Sampling Bonifacio Global City’s foodie haven

Time to have a quick slip from the provinces to tread the concrete jungles of Metro Manila as Ang Langyaw checks what’s on in Bonifacio Global City’s food alley.

By the way, I’m no food photographer but I would like to hear your comments about my photos.

The Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City’s hip must go to place is becoming a haven as lots of restaurants and food bars are opening up. The food strip at Serendra, Bonifacio High Street and, simply, The Strip, has myriads of offerings that will delight the jaded foodie. Thanx to Ivan Man Dy who invited me and some bloggers to his food tour, Passionfest, below are just a few restos we sampled.

Cupcakes by Sonja
If you’re craving for those cupcakes, Sonja’s is the place to be. Those luscious and decadent creations surely has made a mark in Metro Manila’s dessert scene.

For this trip, I only got to try the Choco Cream Pie since I came rather late and the tour participants were fast gorging on the other items on offer. Rich Belgian chocolate cream in Oreo crust that is then topped with a mouthful of whipped cream drizzled with Oreo bits. Delicious but I can’t help think, I’ll just run to burn the calories!

I always have a weakness for pasta and trying out Pasto’s dishes was, for me, the best in the entire food trip. If I had my way, I would’ve wanted to just have stayed and gorged on the pizza and pasta that was put on our table.

The Pasta Genovese was the best! Capellini pasta in a rich and creamy tomato sauce garnished with shrimp, cashews and basil. While I’m not so fond of the nuts, it was the taste that I really liked. Well balanced, delicate and easy on the palate. One of those dishes that you just want to have everytime you visit the place. It also reminds me of Italianni’s angel hair pasta which is also good.

I’m also a sucker for pesto and when their Pizza Blanca was served, I was salivating. Thin crispy crust with slivers of shrimp, mussels and clams with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese, white sauce and drizzled with pesto was just unforgettable.

There was also another meat pizza dish which was also good and crostini with a salsa dip served but the two mentioned above were what I really liked. The Italian style restaurant is found at The Strip, a few meters from Bonifacio High Street.

The Establishment
Its interiors are really swanky and dark but never fails to impress. More of a night spot where one can unwind at the end of the day with friends or with a date than a regular resto, it’s Japanese inspired creations that we sampled were good.

While there was nothing really spectacular about the Chicken Katsu with lemon chili sauce, two stood out for me: Cream Dory Katsu with Honey Wasabi and Tonkatsu Sauce with its subtle hint of wasabi and Tuna Belly Tataki with 9 spice aoili with the salmon roe exploding inside my mouth was something to remember.

Zao
This resto’s muted interior is contemporary chic that doesn’t give any hint of what type of cuisine it’s offering. The massive stone finished pillar at the center, stone finished counter, red wall, and wide glass windows give it an elegant air. It’s name, however, and the beautiful rattan chairs do give one an idea: Asian. And this is what this place offers.

Zao is a Vietnamese Bistro. It has the usual: glass noodles either in fresh or fried spring rolls, pho and a host of other Vietnamese dishes. While the ones we tried were rather limited, I particularly liked their Zao Satay Platter which has pork, beef, chicken and shrimp. I just loved its taste and well marinated but bitin as it was just a taste of what they have.

As for the pho? It’s something that is agreeable with my palate. Not too strong, the soup is good and I want to have more of it the next time  I will visit the place.

TGIF
Thank God It’s Friday! Well, Fridays is one of the more popular American restobars in the country known for their huge servings, first to offer bottomless iced tea drinks, started the birthday singing trend and typical American fare. We were offered their Triple Chicken Platter consisting of quesadillas, buffalo wings and jack chicken strips. The branch here is said to be the largest in terms of sales.

Yoh-Gurt Froz
Frozen yogurt or froyo is becoming the next food treat fad taking the metro with several different brands, both local and foreign opening up their respective branches. One is Yoh-Gurt Froz which is located at the Hobbes and Landes shop in Bonifacio High Street.

We tried their classic froyo, natural yogurt with real fresh fruit bits as toppings. This cold dessert is 98% free, low calorie, has no cholesterol and with pre and probiotics to aid in digestion. What I do like about this is that its not too sweet with the familiar tangy taste that I’ve always liked with yogurt. A no guilt alternative to ice cream.

The model-actress Angel Aquino was also there eating froyo.