Celsius Cuisine opened in September 2009, right before Typhoon Ondoy hit the country, but the team behind it has been blessed, seeing the place become a favored spot for media executives and celebrities, their Tomas Morato location being a most convenient dining and events spot for the country’s two giant television networks. Downstairs, you get the elegant, quiet sit-down dinner ambience for a maximum of 45 guests.
Upstairs is a stylish bar with TV and the works, where you can enjoy after dinner drinks and good conversation. There, you can seat as many as 50. Book the whole place and you can fit 150, including the open balcony on the second floor. The open kitchen, which seems to be a common trend among many-a modern restaurant, allows guests to see how the chefs prepare the food. They have nothing to hide.
The prices are surprisingly reasonable, given the talent in the kitchen and the quality of the items on the menu. You can mix and match dishes, depending on your appetite and budget. Note that most of their dishes can be for sharing. A quick glance at the menu reveals a different categorizing of dishes: “Small” (P329/dish), which can be filling for small appetites; “Hot Soups” (P189/dish); “Main Course” (P435/ dish); and “Desserts” (P199/dish). Sean clarifies, “We want people to choose food that they want to eat, we don’t want them to choose based on what they’re going to have to spend. There’s a psychology behind menu pricing. You can price things a certain way and position them on the menu in a certain manner to push what you want to move fast. We eliminated that because we want you to read the menu and order based on what you want and not based on your budget. We want the dishes to compete with one another on a fair playing field.”
