#benchcafeph

The popular Philippine retail store Bench partnered with FooDee Global Concepts, which manages and operates some of the best restaurants in the city including Tim Ho Wan, Mesa, Pound by Todd English, Kam’s Roast, and more, to create Bench Cafe which has been an outstanding success on its first year. The new branch carries the same stylish and casual ambiance that the brand is known for.

Bench Cafe Executive Chef Carlo Miguel has created a menu which uses local Filipino flavors and ingredients but gives it a new modern look. He calls it a fusion of Filipino with Filipino, using traditions from all over the islands to create a distinct but truly Filipino taste. The prices are all affordable, ranging from around P200 to P300 which caters well to their target market. 

Some of the new items that we sampled that evening included the Sisig Pancit, a combination of two Filipino favorites which is good for a light merienda and even for lunch or dinner.

Another unique Filipino combination is the colorful Longganisa Pancit which also brings two familiar Filipino items together in one dish. It’s a simple creation but the sweet and salty flavors of the longganisa really balances well with the pancit.

Another Filipino favorite is the Pork BBQ Skewers which are 24-sous vide bbq pork belly served with atsara and Bench salsa. These are items you might find sold on the streets, but I would definitely prefer eating these delicious barbecues inside Bench Cafe.

Adding to the selection of rice dishes at Bench Cafe is the Pinakbet Rice. This is another good option to go along with their Bagoong Rice, Talangka Rice, or Dilis Rice.

The Sinigang sa Santol is a warm and hearty bowl of my favorite sinigang which is what I simply call Filipino comfort food. This is a great dish that truly reminds me of home and is always a welcome treat anywhere I dine.

Bench Cafe specializes in its Bench/To (Bento) set meals, which is an upgraded turo-turo set. We have probably all eaten at food courts or cafeterias that offer viands with rice and a side dish. Bench makes it more stylish as they now offer eleven different Bench/To sets that all come with at least two viands, vegetables, and rice presented in a cute tray. This is the Bench/To Set 1 with Liempo Inasal and Gising-Gising together with langka, atsata, Bench salsa, condiments, and steamed Ifugao rice.

Another option is the Bangus ala Pobre Bench/To Set with a very tasty bangus belly topped with loads of garlic.

If you are really hungry, go for the Bench/To Set 9 comes with Kaldereta plus Liempo Inasal and pinakbet. That should really satisfy even those with the biggest appetites.

The Chicken and Pork Adobo is also an option if you want to savor this classic Filipino dish. All the dishes at Bench Cafe are very familiar to Filipinos but with a modern and stylish interpretation.

For desserts, the Flan B is always a good choice with its sweet and delicious leche flan topped with macapuno. 

One new dessert that was presented is the Turon with Ube Ice Cream which combines the popular street food with a refreshing scoop of ice cream.

If you really like ube, then you will also enjoy the Ube Leche Flan Cake. Another choice is the Caramel Bukayo Cake. These sweet slices are a lovely way to complete your Bench Cafe dining experience.

There is also the Bibingka Cheesecake which is a Filipino-style cheesecake topped with a salty egg yolk, or go for the Dark Tablea Cake for that rich and dark chocolate taste.

Congratulations to Bench Cafe for the successful opening of your second branch. They have plans to expand to more locations in 2019, including in Pasay City and possibly in SM North EDSA, so that is something I am looking forward to. Thank you to Chef Carlo Miguel for hosting our private dinner party and letting us sample your new dishes in advance.

Bench Cafe

2/F Greenbelt 3, Esperanza St. corner Makati Ave, Ayala Center, Makati

The Bench flagship store is a three-level building housing all the Bench product lines in one location. Aside from the fashion retail outlet, this area also includes Bench Design Studio, Bench Barbershop, and Bench Fix Salon. After all that shopping and pampering, customers won’t have to leave the building at all as they can now enjoy a chic and fashionable dining experience at Bench Cafe.

The cafe is open from 11:00am to 10:00pm on weekdays and up to 11:00pm on weekends. Just head up the stairs by the entrance to reach the second floor where the cafe and bar is located.

Bench Cafe delivers a charming and homey ambiance, with playful colors and bright lighting that makes every corner Instagram worthy. This is important to today’s generation where dining is not just about food but a total sensory experience that should be worth sharing.

Leather couches and a spacious layout provide a casual and relaxing space to rest and catch up with friends after a long day spent shopping. The bar is also a welcome sight for thirsty guests with specialty drinks and cocktails curated by Chef Kalel Demetrio.

I wanted to try their unique Filipino beverages so I asked for the Otap Sesame Tsoknut (P160). This is their version of a Vanilla milkshake infused with otap cookies, black sesame and tsoknut, a classic local chocolate blended with peanuts. It was quite a sweet combination and it had that unique taste that will remind you of your childhood. 

Another popular refreshment is the Sago't Gulaman (P60) and Bench Cafe probably has one of the best versions I have ever tasted. Their sago’t gulaman comes with generous amounts of tapioca and jelly but it is the infused pandan flavor that really caught my attention. I highly recommend you try this one.

The cafe also offers several interesting Filipino cocktails like the Pinay Colada, a local version of the Piña Colada. Guests should be happy to know that they can enjoy their cocktails the entire day at Bench Cafe and there’s no need to wait for happy hour.

