down Dinner,” it aims to give guests a new dining experience. According to the hotel&#x27;s executive chef Meik Brammer, he was inspired by a similar concept that was done in Germany. “In Germany, it has happened a couple of times that restaurants tried to see if it&#x27;s possible in creating an upside down dinner,” he said.But not to be confused with the physical position, the dinner just reverses the sequence of the courses being served. <div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/01/20190701-marriott-1.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Cru Steakhouse&#x27;s Upside Down Dinner offers a four-course meal. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>The dinner will be held every Thursday starting July 4 and is for reservation only. Priced at P2,800 per person, guests will get a curated four-course meal. Although the concept may seem simple, it can also confuse the diner&#x27;s palate, according to chef Brammer. “The first thing you&#x27;re going to experience is the dessert, which is completely not normal. You&#x27;re going to eat something sweet then something heavy, then the soup, then the final course is the appetizer. So your palate is going to be confused. It&#x27;s a mental experience and it might be a challenge for your palate,” he explained. It&#x27;s not only the courses that are served in reverse but the whole experience. The hotel describes it as a “well-orchestrated dining experience.”<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/01/20190701-marriott-2.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Diners are greeted with a disheveled table. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>The experience starts with the table setup. Guests will be seated at a table that is arranged in a way like it was already used—napkins rumpled on the table and water glasses almost empty. Diners don&#x27;t have to worry though, because everything is clean. On the table is a menu printed in reverse but a mirror is attached to it so guests can read the text. Then the server gives the bill which the guests need to settle first. Attached to the bill is the parking pass. After which, the server offers the diners if they would like coffee or tea.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/01/20190701-marriott-3.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>First course is this noisette dessert. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>What follows is the actual dinner. The first course is dessert, which is usually served at the end of the meal. The dessert is a Noisette Exotique, which is a hazelnut dacquoise, almond lemon crumble, praline-noisette mousse, yuzu cremeux, orange passion compote, and yellow exotic glacage. <div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/01/20190701-marriott-4.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Second course is a rosemary-crusted US Angus beef tenderloin. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>It is then followed by the main course, a rosemary crusted US Angus beef tenderloin, served with potato puree, brown butter glazed vegetables, and pink peppercorn sauce. <div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/01/20190701-marriott-5.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Third course is this tomato espresso soup. Handout</figcaption></figure></div>After the main course is the soup course. It&#x27;s a Tomato Espresso served in an espresso cup. It is paired with gruyere pudding toast. Then bread is offered—a muffin-sized, three-flavored bread roll (spinach, tomato, and parmesan). The rolls are served with herb butter and cheese spread.EMBED PHOTO 6 : Fourth and last course is a crab and apple salad. HandoutThe meal ends with the appetizer. It&#x27;s a crab and apple salad with cherry tomato glaze, pine nut gremolata, avocado mousseline crème fraiche. This appetizer comes in a unique presentation as the crab mixture is encased inside tomato like spheres and placed on a bed of honeycomb-shaped avocado mousseline.Then the dinner officially ends when the server introduces herself/himself to the guests and places the “reserved” sign on the table. Chef Meik said that this dinner gives something new to its loyal patrons and new guests. The hotel and its dining outlets shake things up once in a while to keep hotel service interesting. “[This was created] to make sure that Marriott Manila is still one of the hotels that guests that can have a certain experience for guests. To give them a reason to be delighted to visit,” he said.

“Upside Down Dinner” is the latest offering of Manila Marriott Hotel's Cru Steakhouse, a restaurant known to create unique experiences for its guests.

“Upside Down Dinner” is the latest offering of Manila Marriott Hotel's Cru Steakhouse, a restaurant known to create unique experiences for its guests.