We are destined to eat at LU tonight.
After reading about it in Chinkee’s blog, I immediately put the Rockwell newbie at the top of my must-try list. So when Alex tells me he’s choosing the venue for our dinner get-together, I text him back at the speed of lightning, “Actually, there’s this place I want to try and I’ve ALREADY made the reservations. LU restaurant beside Ice Cream Bar at Joya. See you there at 8pm!” Then I hurriedly send out a group text to all before Alex can hit the reply button. YES!!! I WIN!!!
Some Alchemist once said if you want something hard enough, the whole universe will conspire to make it happen. I guess I must have wanted it real badly, because it turns out that LU is also the place Alex has in mind.
Thank you, Universe!
Flame-grilled kesong puti on lemon, dill, & e.v.o.o. toast
Expect nothing fancy from this kesong puti appetizer. It is a simple dish with simple flavors. With an extremely delicious side salad!
Argentinean hand-chopped beef empanadas
And Chinkee is right. “If there is one appetizer that everyone must try, it has got to be the Beef Empanadas. These little pockets of meat are simply oozing with flavor and go perfectly with the accompanying chimichurri sauce. They’re so good I wished they were bigger, even by just a bit.”
And I wish for the same thing, except I want it double in size. Gotta dream big, right? Help us out here, Universe!
Grilled tomato & red bell pepper soup
Until this soup, I refused to believe something so disgustingly healthy can be so arrestingly delicious. This is just WOW!
LU’s ultimate pork chop (15 oz) with orange-achuete sauce
Alex orders this Hercules of a pork chop and shares with me only an elfish bit. Is the chop really that good or is he just very hungry? I eat the itty-bitty piece and find the pork to be quite ordinary. Alex must be famished.
Herb-crusted lamb spareribs with bejeweled couscous
When someone Janelle’s size is able to wipe clean this generous serving of red meat and carbs, it only means one thing. This is good stuff.
Turmeric chicken – grilled and super juicy, with pomelo-cucumber achara
True to it’s claim, the chicken Marie and Tine order is super juicy. And the flavor is super, too. This dish reminds me of our Pinoy chicken barbecue, with a Middle Eastern-Mediterranean twist.
Unhurriedly-steamed lamb shank with minted yoghurt and vermicelli rice
I unhurriedly chew on my lamb shank, pushing half of it to Nelson’s plate. Why this is a “LU recommends” dish totally boggles me. Yes, the meat is tender from the unhurried steaming, but it is severely lacking in flavor despite swimming in sauce. Please recommend something better, LU.
Truffled mac ‘n cheese
If our dining room could smell like one thing everyday for the next 5 years, I want it to smell exactly like this. Musky. Earthy. Sexy. Addictive. The first mouthful is delicious, but with each spoonful I lose a bit of interest. This swanky take on mac ‘n cheese is something I’d rather inhale than eat.
PB&J tart (we will never reveal the caloric content)
And I never ever want to know, thank you! Because saying this peanut butter & jelly tart is rich and sweet will be the understatement of the year. I am naturally greedy when it comes to sweets, but this is one dessert I am willing to share with 2 other people.
Lemon-glazed yoghurt cheesecake
Personally, I think this could use more lemon flavor. The cheesecake is pretty decent, but it’s nothing to write home about.
Butterscotch apple pie
Again, Janelle finishes this by herself so I’m guessing it must be good. After that PB&J tart, even a single granule of sugar seems like an evil idea.
I will eat you next time.
Alex, Janelle, Marie, Tine, Me, Nelson
Lu: G/F Joya South Tower, Rockwell, Makati, Philippines.
Tel: +632-403-3991, +630915-246-8420
