House of Wagyu Stonegrill - Shangri-la Mall — Restaurant in Mandaluyong

Average food: Paid PHP5,000++ for a grade 8 wagyu steak, but it was nothing fantastic. The restaurant doesn't season the steaks before serving, so taste-wise, the meat was very bland. They provide a small dish of salt if you mention that there is no taste, but that's not how wagyu is supposed to be eaten. Meat needs to be seasoned with salt and pepper during the cooking process, and you do not dip the cooked steak into a dish of cold, thick-grained salt after it is cooked. It messes up the temperature and texture of the meat, which is unacceptable for such an expensive restaurant. Meat was juicy, but definitely not melt-in-the-mouth standards. You can easily get higher quality wagyu at any korean or japanese restaurant, at a fraction of the price this place charges. Bread served at the start was hard and tasted stale, and the butter was so frozen, you can't easily spread it on the bread. Soup was average, but obvious it was reheated soup. Vegetables that came on the side were still RAW and inedible.

Below-average staff: During the entire dining experience, I could feel the eyes of the staff just staring at me throughout, which was extremely uncomfortable. It felt like dining under surveillance. I understand that they might be looking out to clear the plates or bring the next course, but you do not stand over a table and have 2-3 waiters staring at a customer while they eat. Attentiveness should be discreet. It felt like a prison. One of the more uncomfortable experiences was with an older male waiter/manager, who appeared extremely judgmental and a bit stuck-up. Perhaps he wasn't happy that i was dressed a bit more casually, or looked young, or was dining alone? But the way he was speaking, felt like he was talking down to me, especially when he was taking meal orders. He raised his eyebrows when i said i did not intend to take any alcohol with the meal tonight. Surely, staff should have basic manners and not act in this way? Some of us might be driving. I also did not appreciate how he did not ask if i would like to put on the apron myself, and his body got uncomfortably close when he suddenly threw an apron over my head without warning, and then proceeded to tie a tight double knot. A male waiter should not be doing this to female customers without permission. I later had a nicer female staff help remove the apron.

Atmosphere: Was alright with the decor and jazz music playing in the background, but again, felt like a normal bar/pub. Nothing special.

Food poisoning: After dining at this place, I also got very bad food poisoning that lasted close to a week. I did not have any food for at least 8 hours before and after eating at this outlet, so any contaminant would definitely have come from here.

Overall, distasteful experience with this place. I had originally visited to see if it would be a suitable location for a corporate event, but the poor service and food leaves much room for improvement. Definitely do not consider this place a steakhouse by any standards, and would not be hosting any...

I really liked the food. The pan con tomato was surprisingly good — it was a lot for its price and very delicious. We ordered the rib eye for two; the steak quality was really good, and it was only grade 6! It was fun cooking it myself, but I hope they could season it with salt and pepper beforehand, since I wasn’t really sure how much to put, hehe.

Cooking was fun, but take note that the oil splatters everywhere and it can be a bit painful if you’re not careful. Still, it added to the experience.

The staff were nice, and the ambiance was very romantic with the yellow and dim lights — perfect for a date night. The price was definitely worth it for the quality of the food and the overall experience.

However, I’m not sure what was happening — one staff member would fix our table (setting down utensils and plates), then another would come and rearrange it. Whenever they serve anything, one staff arranged the setup, and then another rearranged...

With the exception of the fact that the restaurant was full of smoke as the orders started coming out, this was a really good experience. Their meat quality was of the finest - and the novelty of cooking your own steak the way you want on a smoldering stone is definitely worth the experience.

The service was impeccable. It's been a long time since I've been in a restaurant where the staff were all extremely conversant in English. Everyone was friendly and helpful, and knowledgeable in the food they serve.

The place is high-end given that their table settings are all formal. No paper napkins in this place - only cloth ones (same for the bibs). It's quite pricey, but for the food quality and experience, I'd definitely...