URBN Bar and Kitchen

Ms.ycrad

3.0

Most people go to URBN for that great party vibe and selection of drinks, but what some may not know is that they serve pretty good food as well. Aside from their mains that awaken visions of macho meat such as Dry Aged Rib Eye Steak, Crispy Duck Leg, Double Cooked Kurobota Pork Belly; salads and pastas that spell comfort like only a Mac and Choreese can; and starters like Manchego Souffle and Spicy Shrimp Cocktail that can whet your appetite; they now have this Barchow Menu available from 12MN to 2AM, eager to sustain the rockin' crowd of midnight.The whole place of URBN is pretty huge, a fact you wouldn't usually notice during the peak hours of bar hopping, what with the throng of people milling around and having a good time. Elbows clashing, the din deafening, the dim lights making it almost impossible to see beyond a few meters, this scene of a madding crowd is just one facet of URBN's dual personality.What we had witnessed as we walked into the bar (or rather, the "kitchen") that early Tuesday night was an almost deserted place save for a few early night owls; really quite the opposite. Here we can relax and enjoy the grub sans the noise. And so that we did, starting with the...Paper thin potato chips with a translucent trait send echoes of crunch with each munch. Dip it alternately with the aioli and pesto dip for a ping-pong of acerbity and nuttiness.With the strawberry lending a hint of sweetness and tartness at the same time, the Strawberry Mojito is a hit around the table. Such an eye candy too!Caramelized onion + bacon + pesto cream cheese is actually a good combination as I found out when I took a bite of this savory tartlet. My only gripe would be that the tart's crust sometimes overshadows the flavors in play.Hand cut fries and slivers of bacon drenched in Urbn's own real gravy will have you perfecting that hand-to-mouth movement unconsciously in no time at all.This was good, though I'd have to say those little cuts of lamb always left me hanging, like there's something missing. I guess I just wanted more of the meat and less of the potatoes to truly appreciate the dish.I do like bacon, albeit I'm not particularly obsessed with it. This, however, had me behaving like the energizer bunny. I just kept going and going and going. Thick strips of bacon coated in a well-seasoned batter provided me with that savory taste I was looking for.Spicy Buffalo Chicken Pops (P350)Woah! Talk about hot! These chicken pops really have a spicy character that will have you reaching for the nearest cold drink, whatever it is. If you have a low tolerance for heat then best dip it into the Roquefort (blue cheese) dip.Mini Blackbenny Angus Burgers and Mini Curried Shrimp Burgers (P260 3pcs; P520 6pcs)With slim to none expectations since I really have no interest in sliders or mini burgers---I always find them dry, with the patty usually getting drowned in the bun---the Mini Curried Shrimp Burger proved to be an exception. The shrimp flavor was apparent, and the mix of romaine lettuce, tomatoes and curry mayonnaise made for a nice supplement to this minced shellfish. Heck, I wanted to get all three shrimp sliders on the platter for myself.Among the four, it was the All Meat with BBQ Sauce that got and kept my attention. Chorizo, roast beef and salami drizzled with a slightly sweet barbecue sauce covered this thin crusted pizza.Both the Chocolate Brownie and the Nutella and Candied Hazelnut Cheesecake were too cloyingly sweet for me. One forkful of each was enough to make me hanker for something savory on my tongue -- immediately. The fact that I have no proclivity whatsoever for both brownies and Nutella didn't help either."Everything tastes better with bacon" -- a fact I've discredited at least for myself. Case in point: Pinkerton's Candied Maple Bacon, and now this Maple Bacon Cheesecake as well. Maybe I'm alone in this, but this cake just didn't bode well with me at all. While maple bacon in cake may seem like a good idea on paper, it didn't translate so in taste.Now this, this White Chocolate and Cookie Butter Love-Ah Cake I loved. Totally, completely, irrevocably. Sweet yes, yet not bordering on saccharine, this white chocolate lava cake even had a dollop of cookie butter ensconced inside. Make sure to get a spoonful of that vanilla ice cream to balance everything out. This is a cake I could finish all by myself. Next time, no sharing please!