Bench Cafe Executive Chef Carlo Miguel has created a menu which uses local flavors and ingredients but gives it a new modern look. He calls it a fusion of Filipino with Filipino using traditions from all over the islands to create a distinct but truly Filipino taste. The prices are all affordable, ranging from around 200 to 300 pesos which caters well to their target market. 

Salad lovers can start with the Shrimp Suha Salad (P239) for their appetizers. This has a combination of prawns, pomelo, and coriander which is doused with a calamansi dressing. That’s a healthy and colorful way to start a meal.

On the other hand, the Binagoongan Caesar with Dilis (P149) is a Filipino version of the Caesar Salad. This one has Romaine lettuce topped with bacon and croutons plus a dressing made from creamy bagoong and queso de bola instead of the usual anchovy and parmesan.

Another interesting salad would be the Pinoy Caprese (P149) made with compressed watermelon, kesong puti, and basil with cane vinegar gastrique. All ingredients at Bench Cafe are sourced locally from farmers and suppliers to support the local food industry.

I’m not really that much into salads, so I was more interested in their All Day Merienda items such as the Tinapa Cones (P129). These crispy lumpia cones are filled with tinapa mousse and salsa on top. All these Filipino flavors are given a modern twist at Bench Cafe, just like old friends given a fashionable makeover.

The simple Arrozcaldo (P199) is also deconstructed and presented in a contemporary way here at Bench Cafe. You can mix the items together if you wish or just eat them one by one for a different experience.

Sisig is always an indulgent Filipino favorite so they also have the Sisig Skillet (P189). These cuts of crispy pork mask and belly are topped with a 62 degree egg plus a unique calamansi foam. Instead of just the usual calamansi slices, Chef Carlo uses the art of molecular gastronomy to create this light foam that you can mix in with the sisig. It has the same calamansi flavor, but it’s definitely more fun to play with.

You can also opt for the Sisig Lettuce Cup (P239) if you are feeling a little guilty about eating too much sisig. The sizzling plate of sisig is served with lettuce cups, chicharon, and pig’s brain aioli. Simply grab a piece of lettuce, put some sisig inside and top it off with chicharon and the “utak” aioli then bite away. The aioli makes it even more flavorful and sinful, but the lettuce makes it all healthy, right?

Bench Cafe also offers all-day silog breakfast meals that come with garlic rice, crispy egg, roasted tomato and atsara. You can have a Spam, Tapa, or Tocino silog, but if you are really hungry, just go for the Bongalmusal Silog (P319) and have everything on it! This “bongga” breakfast silog comes with spam, corned beef, daing na bangus, tocino, and US Beef tapa that can beat any Big Breakfast meal.

The highlight at Bench Cafe would have to be their Bench/To (Bento) set meals, or what they call glamorized turo-turo. We have probably all eaten at food courts or cafeterias that offer viands with rice and a side dish. Bench makes it more stylish as they offer ten different Bench/To sets that all come with at least two viands, vegetables, and rice presented in a cute tray. The Bench/To Set 4 (P319) has Chicken Pork Adobo and tortang talong plus bench salsa and atsara with Ifugao rice.

Diners can opt to upgrade the rice on their Bench/To set to a Dilis Rice (+P20). Other choices include Garlic Rice (+P10), Bagoong Rice (+P20) and Talangka Rice (+P40).

You can also upgrade it to include a bowl of soup like the Tinola, a classic ginger broth with chicken, green papaya and malunggay. They also offer a Molo Soup and a Monggo Soup.

If you like Kare-Kare, order the Bench/To Set 6 (P389) with its beef kare-kare and bagoong, tortang talong, plus bench salsa and atsara with Ifugao rice.

The Bench/To Set 9 (P429) is a meatier alternative that comes with both beef kaldereta and inasal liempo. This was one of the more popular sets that evening with the liempo getting rave reviews. I will have to try this for myself the next time I visit. It also comes with pinakbet plus bench salsa and atsara with rice.

My order was the Bench/To Set 10 (P439) with its meat and seafood combination. The U.S. Angus Short Ribs Bistek was full of flavors that should really be eaten with rice. It also comes with inihaw na pusit and gising gising that had a really strong kick. I chose to upgrade to a dilis rice but I think garlic rice or plain rice would have been better for this set. 

Save room for desserts because the Tsoknut Ice Cream Sandwich (P150) is quite a treat with its toasted Ensaymada filled with Tsoknut Ice Cream. Another yummy option if you don’t like “Plan A” would be Flan B (P185), a sweet and delicious leche flan with macapuno. Bench Cafe also specializes in halo halo and they will soon have a halo halo bar on the ground floor serving desserts and beverages.

Bench Cafe is a very appetizing addition to the Bench family and they will soon be opening more cafes inside their other stores, as well as standalone Bench Cafes throughout the city. Millennials and shopaholics will definitely enjoy dining at Bench Cafe not just for the comforting Filipino cuisine, but also for the beautiful pictures they can add to their social media pages. Congratulations to Bench and to FooDee Global Concepts for a successful partnership!

Bench Cafe

2/F Bench Boutique Flagship Store, Bonifacio High Street, 9th St. corner Lane O, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig