Chef Jessie's Top of the Citi: Fine Dining That's Truly Meant to Be On Top

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Last time I've met Chef Jessie was at her 100 Revolving Restaurant in Eastwood. My family and I had a wonderful time dining on the sumptuous buffet dishes at her restaurant while enjoying the spectacular 360 degree view of Metro Manila.

My family and I will often laugh at each other when we find ourselves located at another part of the restaurant and desperately trying to figure out where the buffet table was now located. I would get lost and would sometimes miss our table going back, but my kids were having the best time going back and forth enjoying mostly the dessert.

This time, I got to try Chef Jessie's Top of the Citi restaurant located on top of the Citibank Tower. Just like at 100, many of her dishes at this Makati restaurant also boasts of the same superior quality dishes but this time the presentation were works of art beginning with the Appetizers, the Salads, the Soups, the Main Entree, all the way up to the Dessert.

I ordered one for each category so I could really sample how it is like at the Top of the Citi. Many have been missing on these wonderful feasts since some people think that the restaurant above the Citibank Tower is exclusive for the building tenants, and some even thought it's exclusive for Citibank employees. Oh, boy! They were all wrong. It is such a shame they haven't discovered this awesome restaurant right at the top of Makati. get on your feet guys and instead of going to fast-food restaurants killing yourself with oily fried foods filled with cholesterol, spend a little more on healthy foods that's reasonably priced.

Smoked Salmons and Caviar Pie

The Smoked Salmons and Caviar Pie (Php 500) was so remarkably fresh and exquisite in taste. I swore I was swooning in delight while eating it with the croutons and endive. It will really give you the best appetite. The presentation was totally charming that it took me a long time before I dared ruin the appearance of the centerpiece concoction.

Smoked Salmon Grilled Prawns and Sauteed Mushrooms Salad

The Smoked Salmon Grilled Prawns and Sauteed Mushrooms Salad (Php 795) in creamy Balsamic sauce was heavenly. I am not exaggerating but it was more than just heavenly. No amount of words will be enough to praise this salad.

French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese

The French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese (Php 260) was an interesting soup that aroused my attention. At first look it seemed like it was overflowing, but I later realized it was part of the uncanny presentation. The taste seemed fair enough to please, but accompany it with the Gruyere cheese it feels like I'm eating soaked pizza. But that's just me not used to these kind of dishes.

Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Pan Fried Goose Liver

The Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Pan Fried Goose Liver  (Php 1500)  and accompanied by fresh vegetables was a favorite for the two of us. We loved every portion of it. The fish was good on its own, but turns better when you pour in the sauce. Wow! Even I was surprised a seafood dish as simple as this can be cooked really special.

Grilled Ostrich Steak in Valentino Sauce

The Grilled Ostrich Steak in Valentino Sauce (Php 1000) was a real first for me for it was my first time to dine on an ostrich. perfectly grilled medium rare, I could still appreciate the smell and taste as I bite into every sliced piece of the steak. I never realized it looks nothing different from the other meats but the taste will speak differently.

US Black Angus Peppered Tenderloin Steak

We then tried the US Black Angus Peppered Tenderloin Steak (Php 1600) as recommended by the server who attended to our table. True enough, the meat is a tender as the name implies. It also seems to be the most expensive among the other menu, but is accompanied by the same set of vegetables as the Ostrich steak.

Chocolate Gateau a la Francis

For dessert, I had Chocolate Gateau a la Francis (Php 250) - a real creamy dessert concoction that impressed me from first to last bite. The three layered chocolate cake was so dreamy that it feels like you're having the best dream ever. I couldn't stop eating it. I normally hate chocolate cakes mostly because they are too sweet and gooey, but this one deserves an applause for being just right in taste and texture.

The Makati traffic can be unfriendly during the peak hours of the day so I planned to leave earlier to keep away from the problematic bumper-to-bumper scenario. But it seems I was really destined to worry in traffic since time flew so fast that it was already 6 pm by the time we finished dessert. I really couldn't help it. The dishes were just too good to ignore. I was overtaken with delight by how great tasting the dishes were that I intentionally ignored the time.

My companion was still having coffee when I left but that was already something I was willing to miss. I plan to go back to Chef Jessie's Top of the Citi restaurant and bring more of my friends with me to enjoy great food. I'm sure they will thank me a lot for introducing them to another fine restaurant. This restaurant deserves a high recommendation.