COCONUTS HOT SPOT—At the center of Bonifacio Global City is a two-storey strip mall, called Forum South Global, which houses several food and beverage establishments ranging from bars and cafés to a Negrense joint and a Korean restaurant.
Most of them are small affairs, set up by first-time restaurateurs, except for the McDonald’s on the corner of 7th Avenue. Ironically it’s the only way to locate this mall, as the signage for Federation Street has yet to be installed.
During a recent visit, we tried Tipple & Slaw, a bar that comes alive in the evenings, much like most of the establishments here.
For “Tipple” the young owners (there’s 13 of them ranging from 27 to 38 years old) offer two craft beers from the US, Corona Extra, and San Miguel Beer favorites. “Slaw” refers to coleslaw, which they use as to garnish their sandwiches. You see, Tipple & Slaw isn’t just a drinks bar, it’s also a sandwich bar.
The restaurant has “handheld” and open sandwiches. We tried the very tasty chicken ratatouille (PHP280), a generous serving of jerk chicken, grilled vegetable slaw and lime mayo on ciabatta bread. All the sauces here are made in-house, from ketchup to mayonnaise, and nothing is bought commercially.
The volcanic wings (PHP380) for appetizer was a winner, four deep-fried boneless buffalo wings stuffed with melted blue cheese that oozes out when pierced with a fork. It was yummy and something that appeals to young diners as it would go well with beer.
I tried five other dishes, each one with distinctive taste and flavors, except for the chicken nugget (PHP250). For me, a chicken nugget is a chicken nugget, and I can get it much cheaper in any McDonald’s outlet. It can be dropped off their menu list.
The arugula caprese salad stands out because of its buffalo mozzarella; the salad is dressed in a light balsamic vinaigrette and basil pesto. The crispy shrooms (PHP250), a dish meant for sharing, is a platter of breaded oyster, enoki and shimeji best enjoyed with their homemade hollandaise sauce.
The four-piece salmon tortados (PHP330) on fried tortillas contain raw salmon, pickled red onions, chopped herbs, cheese and sour cream. Not at all heavy on the tummy, it is light and the delicious combination of herbs and onions go so well with the small pieces of salmon crudo.
Crab cakes (PHP450) are a bit pricey but definitely worth a try: five pieces of fresh crab meat mixed with crab fat mayonnaise, sprinkled with lemon and dipped in brown butter sauce.
Truffle grilled cheese (PHP380) is recommended for a hearty brunch; it has four melted cheeses (appenzeler, raclette, gruyere, truffle cheese) on toasted bread and is served with tomato soup and honey to pour on to the bread. So good! Somehow this reminds me of a Malaysian snack made of toasted bread served with thick butter and honey.
On my next visit, I will try their burger which has gotten raves from those who have tried it!
A good meal should always end up with a sweet and happy ending, so our next stop the Marmalade Kitchen, a dainty coffee shop owned by Aileen Anastacio, editor of Yummy magazine.
The restaurant not only asks patrons to indulge in pastries but also to learn and cook. Half of the place is a classroom where classes are held on weekends. This cozy place is where one could spend hours just reading and writing articles, and taking it easy over cups and cups of coffee.
So I ordered an Americano and two of their desserts: lemon square and caramel meringue pie. The lemon pie was crumbly and dry and didn’t have the tanginess of the lemon, I will not order it again. But the caramel meringue pie was a great finale, real good although friends found it too sweet.
The Forum only comes alive at nights. There is no foot traffic and parking is limited. There is also no roof to cover your head on the sidewalks when there is a heavy downpour. The mall’s owner should think about all these considering the investment the young entrepreneurs are putting into their ventures. There are two other places, though, in the mall that I would like to try: Sarsa and Yoree. Till my next visit.
Tipple & Slaw, 2/F Forum South Global, Federacion Drive cor 7th Avenue, BGC, Taguig; www.facebook.com/tippleandslawbgc, +63 915 5684413. Mon-Thu 11am-1am, Fri & Sat 11am-3am.
Marmalade Kitchen, 2/F Forum South Global, Federacion Drive cor 7th Avenue, BGC, Taguig; www.facebook.com/marmaladekitcheincph, +63 2 6229196. Daily 10am-10pm.
Coconuts Manila paid for this meal and dined anonymously.
