Great food find at Crimson’s Tempo Restaurant

Chef's Special which is pork 3 ways: braised rib, bonbon, tortellini with soya and braised radish, papaya pickle — Chef’s Special which is pork 3 ways: braised rib, bonbon, tortellini with soya and braised radish, papaya pickle

The tea room of Tempo Bar with its lanterns made from indigenous materials in different shapes

No. There were no violins serenading us by the table side. Or candle lit dinners with the other holding a fresh bouquet of roses. But Crimson Resort and Spa’s Tempo Restaurant has all the trappings of a well designed interior that screams FINE DINING without the hair raising prices.

The lady singer was belting a mellow song as we were led to our table. Although the menu listed some interesting dishes, from appetizers, to main course to desserts, we ordered one there, but we were also a bit adventurous and opted to be surprised with the Chef Special and Chef Creation.

Hot pumpkin soup warmed our bellies while biting on lavoush and warm ciabatta that came on a heavy wooden board with three interesting dips. I swear, the still warm and crusty bread, while goes well with salted butter touched our palates with the chicken coriander spread.

In between dishes, I was also marveling at the interior design. Nice touches of indigenous materials, abaniko designed motorized fans give it a touch of contemporary Filipino and interesting furniture makes these conversation pieces. But, like the rest of the spaces around Crimson Resort and Spa, Tempo Restaurant and the adjacent Tea Room was a showcase of Philippine design.

Large white china came, delivered to our table was the Chef’s Special. It was kind of a curious study of minimalism. Off center was the medallion of ostrich meat, red on the inside, seared on the outside. The bed of mango salsa whose bright yellows, reds and oranges provide a sprinkle of color. One bite and it was a flavor juggernaut, packed heavy.

But it was the medley of pork done in three ways that made the night memorable. Soft and tender, fall off the bone meat for the braised rib, tongue pleasing tortellini and a pork bonbon topped with radish and papaya pickle. The crocodile skewers was a novelty. It was my first time to have this meat which was white with clumps of fat and went well with the salad and dips, a medley of flavors.

For dessert? There wasn’t much actually to chose from and I opted to have the three flavored ice cream with three different sauces. Not so much into it as the ice cream was a bit hard but I did like the guava sauce.

Tempo Restaurant is a great place to have good food that is not too crowded (the resort is in Mactan Island) and with interesting interiors. You will have a good time here without the exorbitant prices.