Early this month, I celebrated my 18th birthday…again (for the nth time). My wife and I really wanted something special. At the same time we were both craving for steaks for some time. For almost a year I have been reading about a place called Elbert’s Steak Room from the different threads of the Philippine Macintosh User’s Group (PhilMUG). Elbert is one of the administrators of PhilMUG.

I visited the restaurant’s website and became really interested in going there. I told my wife about it and she became interested. Soon, interest led to craving. We kept on telling ourselves that we need to find time and the best occasion to go. As my birthday was coming, we finally decided it was the perfect time.

A few days before my birthday, I was about to make the reservations when my wife offered to do it for me. I thought to myself that she was just probably more excited than I was, so I accepted her offer. I suggested that she reserve the romantic table for two.

Finally, the day came. As we were going to the restaurant, something clicked inside my head and I asked her if by any chance she mentioned that it was my birthday when she made the reservations. Naturally, she said no. Why I didn’t think that was weird at the time, I don’t know. I was too excited about what steak to order.

As we went in the restaurant, the experience started. The very warm greeting by the staff, including Elbert who was there to welcome us. To our surprise, one of the staff even took our coats! You don’t see that everyday. My wife and I planned on getting just one steak and share it but at the last minute, we changed our minds and ordered two. We decided to get the strip-loin and the rib-eye.

The salad came first. It was a generous serving of salad. We were expecting a small plate of greens. The sauce was just perfect. Not too sweet, not too sour.

Next came the soups. I had gotten the pumpkin soup while my wife had ordered the onion and garlic. Both were very good. LIke the salad, it was a generous serving.

When the steaks arrived, my wife suddenly remembered that we forgot to mention how we wanted them cooked. But on instinct we decided to go with whatever the chef did. And boy, are we glad we did. The steaks were perfect! We were given sauces but we hardly touched them. The steaks were great on their own. Of course, in the end, I ended up finishing my own steak plus maybe at least quarter of my wife’s steak. Those were the finest steaks we’ve ever had. They’re even better than the ones we had at Outback Steak House and even Shangri-la Hotel!

I certainly was full and really felt I couldn’t eat another bite. But then, I heard voices in the kitchen and before I knew it a chocolate mousse with a single candle was being served on our table. My wife has done it agian! She has surprised me. The mousse was the best I’ve ever tasted. I love chocolate and I’ll be dreaming of that mousse for some time.

Everything considered, the price for our meal was worth it. The excellent food plus the wonderful service will make you want to come back for more.