Marco Quintana

3.0

Food was good especially the appetizers. though the pasta was not great served cold and their breaded fish was a bit salty. Ambiance was a bit dull for a bar. The male comfort room needs much changes especially the urinals. Overall it's ok if your looking a place to hangout in bgc. PS. bring a jacket at night if your planning going on night time.

Sanimi

4.0

Most of the people around fort know URBN as a club or party place at night. What they don't know is that their food is amazing! The dining area has a great ambiance plus their service is very good. I personally like their bucket of bacon and mozzarella sticks! Their main entrees are good especially their pizza and pasta! They have their happy hour from 6pm-10pm so have dinner there and pair it up with their amazing cocktails and buy 1 take 1 beer. Definitely worth your money and time!

Jacky Jonas

4.0

When mucking around The Fort and looking to unwind with excellent cocktails, good company, and great food, URBN Bar & Kitchen is definitely the way to go. With a pretty bar that's as fully stocked as theirs and a chef as talented as Benjo Tuason, you're in for a surprise every time you visit this bar and kitchen!I had never been to URBN when the place isn't packed with people. I was stunned at just how big the place was! I like the idea of not having to wade across a sea of people to your table. And not having to wait 30 minutes for a cocktail ain't so bad either.Cocktails aside (I had my fill of strawberry mojitos and margaritas that night), dinner started off with a bucket of crispy Home Made Potato Chips that came with an Aioli and Pesto dipping sauce. It was simple, not greasy, and highly addicting.A hit at the table was the Country Fried Bacon - you can never really go wrong with anything made out of bacon. This can be described in one word: Rich! The bacon strips were thick and smokey, covered in golden batter. I could only get through two pieces, it was just way too rich and the gravy gave it that umay factor.One of my favorite bar chow dishes that night was the The Blackbenny Fries. The hand cut fries are topped with sliced rashers of smoked bacon and cheese before getting smothered in gravy, like a decadent poutine platter! I could eat this all day.Chef Benjo also introduced a few URBN Pizzas to the menu. I liked the Seafood Pizza the most.Topped with bits of shrimp, white fish and scallops, the anchovies gave the dish a bit of salt and the pesto left a hum of basil. It was ever so light and cut small enough for pika pika. The Four Cheese was simply executed and sprinkled with Mozzarella, Manchego, Cheddar and Parmesan. This was pretty good. If this had a teensy bit of truffle oil, it would be spectacular! I didn't get to taste the All Meat with BBQ Sauce Pizza that had bits of chorizo, roast beef, salami with URBN's homemade bbq sauce. It must've been really good, since it was the first to disappear from the table. I liked the Vegetarian pizza, with the caramelized onions lending the pizza a bit of sweetness and the olives a bit of salt.Overall it was a well balanced pizza, sans the meat. Going vegetarian never tasted so good! Going back to the bar chow that's a bit more heavier on the tummy, I liked the Lamb Hash a lot - it is such an English pub kind of dish. The gamey flavor of the well seasoned lamb is evident in every bite, with the diced potatoes giving you the carb load I needed to absorb all the alcohol I ingested over the past few hours I was there.A whole lot of cheesecake started parading out for dessert. My favorite of the night was the Nutella and Candied Hazelnut Cheesecakce. The Nutella was whipped in with the cheesecake, covered by a layer of chocolate and chopped hazelnuts on top. The servings are pretty big, too, which made me extra happy!A first for me was URBN's Maple Bacon Cheesecake! Yes, you read it right - a cheesecake that is topped with bacon bits and maple syrup. It tasted a lot like pancakes and bacon, except a lot more decadent. This isn't something I'd have too much of though.

Ruth Joy Garga

3.0

Their selling point is the cozy ambiance and not the food itself.

Cin Dy

3.0

Good place to hang with friends! :)

Norberto David Jr.

