Lemuria

Lemuria is a restaurant located in Horseshoe village, Quezon City.  They serve French Cuisine.  They also have an extensive wine list.

The restaurant opened in 2008 and consistently gets good reviews from Pinoy Foodies.

The restaurant is very charming.  The service staff are excellent.

We've been told by the staff that the compound sometimes host wedding receptions. The venue can hold up to  150 guests.

I was thinking - when I build my own house - I won't mind having the interiors look like the Lemuria interiors.

Our meal started with the complimentary bread.  They had sourdough and brioche.  Actually - they were serving sour dough but we requested for brioche.  We discovered this bread accidentally on our dining experience at Les Normandie in Thailand.  I do not like sour dough --- and the head waiter from Les Normandie suggested that I get brioche instead.  I tried it and from then on I have been a big fan of the bread.

This is pan-seared scallops.  The sauce is wonderful - but the scallops are not as fresh as I would want them to be.  Fresh scallops are supposed to be sweet.  These are not sweet.  I don't think the chef is to be blamed for this.  It really is a function of the quality of scallops we get in the Philippines.  As much as we are an archipelago - our scallops don't seem to be as fresh as the ones found in cold-water countries like Japan.

I have tried Terrine in the past and I was not impressed with the dish.  This time - I think that the Terrine de Foie Gras served at Lemuria is outstanding.  It awakens the senses as soon as it touches your tongue.  Definitely a must try.

I had French Onion Soup.  I love this bowl.  I wish I owned bowls like this.  The French Onion soup is hearty - and well seasoned - just the way I like it.

One of the main dishes that we ordered is Sea Bass.  I thought that the dish was well seasoned.  The other queen thought it was over-seasoned.

Like the other dishes that we ordered - ( with the exception of the Terrine ) - this Kurobota Pork Belly was ok.  Especially when you take your first bite of it.  However - as you progress through the dish - it seems like the flavors open up and it progressively becomes tastier and tastier.  I love the candied fig when you mix it with the bite of the Pork belly.

Through the meal - I must say that I can understand why a lot of foodies like Lemuria's dishes.  However, I must confess - that I thought the dessert is a disappointment.  This is a Vanilla Custard.  It is pretty - but the dish tasted like old-bread pudding.  I love old-bread pudding but I didn't expect it to be served in a restaurant like Lemuria.

We had to try their pavlova.  Like my vanilla custard - this is not quite what we expected.  It was a bit too sweet for my taste.

After the meal - we checked out the wine cellar which is located below the restaurant.

As I said at the beginning of this blog post, they have an extensive wine collection.  They were not cheap - but they are well worth it.  For our dinner - I had a bottle of 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Fallen Angel ( it's their cheapest bottle ).  Take note that I didn't order the house wine because typical restaurants in the Philippines only serve Chardonnay for their house white wine.  Not Lemuria - they also offer Sauvignon Blanc - which I prefer.   I liked what I ordered and I guess that's what matters.

I think I know where to go shopping for gifts this Christmas.   I'm sure my friends will enjoy the wine that I will get from Lemuria.

My overall verdict of Lemuria.  It's a charming restaurant - and I highly recommend that you check it out if you are looking for a good dining experience.