Gulliver's Of San Francisco

Another of the restaurants I frequently eat in, it’s time I reviewed perhaps the best steak house in the Philippines.

CONCEPT

What Gulliver’s is best known for their signature, slow-roasted prime rib steaks combined with an Old World feel. With its origins in San Francisco, the franchise was brought here in only 2 branches. One in Makati’s Great Eastern Hotel. The other in Quezon City’s 1403 Quezon Avenue.

ENVIRONMENT

Located at Makati’s Great Eastern Hotel, Gulliver’s is accessible by taking two elevators (G/F to 4/F, then 4/F to 10/F). Upon reaching the entrance, the light is a warm, welcoming yellow. You are greeted by the restaurant’s large door, with the name carved on wood and painted in gold. Adjacent to it is another smaller engraving of Lemuel Gulliver, posing proudly, as if he were so confident of his culinary concoction.

When inside, Gulliver’s resembles an 18th century English roadside inn/pub with its dim lighting, austere white-and-brown painted walls, intricately designed floor rug and chairs, simple table cloths, pewter tableware, carefully arranged cutlery, and prevalence of wood furniture across the establishment.

There’s even a piano where a hired musician plays tunes whenever customers are around.

There are small plant vases on the tables for some added color, but truthfully they could do with or without them.

To the left of the entrance is the bar and on the far right is the kitchen, where all the Gulliver goodness is created. Pictures of the man in his travels and Jonathan Swift’s sayings are decorated on some of the walls.

It’s a good thing that glass panels surround the restaurant for extra natural lighting during the day and added ambiance during the night. A plus for customers is a breath-taking view of Makati City.

In terms of vibe, Gulliver’s has gotten this down to a tee.

SERVICE & CLEANLINESS

Despite being heavily carpeted, the management and staff are most capable of consistently keeping the place clean. My family and I have eaten here a few times over the years and we’ve had no problem with tidiness.

The service is also very dependable AND fast, depending on what you order. You are greeted by the friendly staff upon entry. They immediately bring in the complimentary bread once you’re seated. If you order their Gulliver steak, it is brought to you in less than 5 minutes! Wow! Anything other than the bread and steak will be delivered in more than 5 minutes, but less than 10. It seems the staff were trained very well. Kudos!

FOOD

The Shrimp Cocktail is great. Salads are fresh. Even their lamb curry is surprisingly accurate. But Gulliver’s main attraction is their Roast Prime Ribs of Beef. These aren’t your ordinary prime ribs. Each one is hand-selected and slow roasted in a unique patented oven system to assure flavorful, tender and juicy prime rib dinners. Each order comes with a serving of Yorkshire pudding, spinach souffle, baked potato, and creamed corn. Even with the size and price variation for the cut (petite at Php 880, end cuts at Php 980, Gulliver’s cut at Php 1,100, and a full bone cut at Php 1,100), you’re getting a 5-meal course in 1! Sobrang sulit!

I always get the Gulliver cut (250 grams) because I am one hungry fellow. When I was there recently, I didn’t even touch the complimentary bread as I was craving for just the steak (it had been a year since I visited). As I mentioned, my order got there in less than 5 minutes. I immediately devoured it.
The Gulliver's cut. 250 grams of meaty goodness!
Hindi ako gutom. Pramis! :P

What I like about Gulliver’s prime ribs is that it is very no-nonsense and delicious in its simplicity. It is slow-roasted as is. When the beef’s juices rise, the only additional seasoning placed on it is salt and pepper. Upon serving, the prime rib is then bathed in its own dripped juices. So what you’re tasting the pure flavor of the meat due to its slow roasting. Gulliver’s steaks are perhaps the juiciest and most flavorful you’ll ever have.

OVERALL

Since being taken here by my Dad, Gulliver’s is the only place I always come back to for perfect steaks. The Makati branch is closing end of May because the hotel was bought out. So before the Quezon City branch becomes the only place for the best steaks, visit their location at the Great Eastern Hotel.

Gulliver's Cut P1600.00
Tiramisu Cake Slice P145.00

ICONICS REVIEW (1-5 Scale):
Menu Selection 🍳🍳🍳
Food Flavor 👅👅👅
Price Level 💰💰💰
Customer Service 🎩🎩
Spatial Environment 📷📷
Overall Score ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Special Remarks: Located at the 10th floor. Aberdeen Court houses one of the Metro's finest steak places. Skip the other entrees and order their Full Bone Cut, Petite Cut or Gulliver's Cut and have it splitted into two orders. Just add P100.00 top-up and you can have two sets of premium steak together with their side special side dishes like Yorkshire Pudding, Creamed Corn, Baked Potato and Spinach. Please do ask for extra Oh Jous sauce which I add with a touch of Horseradish for that special kick 👅👌🏻

We had , French Onion Soup. One order is good for sharing, they can split it upon request. Best soup to try whenever you visit this place.

Roast Prime Ribs of Beef, End Cut ♥️served with Yorkshire pudding, spinach soufflé, baked potato and creamed corn

Prawns Thermidore, 5 pieces of mouth watering prawns in special sauce, with steamed veggies and mashed potato on the side

Verdict: i love everything we had. Their steak is simply the best and Price is reasonable. I enjoyed the Prawns Thermidore. Before , we order separate Roast Prime Ribs.. and its one big meal! So surf and turf is a great idea. This place is under rated, since its located in an old place (Aberdeen Court). But definitely one of my favorite place. It has great food and service⭐️