Its flyer looks more than succulent. It poses a challenge.
Yes, the Bistro Set at Hues, the cozy restaurant and bar at Park Inn at the back of SM City Clark, dares anyone (or groups for that matter) to consume a kingly multi-dish dinner.
“Can you finish everything up?” the flyer at the hotel’s front desk asks.
We accepted the challenge as one staff said it would be good for about four to six persons (depending on their appetite and how they gobble up, as I always say). There were five of us one night to try and satisfy our palletes in this new hotel by Radisson Clark (inside the Freeport in Pampanga).
On a few minutes’ notice, a farmer’s salad was readily made available on our table. It was made of fresh greens, slices of peppers and carrots with a sweet and tangy vinaigrette.
Mushroom soup came out first, along with special looking French fries. It was a thick, smooth and creamy soup that brings out the richness of its mushroom flavor.
The soup was immediately followed by the Chili Fries, as they are called, served in a bowl brimmed in spicy chili con carne with a sweet-salty kick. Something Mexican. Something southern. Something extra-ordinary.
Next was a preview of what was to come. Appetizers, you may still call them. But the Burger Sliders were more than just Bite-sized burgers packed with generous amounts of juicy, grilled beef patties. To the light-bodied muncher, these may well serve as the main event.
Comes next is pasta in rich carbonara sauce that is more than creamy. It was actually an alternative for rice for our belly-conscious group.
But wait, there are still entrees. Not one, but two.
Ahhh, first is the baby back ribs rubbed with special spices and seasoning, roasted for six hours to achieve fall-off-the-bone perfection. Did I say baby? That’s because they are very tender. But they are more than just that. The ribs looked like a slab of grilled delicious meat that is more than just being “baby” in size.
There was a big plate of fried chicken too, made up of legs, breast and thighs. Had we ordered earlier, we could have been served a roasted Chicken brined and seasoned with different Italian herbs, stuffed with special flavors for a distinctive taste.
Super Size, the flyer aptly states as it offers more than the ordinary set meals found elsewhere. Man, the whole thing was good for 10 persons. It was capped by tropical fruits and a round of iced tea.
The price? Unbelievably low at P2,499 net, compared to what you might have to pay at other restaurants. I wish you luck if a group of 6 to 10 wishes to have their tummies filled.
Add to its being super are the courteous staff which makes the Bistro Set and Hues more than really supersized.
Did we finish the food and come up well to the challenge? Nope, we had the leftovers in doggie bags.