The Tomas Morato Food Trip: Fusion Food with Celsius Cuisine

3 ladies, 1 night, 4 restaurants. The Tomas Morato Food Trip begins with Celsius Cuisine. 



Just last week, my friends and I decided to have another round of food trip in Tomas Morato. I haven't blogged about the first food trip yet but I will soon. :)  


With my blog, I have acquired a new role of picking out the restaurants for food trips. My first pick is Celsius Cuisine a.k.a Celsius Gastrolounge. 


Celsius Cuisine is a collaboration of 17 ISCAHM students and two chef-instructors, Chefs Manoj De Silva and Sean McSavaney. The restaurant aims to bring the fine dining experience down to a more affordable price in a residential setting that is just a stone's throw away from the bustling Tomas Morato. They have taken the challenge of taking our favorite Asian local products to the next level. 

We were first intimidated to enter the restaurant since we were the only customers that night. It was already 6:30 PM so we were quite surprised that there weren't any other diners. 


With the restaurant's frog legs in mind, we decided to enter and we were confronted with a well lit restaurant with wooden tables and chairs. I think the restaurant lacks a bit of personality aside from the red wall behind our seats. 


We immediately ordered frog legs but the waiter sadly informed us that they had already run out of frog legs. Those frog legs were my main reason for picking the restaurant. :( We ordered another dish and the waiter informed us again that it was not available. We simply asked them then what dishes were available that evening. 

Complimentary Bread (Php Free)

We were first served with complimentary crusty bread with butter. I read in another blog that the restaurant charged Php10 for additional bread. It's your ordinary bread so I wouldn't advise asking for more bread if there's additional cost. 

Celsius Tuna Taster (Php249)

Our first order for the night was Celsius Tuna Taster. It's fresh tuna loin prepared in two ways: pepper crusted & pan seared and chopped and marinated kinilaw. Served with it is arugula relish tossed in asian dressing and crispy garlic chips. 


First of all, I have to really commend the presentation. The chefs did a beautiful plating job especially with the kinilaw tower. 

I've tasted the best fresh kinilaw back in Davao and I haven't forgotten it since then. Celsius Cuisine's version is also very fresh with the perfect mix of vinegar and spices. 

The pan seared tuna also did not disappoint. The pan searing definitely help lock in the pepper crust together with the tuna slices. I liked the kinilaw more but I also enjoyed this side of the dish. 


The salad did a great job of cleansing the palate in preparation of switching between the two kinds of tuna loin. I'd recommend this dish an an appetizer for raw food lovers.  

Chorizo and Spinach Stuffed Chicken (Php429)

Craving for some chorizo, my friend Kiwee immediately ordered their Chorizo and Spinach Stuffed Chicken. It is seasoned chicken breast stuffed with chorizo bilbao, cream cheese, spinach served with wild mushroom cream sauce, cassoulet of vegetables and grilled red pepper coulis. 

Once again, the presentation is stunning. I love the vibrance of colors and the play of texture in their plating. In terms of taste, the chicken was perfectly cooked with its tender and moist meat. You could also really taste the spinach with every bite. 


I didn't get to taste much of the cream cheese though and we all agreed that there was barely any chorizo taste in the dish. With additional cream cheese and chorizo, this dish could have been unforgettable. 

Overall, the dining experience was okay. The waitresses/waiters seemed quite nervous. Probably because we were the only customers and their every move was magnified? I'm not quite sure. Their nervousness made us feel a bit uncomfortable. 


Our visit also began on a bad note with two of our orders being unavailable. I thought they could have exerted more effort in making their customers happy. Their interior also needs some jazzing up with a little bit more with more red accents here and there. 


Despite this, we enjoyed their food especially their Celsius Tuna Taster. Although I think I haven't tasted their stellar dish yet that would make me come back to this place over and over again. 


More Info on Celsius Cuisine:
Address: 67 Sct. Rallos St. corner of Tomas Morato in QC
Map: Click me
Number: (02)332-6732

Operating Hours: Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

                          Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

PS. Thank you to my friend Chel for taking pictures that night and for letting me use her camera too. I forgot mine that night. :O 

~It's the little sweet notes everyday that matter. :)~