With the opening of the new Bonifacio High Street Central last year, new restaurants found a home. One of which is the first Village Tavern branch outside of the United States.
Crispy Clams (P375)
Brought by the Bistro Group to the Philippines with interiors that greet customers with a mix of old tavern yore and hunting lodge, Village Tavern has been one of the most visited restaurants in the area.
And in celebration of one year of serving salads, chicken, pork, and steaks, Village Tavern is has updated its menu recently and gave you another reason to come back for more.
Let’s start with the appetizers:
Fully Loaded Romaine Heart
This serving of salad consists mainly of romaine lettuce and generous blue cheese dressing topped with crispy bacon, red onions, and tomatoes. I think the blue cheese is responsible for the P425 price tag. 🙂
Fully Loaded Romaine Heart (P425)
Crispy Clams
The Crispy Clams is a handful of crunchy niblets of baby clams. The lazy need not worry as they come without shells, ready for consumption. Spice it up a bit with the spicy lemon dip.
Afterwhich you can cleanse your palate with some salad on the side. A serving costs P375.
Roasted Bone Marrow (P295)
Roasted Bone Marrow (Top Photo)
Hold your horses as you are greeted with a huge ‘Roasted Bone Marrow‘. Not a usual appetizer in our common restaurant table, the bone marrow lovers are in for a treat as the half opened bone marrow is ready for scooping – something not recommended to those literally ‘faint of heart‘.
But if you are a bit more cautious or just want to try it out, you could always minimize its health impact by having it with the sourdough bread and apple cider vinegar dip on the side.
Health issues aside, the roasted bone marrow (P295) gets the double thumbs up!
Other small plate offerings you could try are the Spicy Garlic Chicken Wings, and Shrimp Balls with Cilantro Lime.
Main Dishes
And for the stars of the night – the main dishes – Village Tavern offers an exotic Ox Cheek with Truffle Mash and Poached Onions, Kansas Ribs, Lapu Lapu with Pico de Gallo, Cod Fish, Lamb Rack, and the 35-ounce Tomahawk.
We were able to try the latter three and here’s how it went:
Cod Fish
Cod Fish (P525)
Lamb Rack (side view)
The Atlantic cod fish was pan-seared with Spanish chorizo and garlic, and served on a bed of salt roasted potato.
Although I think the fish meat turned out a little tough on our table, it still tasted good and complemented well with the chorizo and garlic.
Don’t forget to squeeze the lime. The serving size is good for two people and costs P525.
Lamb Rack
The Lamb Rack (P675) is the first of my two favorites of the night. With enhanced aroma care of the infused Rosaemary, the lamb was tender and juicy and served with green peas and mint.
Lamb Rack (P675)
Tomahawk 35oz
Tomahawk 35 oz. (P2895)
At P2,895, it should be good, no, very good. And it did not disappoint.
My second favorite of the night was aged, hand-cut, and grilled. Although the Tomahawk beef rib eye steak can be a bit more juicier, the prime cut meat was fork-tender.
The whole 35-ounce steak had a good browning on the outside as well.
Dessert: Frozen Lime Souffle
Frozen Lime Souffle (P295)
We ended the night with a dessert called “Frozen Lime Souffle” which was a layer of light and airy lime infused with frozen souffle.
It was topped with candied lime and walnut powder.
The dessert is ideal for those looking for desserts that are not too sweet. It was a good break from my usual desserts. Price tag: P295.
Chef Josh Boutwood of The Bistro Group & NomNom
