Something dazzling in the sky
At the topmost floor of Vivire Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa, lies a captivating site above the city called The Nest. It is, without a shadow of doubt, a perfect venue to eat and unwind. The Nest’s unique features include a remarkable experience of dining in the sky. The sumptuous meals they offer exhibit uniquely appetizing presentations and served at guests’ convenience. The meals I have tried so far were distinctly delicious; so heavenly that I think it indeed complemented the beauty of the place. And hey! Just scanning through the food photos as I complete this blog makes me hungry! 😀
On that fine Sunday afternoon, I was fortunate to meet the owners too. Thanks to Aldous again for the invite to this blogging event.
My heavenly lunch
Starting off with my Thai drink, here’s my lemongrass iced tea. It’s instantly refreshing! Makes me more than ready for my meal. 😉
…and of course, the starters — Salads! I love salads in all forms. In fact, I haven’t really tried a single salad that I didn’t actually finish to the last bit. On this very fine afternoon, I had special kinds of those and they’re perfect.
The mango salad is an exciting mix of everything! There are greens and meat and seafood and bread and cheese, complemented with the sweetness of ripe mangoes and Strawberry Vinaigrette. And by the way, yes, that’s bacon! 😉 Here take a closer look:
I’ve got one more! And it’s a Thai salad topped with dried and thinly flaked catfish. I didn’t know catfish would taste good this way. It didn’t taste like the usual fish taste, which was good. It was an enjoyable experience to be munching those crunchy bits with Thai noodles and mangoes. I didn’t really notice the mangoes until I tasted them. It was sliced like noodles and mixed all together. Plus, it’s spicy and I love it!
Moving on to my appetizers, I got beef and chicken! Thank goodness for buffalo wings. They’re so yummy, I can eat them like nuts. But I did remind myself that there’s a lot more following so I behaved. 😉
How about some Beef Salpicao partnered with Mashed Potatoes? Perfect combi, eh? It’s actually as tasty as it looks plus a little spicy (just a little). You won’t get disappointed, I promise. It’s one to try. Considering that it’s part of the appetizers, not bad at all. I really appreciate how they sliced the garlic. I think it contributed a lot to the taste. Garlic is my favorite ingredient. It works magic! I love how the garlic is all over the plate. Just by looking at it, I know it’s oozing with flavors. And as expected, of course it is! The beef is tender enough and the mashed potatoes are a little bit chunky which was actually fun to munch on.
For the main course, I had a few spoonfuls of this delicious pork dish (well, at least in the beginning ‘coz I ended up eating more). It was an irresistible and wickedly delicious pork dish. It’s called Crispy Binagoongan because of how the pork was cooked. These are big chops of crispy pork, cooked like the famous Crispy Pata or Lechong Kawali, and topped over a flavorful Bagoong (or Shrimp Paste). The bagoong was good, not too salty, not too sweet. It’s very Pinoy — perfect with rice! On the side were sliced green mangoes, okra and tomatoes. Five stars for this dish! It’s something that Filipinos can be proud of. I even ordered it again when I dined at The Nest again.
Along with the Pork Binagoongan, I’m also having this chicken dish at the same time. And by this time, I was 75% full already. But again, the chicken was not something to miss. I tagged it as a fave too. And same with the Pork Binagoongan, I ordered this same dish again on my next visit. I was sure that my parents would love it so I had them tried it. They said it was good and they wanted more. Haha! The chicken was tender and tasty. And the garlic was once again sliced the way I wanted to. The sauce right there was the tasty barbecue sauce that’s so addictive not just with the chicken but with the rice too. It’s really yummy that I finished so fast. 😀
Hold on, there’s a steak coming! I bet it’s something that even kings wouldn’t say no to. This was one dish that made me forget that my stomach space is almost on the red level. The beef was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy. My goodness! I was able to refill my plate like three times. Haha! Not to mention the mashed potato that I was eating again after the first mashed potato served earlier the beef appetizer. That was a lot, can you imagine?
…but wait, there’s still pastaaaa. It tasted light, thank goodness! I love that it’s served with those pepper slices. Something new to me for a Vongole. I squeezed the lemon, which added to the taste. Remember, spicy plus sour taste is always the best pair.
The sweets are ready
Let’s start with what I enjoyed best. Molten Lave Cake!!! I love chocolate cakes only if the chocolate isn’t too sweet. I prefer dark chocolates than milk chocolates. I enjoyed the bittersweet taste in this dark brown delight. I liked it because: One, the bitter taste is present in the filling, balanced with the expected chocolate-y taste; and two, because it’s not too sweet like the typical chocolate cakes. It’s what I perfectly needed.
If you’ll look at this brazo dessert below, you might think you know it much because we Filipinos are very familiar with this dessert. But you have to try it at The Nest, where you get to taste the famous Brazo de Mercedes with vanilla ice cream instead of the usual custard filling for a change. Have it for dessert and you’ll feel good after.
Interesting round stuff, you see? I know, right! It made me curious too so I didn’t want to miss to try it. It was good and satisfying!
Mango Creme Brulee
…and tea or coffee to beautifully end the meal.
So there, hope your eyes were fed with good sights through this review. It was an amazing experience to get to try all these in one sitting. I love how everything was prepared and perfectly cooked, not to mention that I noticed how fresh the ingredients were especially in salads. It was apparently carefully selected. Thumbs up for that!
Here’s our group shot! Find me… :p
My recommendation? Big check! It’s a place where you can have great breakfast, lunch or dinner with friends and family in the South of Manila. It’s fun to try visiting The Nest in the evening too, when music can instantly change the mood of the place and when the city lights are shining bright on the skyline. Prizes of the dishes range from around Php300 to Php1,000+.
Making a reservation today? Here are the contact details:
The Nest is located at Level 31 Vivire Hotel & Resorts, 5102, Bridgeway Avenue, Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa.
You may visit their website at www.vivirehotel.com.ph and LIKE their Facebook page, thenestalabang.
“Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale.” -Elsa Schiaparelli
Trips & Spices by Elaine Garcia 
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