When in Manila and looking for the best place that has the best comfort food to offer, head on to this restaurant since it would definitely fulfill that need: 2nd’s. Nestled within the heart of the Bonifacio Global City and tucked right in the middle of the Serendra stretch is this quaint spot worthy to be explored. Why so? Because it’s bound to wow your palate and make you feel right at ‘home’.
In the 9th Avenue, at the corner of Lane P, you would see their huge signage and for you to be lead to their spot, you would have to take the stairs/elevator to the 2nd floor. In there, you’ll be greeted with a wonderful view such as this…
2nd’s has one ultimate aim: to give their customers the best comfort food in a very comforting experience. And this could be best seen when you’ll first lay your eyes on their restaurant. The ambiance is very welcoming and a sense of immediate relaxation would overwhelm you. If you ask me, stepping into 2nd’s was like stepping into someone else’s BIG living room. Definitely, very homey.
Plus, as you can see, a lot of thought is given to every little detail in this ristorante. From the lighting, the decorative elements, the seats, the background music, and more!
Even more so, as the name goes, through their spectacular menu choices, they even aim to make you come back for 2nd’s! But of course, other than the food fare, you can delight yourself with their drinks given how there’s a bar section near the entrance where you could pick your poison. -wink-
Just look at all those empty bottles hanging over by the bar; that’s definitely a nice touch to the overall bar ensemble!
Wonderful to note about this restaurant as well is that the person who designed the interiors is one of the owners and it’s said that if you were to visit his apartment, it would almost look like 2nd’s! Right from the leather sheets and even up to the blinds!
Now to start our feast, we were first served with their house knick-knack (complimentary): a bowl of kamote chips sprinkled with shredded cheese. It was wonderful how the chips weren’t so greasy, and the cheese was a great add-on. This definitely brought back memories of my childhood when my grandma would usually whip up these kinds of snacks.
Afterwards, this was followed by three gastronomic appetizers!
The first one was the Smoked Caprese Tower: starting at the base, this was composed of a dollop of pesto sauce, stacked sliced tomatoes that are layered with smoked Laguna white cheese, and then finally topped with mesclun lettuce leaves. For added measure, a balsamic glaze was drizzled around the plate.
This was a good salad dish and I especially loved how the smoked Laguna white cheese added more flavor to the tomato slices, saving it from probable blandness.
Secondly: the Spinach and Black Truffle Dip which was absolutely divine! This was made of creamed spinach mixed with black truffle paste, and as if that wasn’t enough, it was even topped with a generous amount of melted Irish Cheddar! This dip came along with warm and crisp Sourdough Chips! This was oh-so-good and definitely best eaten when everything’s warm or yes of course: once it is served to you!
Final serve of the appetizers was a combination of two common fares: Gambas Y Chorizo! As it goes, this was made up of sauteed shrimps that were cooked in extra virgin olive oil and sliced imported Spanish sausage! Slices of bread is also added into this dish.
Now as you can see, it looks sinfully good! Tastes like one too! And I just love how the shrimps were lovingly plump, and the sausages were incredibly savory!
Gambas Y Chorizo (P495)
Was it a promising start? Veeeery.
As for our main dishes we first had the Crispy Duck Confit; typically a French dish that is made from the leg of a duck. Brined and fried, the skin was crispy alright! Tender and juicy was the meat on the other hand. To complete it all, it’s laid over emmenthal mash, pineapple chutney, sauteed red and white cabbage, and sweet duck jus!
Duck meat lovers would definitely go gaga over this dish! Guaranteed!
Crispy Duck Confit (P815)
This was followed by one of their best sellers: the 2nd’s Bistek Tagalog! It was sliced USDA prime flat iron steak submrged in soy calamansi butter sauce (just like how our usual Bistek Tagalog goes!) This was served along a serving of aligue, corn rice pilaf, and grilled tomato.
Surely, this was a best-seller for a reason! Like come on, just look at that red succulent meat! Doesn’t it perfectly summon your foodie soul to just go ahead and take a bite of it? It was just so… -sigh- man, you have got to try it! Words are not enough, words won’t do justice. Tasting it yourself will make you feel the epicness of this dish!
Bistek Tagalog (P715)
Surely, we wouldn’t miss their desserts for anything in the world, and so, we had their Molten Amaretto Chocolate Cake. It was the peeeeerfeeeect meal-ender for the night. Moist (veeeery moist, veeeeery murky) chocolate cake with bittersweet ganache center served with a dollop of Raspberry Chantilly Cream and oh boy, we were on our way to heaven!
I was perfectly in love with it! And I’m definitely coming back to have a taste of this again!
Molten Amaretto Chocolate Cake (P295)
Before we ended the night, we also had a chance to try one of their Holiday Treats last December: the good ol’ Hot Chocolate with Toasted Marshmallows! Yum! Definitely, a throwback from our childhood. The image below is not the exact size of the drink, but anyhow, I swear this was really good. I believe that even if it’s not on their menu anymore, you can still request this to be served to you.
Hot Chocolate with Toasted Marshmallows (P195)
2nd’s usually have certain Specials every month or even for every occassion (say, Holidays, or Valentines) and if ever there’s immense positive feedback on one of their specials, they would usually put it into their main menu offering. For instance, the Bistek Tagalog used to be a special but due to the good response that they have received from the diners, this was eventually moved to the menu.
TIP: Another best-seller of 2nd’s that you should try is their Shepherd’s Pie! Especially if you love lamb meat!
Overall, 2nd’s is one of those places that you shouldn’t miss out on when you’re in The Fort area. There’s still a lot of dishes that I would personally want to explore, given how this night of ours had been such a hit to us. True to its name therefore, we are definitely going BACK FOR 2ND’s!
So When in Manila and on a pursuit for the best comfort food, head on to 2nd’s! See you there!
2nd’s
2nd Floor, B3, 9th Avenue cor. Lane P
Bonifacio High Street
Bonifacio Global City 1634 Taguig
Mon – Thu: 11:30 am – 10:30 pm
Fri – Sat: 11:30 am – 11:00 pm
Sun: 11:30 am – 10:30 pm
+632 846 5293
https://backfor2nds.com/
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When In Manila photos by JoTan23 and write-up by the Foodie from the Metro.
