A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to try some of the new dishes that Village Tavern just introduced a few weeks ago. I enjoyed the food, but medyo bitin, so we went back to have dinner there a few days later.
VILLAGE TAVERN
Village Tavern Scratch Kitchen + Craft Bar is a mid-to-upper range restaurant located on Bonifacio High Street in BGC, in that area with the amphitheater beside Central Square.
It claims to offer Southern (American) cooking, but looking at the menu, it felt more Italian than Southern.
Ambience was very tavern-y – lots of wood and warm light, with booths available if you want some privacy.
THE FOOD
The new dishes that we tried were:
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flatbread (P450) – I loved this, so I made sure to order this again on our second visit. On my first visit, it had a lot of thick tomato sauce and goat cheese – the slightly sweet and tart tomato sauce went very nicely with the creamy and tangy goat cheese. The pizza flatbread was very thin and crispy. However, on my second visit, the pizza had less toppings and wasn’t as good as the first time.
Brick Chicken (P525) – the skin was well-seasoned with salt and herbs like rosemary, etc… While it was good, there are better items you can order, unless you’re really into baked chicken. This kind of chicken is something you can easily find in other restaurants.
Braised Short Ribs (P695) – I was debating whether to order this again or to go for the Southern Shrimp & Grits. The Braised Short Ribs is a big piece of beef rib with melt-in-your-mouth beef. The sauce was wonderful – onions, herbs, tomatoes and spices all cooked down until thick and flavorful. I had to ask for extra sauce!
On my first visit, the Braised Short Ribs looked like this:
On my second visit, it looked like this:
It was still delicious – some parts of the beef were fatty, but J really likes that part. Me, not so much. I really needed to ask for extra sauce the second time because look at the pic, there wasn’t much sauce. They did give me extra sauce 🙂 The Braised Short Ribs was still beefy and delicious, the meat falling off the bone!
Southern Shrimp & Grits (P650) – I really wanted to go back for this again because this was really, really good. It is just some sauteed shrimps on a bed of creamy, bacon-flavor-infused corn grits. Forget the shrimp, the corn grits are the bomb! It is corn that is coarsely ground and cooked into something that looks like oatmeal or porridge, and Village Tavern’s version is very creamy and bacon-y. The corn grits were unforgettable. Just so you know, I love corn, so I may be biased pro corn. Hahaha 🙂 The only reason I did not order this again on my second visit was if I had to choose between this and the Braised Short Ribs, both priced at P600+, the Braised Short Ribs just won out because it is a bigger serving, and it is actually beef, vs. the Southern Shrimp & Grits, which was just corn, even if it’s really amazing corn.
We also ordered one of their Prime Cut steaks on my second visit:
Prime Cut USDA Ribeye Steak (10 oz, P1,545) – J is the steak aficionado and he couldn’t resist ordering this. He ordered it medium rare, and he says that it was cooked perfectly medium rare. As for taste, he’s rating it a 9.0 out of 10 because he says it’s the best non-Wagyu steak he’s had. The steak was tender, juicy, and he could taste the melted beef fat even in the lean parts. It had a little bit of gristle (litid), but just a little. Overall, he was very, very happy with this steak.
SUMMARY
Village Tavern is a good place to go if you want to try a restaurant that’s not a chain restaurant. As far as I know, this is their only branch. The food is very good, with the price tag to match. Try it if you are feeling good and are willing to spend at least P1,000+ per person for everyone to be full – at least with appetizers to share, mains for each, and maybe a drink or shared dessert.
It doesn’t seem like the romantic date kind of place, but the ribeye steak is really good. Knowing the prices for good steak, P1,500+ for the steak is a very good price. The steak is the one I would say has the best value out of the items we ordered.
Village Tavern
C3, Bonifacio High Street Central, 7th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VillageTavernPhilippines/
