Celsius: Raising the culinary heat

MANILA, Philippines - The food is familiar, yet it becomes a delightful surprise. The place is warm, albeit covered in walls of gray and looking almost like an industrial space. At Celsius, everything will simply surprise you, but in a very good way.

Chef Manoj de Silva orchestrates the culinary repertoire in the Celsius kitchen every day. He may have several rules, but one stands out: Food must be served hot, or else…

Warmth does prevail everywhere here. Upstairs, there is a bar/lounge where the couch chairs and tables can easily be moved and rearranged. The whole point is for everyone to be comfy, to feel good and be happy. Celsius even has its own signature cocktails to make guests feel right at home. What’s more, the bar space can be closed for private, intimate parties.

The lounge menu is a mix of both familiar and new. The oysters, for one, are served two ways — one’s got a hint of spice and the other, a bit of a kick. Oysters motoyaki are not your typical baked oysters. They’re covered in creamy homemade spicy aoli and cheese before they’re baked to perfection. For a refreshing start, there are shot glasses of fresh oyster shooters — very fresh oysters doused in tequila-cocktail sauce, cilantro oil, and calamansi granita. All it takes is one shot and you’ll be clamoring for more.

There’s plenty to try at Celsius’ bar — the sisig, satay sticks, roti canai, Celsius’ honey ginger-garlic wings, chicken lettuce wrap, nachos libre, surf ’n’ turf lumpia, longanisa stuffed grilled squid with salted eggs and the hoppers, sautéed frog legs with all kinds of Asian spices.

From the bar, let’s go to the resto menu. For starters, there’s the comforting New England clam chowder with soda crackers. The clams have been cooked tenderly and, as chef’s Manoj’s restaurant partner Kerwin Chan assures me, the chowder is never made with any canned stock. After all, at Celsius, it’s always about keeping everything fresh. Also a must-try is Celsius’ simmered leg of kambing goulash that’s served with Asian croutons and some Asian pesto.

For the main course, one may prefer the grilled bistro steak, tender and served with some mushrooms, kamote fries, and sautéed asparagus. Or the chorizo and spinach- stuffed chicken — moist chicken breast that’s been stuffed with a creamy mixture of chorizo de bilbao, cream cheese and spinach, and served with some wild mushroom cream sauce, cassoulet of vegetables and grilled red pepper coulis. Or the braised beef rib-eye fingers; Celsius pork duo; corn and cheese agnolotti; Celsius kofta; jerk rubbed pork; seafood pasta puttanesca; bacon-wrapped boneless chicken leg; Asian-style pesto prawns and scallops; tandoori-spiced lemon sole; and tapenade-crusted maya-maya filet. And on the side, order Celsius’ famous chorizo fried rice or potatoes.

To cool down the sizzling temperature, try the frozen star anise soufflé — a creamy, dreamy dessert served with banana fritters and vanilla sauce. Or the chocolate banana bread and butter pudding, topped with a scoop of Celsius’ very own butterscotch-Tanduay ice cream. And if that’s not sweet enough, treat yourself to Miko’s chocolate mousse cake or the caramelized lemon tart.