WHEN you think Bordeaux, everything highbrow comes to mind. To confer oneself with that name is an announcement of great expectations. You imagine fine wine, fine dining, fine taste.
But at Bordeaux, one of the later additions to the line-up of restaurants at Burgos Circle at The Fort, it seems like fine was forgotten after the list of wines was made.
Mind you, expectations don?t fall at ?Hello.? The ambiance is welcoming: warm, creative, with lights perfect for a romantic evening with a special someone or a good time with good friends. The ceiling has been artfully decorated with empty wine bottles, making you understand that at this place, it?s all about the wine. Service can be slow on a busy night but the servers are gracious and do their best.
A wine list is presented alongside the dinner menu. Actually, if the objective of this restaurant is simply to get everyone a-wining, it may very well succeed. The wine list presents over a hundred selections in a very friendly manner (identifying region and grape variety and with a code to guide you as to its body), with very friendly prices, ranging from P600 to just over P6,500. There is an extensive list of chardonnays, pinots, merlots. The wine connoisseur might debate some selections but for the rest of us who are, as yet, aspiring to appreciate wine, it?s a great start.
But once the food arrives, the illusions of grandeur are laid to rest. The bread, for instance, is too white, cold, and reminiscent of Pan Amerikano from the sari-sari store. Great to mention for #sentisabado on Twitter but not to be used on your Croque Monsieur. The Carrots and Ginger Soup took its last name too seriously; it?s like drinking salabat with thickener. The Boeuf a L?ail, while enticing on the menu in its description as ?The Bordeaux way of salpicado,? makes you want to stick to the Spanish version if this is how it works the jaw. Definitely not worth the P400 demanded for it.
One would be better off sticking to the appetizer menu. The Kabanos and Peppato Cheese, for starters, is quite tasty. If you?re vegetarian, they offer a chicken sausage, too. The cheese platters are also great choices to accompany the wine beginner?s segue into the world of grapes.
The rest of the menu is satisfactory but nothing beyond. The Chicken Cordon Bleu, is flavorful but not outstanding. It tastes like something you can order from a caterer when you are on a budget. Same with the Beef Kaldereta. If you are serious about your dinner, you would be better off ordering from next door Dinelli or having dinner first at Cafe Juanita around the corner before grabbing some drinks at Bordeaux. Too bad for a restaurant whose concept and design was poised for something really great. ?
Bordeaux Wine Bar and Restaurant. Unit F Bellagio II, Forbes Town Center, Rizal Drive corner Burgos Circle, Global City. Tel. 403-6554. Mobile 09157431594 and 09209059329. No reservations required. Open daily 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. Major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible up to ground level only. www.Bordeauxwinebar.com.ph.
