By Pola Esguerra del Monte, High Life staff writer

WILLIAM MAHI, Chef de Cuisine at City of Dreams' Tasting Room, and formerly Chef de Cuisine at two Michelin-starred Spondi Restaurant in Athens, laid a cigarette-sized stick of duck liver terrine on our plates. The rich, buttery foie gras melted with the dash of cinnamon and port wine sauce, the itsy bitsy slices of apples, strawberries and pears, a drizzle of honey and dollop spicy red wine jelly, everything arranged like an edible galaxy—miniature instead of infinite.

The restaurant at the chichi Crown Towers is trés chic, its hotel ambiance and tall doors almost intimidating, but the rules for dining are simple: pick any of the items from the menu to fill a five-, six-, seven-, or eight-course meal. A standard amuse-bouche is thrown in, courtesy of the chef. In proper order of consumption: goat cheese with pork flakes, foie gras lollipops wrapped in chocolate, and a spoonful of limoncello jelly to wash away the decadence. The other courses were prepared in front of the diners' eyes, thanks to a large-screen flat TV that shows a live-feed of the kitchen, stress and all.

Dinner is served. The 52-degree egg, its yolk floating on an airy cloud of potato mousse, is a heavenly alternative to soup. It's the big-ticket, liquid version of hashbrowns and omelette: light, flavorful and reminiscent of glorious mornings. There were oohs and ahhs and reassuring hmms as diners sipped through the foam. The next course of Norwegian salmon was nothing particularly spectacular, except that the fish is remarkably fresh. One might imagine the salmon was recently fished out of the ocean and then smoked to firmness. The ravioli was a thick and creamy pasta dish, a bite of authentic Italian pasta, if you may. Cylindrical dumplings were a favorite with their chewy dough, oozing with mushroom, cappuccino and truffle powder.

But the star of the night was the French lamb saddle with a lemon confit, turnip, rosemary, stuffed macaroni and pine seeds. The red wine that accompanies it -- selected by restaurant manager Damien Planchenault, who lists experience as head sommelier in various restaurants in Europe -- is divine. It's a lethal combination: a bite of tender, juicy, meat then a sip of the sharp beverage that might make you want to shake hands with Mr. Planchenault. Not impossible as he makes regular rounds, asking how the course was. Lies were not required -- the dishes were impressive.

The dessert took a bit long to arrive, the tension seen on screen was like a Big Brother feed. In cases like this, you wouldn't need to ask the waiter -- there's the chef, scolding the cooks who are laying out the bowls that would go to the other table. But then again, that might have been intentional, and the talk about something else (hard to tell when you can't hear the conversation and are relying on body language). The lull created space to accomodate the mille-feuille, topped with vanilla ice cream, caramel crisp, and salted caramel sauce.

The meal may have been over, but there was no need to raise a white flag. The well-paced, balance courses make the two-hour Tasting Room dinners unlike any other. With a 40-item menu, one will never run out of dishes to try. Best to trust the chef, s'il vous plaît, and avoid the unnecessary overstuffing and regrets.

Tasting Room is located at City of Dreams Manila, Entertainment City. Interested parties may call 800-8080 or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila.com.