fusion confusion

while we (matt, maccoy and i) were in the insurance office last week, may nakita kaming isang handbook which is actually a directory of commercial establishments in the eastern province.  and one thing that caught my interest is the advert for fusion, a restaurant in the meridien hotel. eh siguro naman by this time you already know that fine dining has become one of my 'bisyo' plus the fact that i'm a self-appointed food critic.

kaya i eagerly dragged matt and the lichauco family to meridien.  i was excited from the prospect of finding another dining haven, tulad ng pagkaka-discover ko sa soul kitchen (and not to forget, mughal) na hanggang ngayon ay top favorite ko pa rin whenever dining out. ginamit na lang excuse yong birthday ni pops who didn't have the slightest hint why we entered the heavily guarded gate of a hotel na dati dinadaanan lang namin.

located at the second (dito first yon) floor of the hotel, fusion has a huge foyer where you have to walk a kilometric red carpet na para kang nasa oscars bago mo pa marating ang dining area.  what a waste of space sabi ko sa mga kasama ko.  kung sa ibang resto na napuntahan ko, they're squeezing as much table into one tiny space, dito pwede kang mag-badminton, literally, before settling onto your table.

ok so the place is impressive. the interiors were cool with it's contemporary chic ambience. and the waiters na wala kahit isang pinoy (we later saw a couple of kabayans tending the bar) ay maayos naman mag-serve.  hot towel promptly handed out before we were given the menu.  pero pagbukas ko pa lang, well, nabawasan agad ang excitement ko.  the menu is limited mahihiya ang menu ng chinese grill na halos parang libro ng harry potter sa dami ng offering.  dito, parang nagbuklat ka lang ng to do list mo for the morning. 

what caught my eye, and my further disappointment, ay ang presyo nila.  ang favorite ko sa soul kitchen na maki is only 45sr dito, 75.  and if the most expensive steak in sk is at 115sr, dito, 180sr. sabi na nga ba kasama sa bayad yong nilakaran naming isang kilometro ng red carpet! oh well, it's a hotel resto so sige, ganon talaga. magkakatalo na lang sa pagkain lalo sa steak kasi angus beef din daw ang gamit nila.  at least may point of comparison.

kaso, nagkatalo nga.  the crunchy maki wasn't even crunchy and is a bit sour i had to dissect the filling in an attempt to find where the taste is coming from. it was an utter disappointment. kung nahagilap ko ulit yong menu, i'd cross out the name crunchy maki and put 'suman' instead.

then the main course arrived to give me further disappointment.  maccoy said he has had better prime rib.  the tiger prawns, despite it's nice presentation, were bland.  the rib eye i ordered proved to be a chewing challenge. major nguya ang gagawin mo or else you're taking the risk of having indigestion.  

needless to say, that's going to be the first and last dinner i'll have in fusion.  kahit sabihin pang may complementary sushi for starters and fancy sweets for dessert.  hindi pa rin ako babalik don....  ok, alam na ninyo ang kasunod - unless may maglilibre sa akin! hahaha.

of course i haven't forgotten the rating (as usual, 5 max, 1 min)

place    :   4.5

food     :   2.5

service :   3.0

price    :   2.0

total     :  12.0

(and that total puts it way below the list i posted back in june for the 1st part and 30 aug for the 2nd part)

the complementary sushi for appetizer

crunchy maki aka suman sa lihiya?

rib eye aka goma ng truck?

tiger prawns...  or is it tiger woods endorsing nike?

ok, it sure doesn't look attractive...  steak na may sabaw?

libreng dessert - built in siguro ang cost sa presyo ng main course kaya mahal

taken nong papasok pa lang kami kaya naka-smile pa... 
and by now you know the smiles are gone when we came out of the place!