This place is legit, my friends…read more
Engine 46 is a steakhouse that doesn't draw attention to itself. Maybe it's the way they've shaped the menu, or the locations they've chosen for this branch and one other in Loyola Heights. The food comes across as unassuming, if you pick from the inexpensive steaks, go for the pizza, or stick to typical fast food wings and fries everyone has these days.
I've sampled a tomato soup (a steal at P60) and a tomato seafood pasta (sorry, not sure if it was Tutto Mare or Scampi), and they're not bad. Then I had a P200 US blade steak, cut thinly, like a minute or breakfast steak - for the price, a decent cut, good quality US meat, good seasoning.
Same size cuts applied to my friend's local T-Bone steak, maybe half a centimeter thick, or a wee bit less, and my other friend's Delmonico steak. No complaints; you just feel that, per se, without extra sidings, the rice, buttered green beans, and gravy that come with the steak at no extra charge sort of lack the substance you'd expect.
What you must order is their Certified US Angus Rib-eye steak, which, curiously, is not well advertised.
They sell this by weight, Tender Bob's or Meat Plus or Meat Depot style, and they cook it for you for P150. Expect to get pieces costing P350-400 upwards; let your appetite guide you, and you can share. They let you pick.
You see, folks, I'm just wondering why the world doesn't know they've got a really good cook who grilled my hefty, almost 12oz steak (P617, about 330g, plus the cooking fee), the way the boys would like it - seared at the right temperature, letting no juices escape.
It was done medium, as I requested, which brought out the flavor of the meat (and which is why I hate rare steak). It was tender, with the right amount of caramelization, and a maddeningly thin, crispy trimming of fat on the side.
Best of all, it was salted and peppered properly before cooking, and served on the plate with perfect crisscross grill marks. No need for gravy. No need for anything.
I almost didn't want to write this review, it was so good. I almost wanted to keep it a secret.
I didn't give a full five stars. When you visit, you'll know. It's not an upscale location. In the evening, it's next to an uncomfortable string of loud bars that isn't my thing - or some people's thing.
If we were to talk strictly about the food, I'd say it's because they have such good steak, but it doesn't drive them (yet) to upsell their side dishes, or spruce them up to make them really special. So they have a cooking fee of P150, why not offer two or three lovely sides at a combo price of their own choosing? Instead, I see them push the usual rack o' ribs and mash, which I assume is doing well. But that is pork - not Certified US Angus beef.
As for the local steaks, maybe adding eggs, or giving the steaks an all-day breakfast appeal would help - at mas makakabusog siguro siya.
I hope you have the same experience I do, if you go. And I pray they keep their prices as is. Fingers crossed.