4.0

I love the potato chips, lamb, salmon, pizza and sticky pork ribs!! So good!!

Eijan Ochoco

4.0

Starting at 12mn, URBN BAR gets packed with party people from all over the metro. It's a popular events place for launching products and holding company events because of its spacious interiors and industrial-looking ambiance.But one of the things I love about URBN is the contemporary comfort food they serve during dinner by Chef Benjo Tuason of Relik fame.Here's our latest URBN experience...URBN is located on the third floor of the new Fort Pointe II Building, which used to be Pier One's area.We love the spacious tables and the big lounge chairs with a good view of the TV (great for watching sports, especially during the NBA season).The table is also ideal for playing card games with your kids, like Monopoly Deal. :URBN is best known for the "bar" side of the business. At first, we were hesitant to bring our kids because there was a sign saying minors are not allowed (late at night).But we found out it's cool to hang out there during dinner time, when there's no crowd and you can enjoy good conversations.STARTERSThe Seafood Chowder soup was very good. It had just the right creaminess, generous seafood bits, and a big serving size.For kids, order the Homemade Potato Chips with Aioli and Pesto dip to keep them busy while waiting for the food to be cooked.Manchego Souffle Many people have been raving about this signature appetizer of URBN: the Manchego Souffle with Crispy Jamon Serrano and Truffle Cream sauce (Please allow 20 mins)It was very soft with a good, light truffle cream that matched the crispy and flavorful Jamon Serrano. I loved the distinctive aftertaste of the Manchego cheese. This is a must try in URBN. :)The mini-burgers ( 8 Mini Blackbenny Angus Burgers - Brioche bun, Mild Cheddar, Bacon, Onion Jam, Aioli and Hand-cut Fries) are good when you eat it hot.(Tip: Skip the bar chow and go for the mains.)You can also order a simple pizza, which is not in the menu.MAINSFor foodies who love steak, you've got to try their 24 Days Dry Aged In House Rib Eye Bone. Lava rock-grilled, served with Shiraz Jus. It's tasty and really big -- good to share with your barkada or family.Crispy Duck Leg, Mushroom Risotto, Braised Carrots and Red Wine Jus - What we loved about it most was the perfect pairing of the crispy duck with the mushroom risotto. We've ordered this twice on different visits, and it's been consistently good and malinamnam.The Double-Cooked Kurobuta Pork Belly with Chinese Cabbage, Coleslaw, Mashed Potato and Mustard Jus was a bit disappointing because we were expecting soft, flavorful pork.The Australian Rack of Lamb. Herb and Horseradish crust, Roasted Pumpkin and Garlic Yogurt sauce is a very good combination of lamb meat, herbs, pumpkin, and yogurt sauce. I preferred this over the steak.The Crispy Skin Salmon, Caper Cream sauce, Bacon and Leek Potatoes was a very good salmon dish served with the crispy skin.PASTALasagna is a comfort food for us, and we enjoyed this simple, classic dish with its own secret flavors - My Aunt Litzie's Lasagna.Mac and Choreese - A good twist to the mac and cheese, served with big chunks of flavorful chorizo. Really good too!DESSERTClassic Souffle - Mango or Chocolate served with Vanilla and Chocolate sauce. Please allow 15 mins.The desserts were superb, starting with this Classic Souffle. I recommend the Mango and Vanilla combination, which was very good and not too sweet. You'll enjoy finishing it.I just love a well-executed Chocolate Love-ah cake with rock salt and extra virgin olive oil oozing with yummy chocolate inside. The rock salt and walnuts balanced out the sweetness and richness of the chocolate.Our favorite among the very good lineup of desserts was the Salted Caramel Cheesecake. It had a consistency like leche flan and a good salty flavor. Must order!These days, it's quite surprising to find really good food in bars. I love that they decided to turn it into a dinner resto that's kid-friendly despite the bar ambiance. You can't go wrong ordering the Manchego Cheese Souffle as a starter, Crispy Duck Leg for the main dish, and Salted Caramel Cheesecake for dessert. I've enjoyed Chef Banjo's food since his Relik days. :)

