THE BISTRO GROUP has opened another steakhouse franchise and BusinessWorld got a taste of its meaty specialty.
LongHorn Steakhouse, in Shangri-La Plaza, is just one of the steakhouses the company has in the country (more on that later). The Bistro Group has a total of 26 brands in the country, with 225 stores across the nation. LongHorn, which opened in the Philippines last April, is an American brand owned by Darden Restaurants (which also owns Olive Garden, another brand brought here by Bistro).
FROM SHRIMP TO STEAKWe sat down to their Wild West Shrimp, hand-breaded and tossed with cherry peppers and garlic butter, served with ranch dip. Nice and appetizing, but nothing compared to the LongHorn Salmon that followed it: hand-cut Atlantic salmon marinated in bourbon marinade — firm and perfectly moist, it tasted like something served in a luxury restaurant (despite the relatively low P1,645 at which it is sold, for 10 oz.).
The ribs, predictably, fell off the bone, and we liked that it was served with a baked potato.
What’s a steakhouse without steak, and LongHorn heeded our call with the Outlaw Ribeye (P4,850 for 20 oz.). It’s not as tender as more expensive (or even some cheaper) steaks available in the city, but just as juicy and deep in flavor.
We plan to come back for dessert, the Chocolate Stampede at P695, with several preparations of chocolate in one cake, topped with vanilla bean ice cream.
AN EXPERIENCE“Longhorn Philippines was brought here for a purpose. We wanted people to experience not just eating good steaks but also experience the culture, fun, and excitement or how it is really like dining in LongHorn Steakhouse,” said Julio Sibulo, general manager of LongHorn Steakhouse, in an e-mail.
He also said that they plan to open another branch this year in SM Mall of Asia.
There are no Philippines-only exclusive items so far: “We haven’t made a local menu yet as we want consumers to really experience exactly what it is like in the US. Perhaps just a few side dishes but not for the entree category,” said Mr. Sibulo.
MORE STEAKThe Bistro Group is coming in strong with new steakhouses opening within months of each other.
Late last year, it opened the higher-end Morton’s The Steakhouse, and opened LongHorn a few months later. Brazilian-themed steakhouse Fogo de Chao will follow soon (we saw a sign in Glorietta announcing its forthcoming opening).
Mr. Sibulo said, “The company has always been like that, not just for those three mentioned concepts. I feel like what we are trying to do is that the company brings all the best restaurants worldwide in the Philippines so that somehow the country is more updated with the latest food brands that are soaring high in different countries,” he said.
“The goal of the company is to grow bigger and bigger of course but considering that, it has to be a win-win situation for both consumers and providers.”
LongHorn Steakhouse is located at Streetscape, Shangri-La Plaza, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong. It currently has a Happy Hour promo — a “Buy 2 on all Margaritas and Cocktails, Get 1 for Free” offer that is available beginning 7:30 p.m. each evening. — Joseph L. Garcia
