Peter M.
Yelp
Often, during my travels in the United States or overseas, I've been asked what is the best restaurant in the city that I am in? I think I have found one for Manila in the Philippines. Blackbird if not the best, is amongst the best restaurants in Manila.
Blackbird is an Asian fusion and modern European restaurant. Its menu is diverse with and enticing list of dishes. Problem here is which ones do you choose? We visited for lunch and started with the beet salad, then the quail scotch eggs, followed by the lamb kofta balls. The main dish was Kerala fish curry. How was the food? The beet salad had nice color, and a very fresh taste. The scotch eggs were made with shrimp, something unique, and arrived at the table with an enticing presentation on betel leaves, with coconut chili sambal. They were delicious. The lamb kofta was moist superb flavor, a good charred taste and appearance, and melted in your mouth. The Kerala fish curry was made with a meaty white fish, in a silky yellow coconut curry. This dish came with papadum, green chutney, mango chutney, and basmati rice. Another popular hit on their menu.
So is the food alone enough to make a restaurant five stars? I would say no. During review, we have to count the ambience, the service, the table settings, and the background music. In all these departments blackbird deserves five stars. They provided fresh plates and cutlery for every dish that arrived at our table, a rare table service, but a gesture that elevates the dining encounter to another level. The music was an eclectic mix of jazz and European. The whole experience at Blackbird was exhilarating and a culinary treat to the taste buds and all the human gastronomic senses.