Yats Magnum Room Wine Bar Clark Philippines

Mimosa Leisure Estate, I was told, was once a mini Las Vegas in the making until the government turned it into ruins. The estate is now managed by the government, surprised? I was told the place went into a tail-spin and lost just about all its luster. But having visited the Yats Restaurant and especially its Magnum Wine Bar, I think new life is born again.

The Magnum room is small and cozy. It is tastefully appointed with comfortable sofas, soft lighting, a fusion of Asian and European, modern but tropical. It looks like it can fit about 6 groups totalling about 20 people comfortably. I was a party of 5 and there were another two groups of 4 and 6. We had enough privacy and felt quite comfortable.

What helped was the fantastic selection of beverages and smokes. Let's start with the drinks. I was satisfied when I got my Armagnac, first a couple of VSOPs and then the XOs. Fred made a B-line for the Port, starting with something like 4 glasses (small pours) of a 92 Colheita Port. That smirk on his ugly face told me exactly how great the stuff was, and he should know. He is a bloody Port maniac - a.k.a. connoisseur. Then he went to a 1977 Vintage Port, not a glass or two but a whole bottle. He didn't finish it of course. He told me he could bring it home, wack it into a fridge and it would stay fresh for 2 weeks. I wondered if any Port wine can last more than 2 or 3 days in Fred's residence.

then onto the smokes. Cuban and more Cuban sticks, who can say no? I splurged and lit up a Trinidad. Al, not a real drinker but smokes like a chimney, enjoyed two sticks that evening with his half-bottle of Champagne - sorry, forgot the name of the fizz. One was a R&J #2 in a tube and the other one was a Cohiba Siglo V.

Magnum Wine Bar doesn't serve food but you can order cheese and maybe a bit of hors d'oeuvres. We did both. Fred wanted English Blue Stilton with his thick sweet stuff while Al wanted a pizza-looking thing that they call Piadina to help him finish his champagne.

Everything about this wine bar and the Yats Restaurant for that matter is classy. But class is not something I seek out in my travel. What I like most about the Magnum Room is its ambience, relaxing, pampering and in a way, quite understated. The service was excellent but you'd expect that from a joint like this one. Price is acceptable, lower than hotels but higher than the girlie joints in Angeles but that's apples and oranges already.

This is a place worth spending an evening, even if you are travelling alone on business. They really take good care of you at the Magnum Room.