COCONUTS HOT SPOT — With all the brunch options available in Manila’s F&B scene, the meal tucked between breakfast and lunch is finally getting the spotlight it deserves. And why shouldn’t it? It’s more sociable than a typical breakfast, and more relaxed than a typical dinner.
Enter Población Dining Room in Makati, which elevated this in-between meal by adding treats that will motivate you to get out of your pajamas: booze and cheese.
A little background, Población Dining Room is co-owned owned by Ros Juan (the woman behind the Commune coffee), chef Mickey Garcia (Europe-trained king of the kitchen), and Iñigo Alvero (hands-on operations manager). The three of them have been working together to make their restaurant feel like “lola’s dining room.”
Chef Mikey said that Población is a “work in progress.” He wants the food to complement what’s being served in Commune. The two spots are just right next to each other, after all.
Filipino favorites such as aligue rice and sinigang are served in Población Dining Room during regular operation hours. Every other Sunday, however, Chef Mikey gets to play around in the kitchen with special brunches called “Cheesy Like Sunday Morning”.
During the media preview, we were treated to some of Chef Mickey’s creations. His adobo on pan de sal stood out. It was a comfortingly familiar flavor that made us curious about the other dishes he whips up in the kitchen. If Chef Mickey was indeed going for lola’s cooking, then his adobo was spot on.
The carefully-assembled tanigue eggs benedict was a refreshing take on an old favorite. The fish was super fresh!
We enjoyed the Plaza’s ham on ensaimada, with raclette cheese from Karla Reyes of La Petite Fromagerie. It was sweet. It was salty. It was ridiculously satifying.
Pro tip: You can pretty much smother any dish with cheese, but we say choose wisely. We love cheese, but we had to save space to enjoy the other dishes, too. But you may go all out on this ensaimada!
Dining space during the event was made prettier by food stylists Chichi Tullao and Kay Isabedsa. What made the media preview very enjoyable was how Ros, Mikey, Iñigo, Karla, Chichi, and Kay mingled with the diners. It felt like we were having breakfast with a bunch of friends.
That’s an Americano and a flat white. We had cocktails on the next round.
The brunch had a sit-down set-up and the dishes were brought out sequentially. We were also served Caprese salad, wild mushrooms on toast, carbonara, and fruits. There were also different kinds of bread and of course, the cheese buffet on the side.
This beautiful lemon-meringue tart was a good ending to a wonderful 3-hour meal. Make sure to make time when you go have brunch in Población. And bring someone who will enjoy the meal with you. Hey, you deserve a long, leisurely, satisfying bunch, yes?
When you go, do expect to be surprised by Chef Mickey because the menu will be changed every so often. #CheesyLikeSundayMorning runs every other Sunday, with a price of PHP1,500 per head.
As of writing, reservations are still open for these dates: Feb 18, 26, Mar 12, 26. Please call them to make a reservation
Cheesy Like Sunday Morning. Every other Sun starting Feb 12. Población Dining Room. 36 Polaris St., Makati. Facebook, +639198595848. Brunch starts at 11am. PHP1,500 per head.
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