Cucina ni Bunso

Naomi U.

4.0

Thanks to Uber, didn't get lost going to Cucina ni Bunso. It was a privileged to be invited by website - who teamed up with Manila Bulletin & Cruising Magazine for the latter's 16th year anniversary. It was the magazine's 11th leg (out of 16 restos they'll go to) and they chose Cucina ni Bunso as the perfect venue - everything's complimentary! Mini program was held prior the dinner.Got excited when I saw their facade, it's too cute! I loved the white walls, chandeliers and mementos. Some chairs were uniform, some were not. Even their plate designs were not all the same and it's not bizarre at all, it added character in the place.The Main EventMeliton's Spring RollPork BinagoonganChicken Kare-kare in PestoHalo-halo TuronSugarbeet ice creamIced TeaThe spring roll reminded me of viet/thai cuisine versions. The peanut sauce complemented the rolls. We were thrilled when the kare-kare was served! How can a peanut-based viand go along well with Pesto? I dunno how they did it, but their kare-kare tasted more of basil than of peanuts. It didn't taste strange, in fact, everyone in our table agreed that it was superb -- a twist in one of our local favorites! To be honest, it tasted good on it's own, no need to add bagoong. This dish is something I can recommend to friends. I had a little hesitation when choosing what part of chicken to get, well, there ain't too many to choose from - saw thigh and breast parts only. Thighs were good, but less chicken meat. While breast part has more meat than skin, but is usually dry.They served the Pork Binagoongan with ripe mango garnish shortly, the dish came in too strong for my palate. Superb idea though, because the ripe mango extinguished the salty flavor in my mouth.Others said that the strawberry iced tea was too sweet, I'd say not. It even tasted like the real fruit!Dessert time! We went gaga over the ice cream and it was nice to know that the sugarbeet ice cream was something they've whipped and churned in their own kitchen. Halo-halo ingredients were wrapped like turon and best eaten with ice cream, perfect way to cap off the night.Time of visit: 22 Oct 2015 18:00

Jade Alecksandra Bagas

4.0

Many thanks to website and Cruising Magazine for the invite to the 11th leg of the Taste: #TravelForFood project! Cucina ni Bunso does serve Filipino food with a twist! :) We first had the Meliton's Spring Rolls, which had crisp greens and sweet mango slices. They reminded me of the Vietnamese spring rolls I have tasted before. I's prefer vinegar to peanut sauce, though. For our viands, we had two: kare-kare with pesto and pork binagoongan. I prefer the former because it's such a surprising twist to a Filipino classic. Even if it lacks the peanut-y flavor of kare-kare, the pesto more than makes up for it. It's not overwhelming, and it went well with the bagoong. The binagoongan, on the other hand, was like others I've tried, save for the mango slices on top. I felt like eating mango with bagoong basically.Lastly, we had the halo-halo turon with home-made sugar beet ice cream! WINNER!

Olivier Longuet-Knoepfel

4.0

Finally! An invite that fit my schedule and location. Super thanks to websitePH and their partner Manila Bulletin & Cruising Magazine for this event entitled Taste: Travel For Food, in celebration of the magazine's 16th Anniversary. 🎉🎊Place:Cucina ni Bunso looks so refreshing with it's white and green design, I love the white fence and interior of the place as it gives a homey vibe. I was actually a bit surprised when I entered, from the outside it kinda looks so small, but they were able to accommodate all of us (around 30-40 guest). Food:For the appetizer, they served us the Meliton Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce. I'm not into veggies that much but I really liked this dish. The vegetables were fresh and the sauce was a perfect add-on. For the main course, they prepared Chicken Kare-Kare with Pesto, It has thigh and breast part then eggplant, petchay, spring beans and banana bud. I was actually looking for any sign of pesto sauce in the dish but didn't find any, I was really amazed that the pesto flavor is more empowering than the peanut sauce, Loved it! 👍 They also served us Pork Binagoongan topped with ripe mango. The meat was tender and well marinated with the sauce however this dish was a bit salty for me, though I'm guessing that the mango is there to balance the taste. As for the dessert, they served us the Halo-halo Turon in Sugar Beets Ice Cream. This one is my favorite! Imagine all the halo halo ingredients wrapped in a spring roll wrapper, dusted with brown sugar then fried until golden brown then served with handcrafted ice cream and leche flan. yum! 😋 perfect finale for the night.Cucina Ni Bunso definitely deserve the "Filipino cuisine with a twist" label. :)P.S. A special thanks to website Family esp. to Trish! And to my fellow foodies, KC, Hannah, B, Brie, Angel, Gel, Jody, Giselle and Nerisse (hope I spelled everyone's name correctly). ☺️