Tangerine Mediterranean Restaurant

We celebrated my brother’s 33rd birthday in Tangerine Mediterranean Restaurant. It is a Pilita-generation restaurant where majority of the customers are oldies and politicians (on some days, you might even be lucky enough to see Erap). Someday, we will also be called “oldies”, and I wonder what they would call our generation — the Michael Jackson generation or the Regine Velasquez generation?

 

Tangerine is the reincarnation of the Pilita restaurant in Greenhills, but this time she partnered with Billy King to create the menu for the restaurant. It is a fine dining restaurant that serves Mediterranean food. I find it kind of weird though to have a performance stage in such an ambiance. The stage is designed for Pilita who sings every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9pm onwards. On other days, expect the music to be classical, jazz and foreign — music that is pleasing to the ears, which our generation is just beginning to enjoy.

Overall, the food is just OK, the menu is boring, the ambiance attracts a certain age group, but I do like the soothing music.

On one end of the restaurant is the “Pilita wall” with 35 photos of Pilita’s colorful career.


Tangerine Menu:
Chef’s Creation | Interesting Salads | Special Salads | Vegetarian Dishes, Cooked from the Grill | Seafood and Pasta | Desserts

The best tables to reserve are the ones on the long couch on the right side of the photo. You can sit comfortably with a back rest while having a good vantage point of the stage.

Bar Drinks Menu:
Non-Alcoholic Drink, Beers, Cognac, Brandy, Sours | Premium Hi-ball Drinks and Rum | Hi-Balls, Cocktails, Classic Martinis, Whiskey | Sodas, Juice/ Fresh Fruits/ Shakes, Coffee & Tea, Single Malt | Vodka, Tequila, Grey Goose Martinis, Liquors & Bitters | House Wines, Wines by the Bottle | Pica-Pica

The place is not ideal for kids because of the smoking policy in the bar area and unavailability of high chairs.

As with any fine dining restaurant, you are already paying for unlimited servings of bread. Aidan and syoti Josh love bread, and they usually get full just by eating it.

Assorted Cheese Platter (P500) and a bottle of 2007 Argento Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (P160)

My brother Rommel was the one who introduced me to the various ways of enjoying cheese — on a piece of bread/cracker, paired with fruits, or simply savored with wine. The cheese platter is composed of 4 cheeses, namely: Pont Leveque, Blue Cheese, Goat Cheese and Gruyère Cheese. Grapes, dried apricots and walnuts are served with the cheese. The Pont Leveque and Blue Cheese smelled like dried urine, but they were the most delicious among the 4 cheeses. The Argento Red Wine tasted cheap with a contrasting finish.

My brother Rommel (in Tangerine Shirt) with his girlfriend, Cha.

Lamb a la Rocio (P1,200). Roasted and Steamed Lamb Chops with a potato-leek confit, served with horseradish.

The lamb was cooked medium and just right. Nevertheless, having eaten a lot of lamb lately in restaurants, I wish the lamb meat could be tastier and juicier instead of using the sauce to give life to this dish.

Steak U.S. Rib-Eye 180g (P875)

Cha ordered the steak, while my brother ordered the Roasted Aubergines in an aglio olio dressing with tomatoes.

Belgian Chocolate Special Soufflé (P235)

The soufflé was a disappointment because it was obvious that the chocolate was diluted and the taste of this dessert was subdued.

Schedule of Performances (please call to confirm):
Mondays – Mr. Arthur Manuntag
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays – Ms. Pilita Corrales
Wednesdays – Highway 54 Band
Saturday – Flipside Band

Arthur Manuntag was performing when we were at Tangerine. I noticed that even when he tries to shout or belt out a few lines of the song, it still sounds soothing to the ear. I’m not really a Pilita fan, but you might want to try to eat in Tangerine when Pilita performs. The crowd usually trickles in before the performances start at 9pm.

After Arthur’s opening song, he acknowledged the personalities in the restaurant that night, like former Senator Maceda, a lady mayor and a Romualdez. At the end of his spiel, he led the crowd in singing a Happy Birthday song for my brother, while the waiter served the slice of cake with a lighted candle.


Happy 33rd birthday, Bro! How we wish our parents were here to celebrate his birthday. They would have enjoyed Tangerine.

Tangerine Mediterranean Restaurant
Music by Pilita
Menu Creations by Billy King
MA-105, McKinley Arcade, Club Filipino Avenue cor. Ortigas Avenue
Greenhills, San Juan (former Pizza Hut?)
Telephone : +632 725-2811

 

Live An Awesome Life in God’s Grace,

Text by Anton Diaz. Copyright 2008.

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Email: anton@diaz.ph