Why Erwin’s Gastrobar is a Must-Visit for Food Enthusiasts

I was one of 10 foodies fortunate  to be invited to lunch at  Erwin’s Gastrobar in City of  Dreams Manila yesterday. It was a gloomy day with overcast skies and some rain. Perfect weather   for some serious pigging out hehehe My first impressions were 1. Quite  a huge and spacious restaurant — 300 sq meter per Operations Manager Thiago 2. The hardwood floor , the brick wall, the black board with colorful chalk menu  all lent  a combination of posh, classy yet cozy tenor to the whole feel of the place. 3. The bar in the middle facing the entrance is the focal point of the restaurant. Since the place was quite  large, it would be a perfect venue for big parties.

We were surprised to learn from Iza Erwin’s Marketing Manager that this restaurant which serve American-Italian cuisine originated from Singapore and not an American franchise. It is part of the EPEI group which have in its roster Ruby Jacks  ( a fine dining steak restaurant) also in City of Dreams, Kanto Bar in  Quezon Ave, Tori Ichi  in BGC to name a few.

Apparently the name Erwin is the monicker of the grandfather of the original owner Mr. Martin Bem  of  Singapore .  Thus the setting reflects the era of  Mr. Erwin, which was the cool and elegant 50s The menu as explained by Iza was a copy of the  menu from  the mother branch in Singapore and a sprinkling of  local favorites like Sizzling Pork Sisig for example. Here is a list of the dishes and drinks that were served to us.

Pimm’s lemonade   P310 

Pimm’s no 1 with fresh fruits annd mint topped with lemonade.

 It was quite refreshing and delicious. A glass is P310  4.5/5

Avocado Shake  P215

 This was a beautiful and delicious drink. It has avocado smoothie , avocado ice cream and whip cream. Rich and sinful. Our piggery will love this and all their milk shakes. Yum! 4.5/5

Herb Chicken Salad  P350 

Baked chicken, romaine, carrot, cashews, piri piri, spiced mango chutney and green  pesto dressing. The greens were crisp. The mango chutney provided the sweetness.   The green pesto dressing contrasted wonderfully with the citrusy  mango chutney. The portion was just right and can feed 3 people. 4/5

Baked Salmon Salad P470  

lollo blonde, baby potatoes, feta cheese, shaved egg and lemon mustard dressing, baked salmon.

Lollo blonde are  fresh and pale, frilly,  green crinkly , crisp  lettuce leaves in the salad. They are flavorful and  blended nicely with the lemon mustard dressing .

The baked salmon which were crumbled and mixed with the shave egg gave the dish its texture and this foodie a mouthful of sea umami

I love this dish and it doesnt look it but I think it can feed 2-4 people.

My only issue is its presentation. The colors on the plate looked too pale.

4/5

Carnivore Platter P1500

Pork Ribs, Chicken Wings, Beef Sliders, Hungarian Sausage and Fries

The chicken wings are the winner here. 

They were plump and succulent and flavorful.

I cant stop eating them huhuhu 5/5

Grilled Chicken P580

Marinated with herbs and lemon then served with Gravy.

Chicken was juicy , tender and full of flavor

One order is a half chicken so I have an issue with the portion considering its price.

Their fries are crunchy outside yet soggy inside.

Just perfect. 

4/5

Penne Pasta P510

Parmesan Cream Sauce with mushroom , green peas

prosciutto and rockets.

The pasta is al dente. The sauce is beautiful.

This is  a pretty straightforward  dish but you can taste the quality of the ingredients used.

4/5

Linguini P510

Pesto Sauce with shrimp and Feta cheese.

Another good pasta dish.

This can feed 2-3 people.

I loved the sauce.

4/5

Steak Sandwich P790

Angus rib eye steak in ciabatta bread with garlic butter,

black pepper cheddar, arugula

tomatoes and caramelized onion

This is one of my favorites,

The angus rib eye steak was scrumptious.

The garlic butter, etc all together enhanced the flavor of the steak.

The ciabatta  was the type of bread that is perfect with this sandwich.

This is one filling dish.

Even my piggery can not finish one order of this.

I think this can feed two of my kids.

Love it!

5/5

Polenta Fries  P145

cornmeal sticks with parmesan cheese and napoleatana

It had a different texture which the piggery may find a little weird.

The parmesan cheese flavor was there.

I still prefer the french fries though.

3/5

Sauteed Greens P150

Broccoli and green beans sauteed in garlic

I love greens so I loved this side dish.

It was verdant green. It looked fresh and was crunchy.

I matched it with the penne Pasta.

4/5

Warm Apple Pie P260

with dulce de leche and vanilla ice cream

Quite delicious.

I loved everything about it.

The crust tasted wonderful and the apples are yum.

Love it ! 5/5

NY Style Cheese Cake P260

with berry sauce and strawberry ice cream

The crust was good. The cheesecake was delicious.

The strawberry ice cream was heavenly.

4.5/5

Coconut Panna Cotta P170

with tropical fruits, mango and passion fruit puree

I love the texture and the passion fruit-mango combo

4/5

Molten Chocolate Cake P290

made with Valhrona chocolate served warm with vanilla ice cream

One can never really go wrong with premium quality ingredients.

Take Valhrona for instance. Its quite expensive because  its a premium chocolate.

Your palate discerns the silky texture of the chocolate cake and the rich chocolate it is made of.

Alas the center was not molten as we expected. 

4/5

Drinks

Left to right : Classic Martini  P250,  Pimm’s Lemonade P310, Singapore Sling P300, 

Orange Mimosa P380, Paulaner Draft Beer 0.3 ltr P220

0.5 ltr P360, 1 ltr P720

I was not able to taste the beer , the martini and singapore sling.  I loved Pimm’s Lemonade . The Mimosa was refreshing . I loved the combination of orange juice and sparkling wine

Summary : It was quite a gastronomic adventure. It helped that it was a “bed weather” kind of day. One pretty much just wants to eat  and drink when its gloomy and wet outside. Erwin’s Gastrobar serves good food. Its menu has a wide array of munches to choose from. The place is conducive for catching up with friends or bonding with the family. The service was topnotch. The lady servers are very knowledgeable about the menu and the back story of the restaurant. They were quite professional too, serving cheerfully and promptly and answering questions readily. There is wifi from City of Dreams. I forgot to ask if  Erwin’s had its own too. The lady’s rest room is huge with a vintagey feel. You will be surprise how roomy each cubicle is. When you find yourself in the City of Dreams,  be sure to check out Erwin’s Gastrobar. Do not forget to order their chicken. Their buffalo wings and grilled chicken marinade are to die for. The desserts and drinks are delicious too. Bring the family. They will enjoy Erwin’s . Im definitely coming back with our piggery in tow 🙂