Nikka Delizo

4.0

From the owners of Relik Tapas Bar and Shawarma Guys, URBN is one of the popular gimmick spots at The Fort. But URBN is more than just a party place as it serves delicious steaks and other awesome dishes.For starters, I loved the Double Baked Manchego Souffle (Php 395) and the Homemade Potato Chips (Php 250). For something healthy, URBN's House Salad (Php 220) is a must-try.For mains, I liked the Chicken Fried Steak (Php 390) and the Australian Rack of Lamb (Php 960). For steak lovers, I highly recommend the 24 Days Dry-Aged in House Rib Eye Bone in (Php 2800 for 550g). It's one of the best steaks I've tried. Desserts are also a must-try at URBN, especially the Salted Caramel Cheesecake (Php 150) and the Chocolate Love-ah Cake (Php 250).I may not be a party person but I'll surely go back to URBN for another round of epic dinner.

NoMilkNoSugar

1.0

Just ate at URBN tonight. Very very disappointed.The space is beautifully designed like a New York loft style. We started with the Manchego Souffle. It does indeed take at least 20 minutes, so be prepared to wait. The taste was good, but not great. There wasn't a lot of sauce and the Jamon Serrano was paper thin. A bit more sauce and crispy ham and it could have been great. But still it was a good start.For entrees we got the Crispy Salmon and the Duck with mushroom risotto. The salmon was good. It was also a very good value at only P350, especially compared wit what other restaurants in the area are charging for similar salmon portions. The duck and risotto were very good. The duck was crispy and the risotto has a great flavor.So why the one star rating, right?Well it was while we were eating our entrees that things started to go bad. Around 10PM they switch over to an overpriced lounge/nightclub. As we were eating the music got progressing louder. There was a massive speaker right next to our table and everytime the bass kicked in you could really feel it in your chest. It had a blown out, heavy buzzing quality that was very unpleasant. Keep in mind we were eating on the "restaurant" side and not the lounge side. We asked if the speaker could be unplugged or turned down, but they told us, sorry its all one system. I was tempted to pull the plug out of the speaker myself (it was only 3 feet away), but I held back.We'd heard good things about the souffle, and I love souffles, so we ordered the chocolate souffle with vanilla sauce (we ordered this with our entrees before that bass had really kicked in). The souffle was very mediocre. Visually it was beautiful. But there was a pool of butter at the bottom and it had a bit of weird salty or buttery after taste that didn't taste right. It also lacked sweetness.Still I was reasonably pleased overall and was certainly willing to come back again. But this is where things got really really bad. We asked for the check and after several minutes, our server presented it. I gave them my BDO debit card with Master Card logo (it can be run as a credit card with signature or as a debit card with pin number). The server stared at it, then handed it back claiming "Sorry, we don't take debit cards." No problem, I told him, just run it as a credit card and it will work. "Sorry I'm not allowed" he replied.Now I was getting irritated, so I asked for the manager. I then waited a solid 10 minutes as various managers entered and exited the room and chit chatted with servers while the bass continued to thump in my chest and give me a headache. Finally a female manager in an orange coat arrived and repeated our server's story, "We don't take debit cards". I told her to run it as a credit card. She then proceeded to explain that yes, they could do that, and yes it would work, but that the owners and their accountant don't allow them to do this. "Why?!?!?" I asked. She had no answer. I asked to speak to this senior manager or owner. "Oh you can't do that" she replied. I told her EVERY other restaurant in the city takes this card no problem. Again no answer. So what should I do then? She then offered to have one of their bouncers "escort" me out into the rain in search of an ATM machine so I could pay cash. Wonderful.Begrudgingly, I paid with a foreign credit card that charges me international transaction fees. But what choice did I have? At this point I was extremely annoyed. But maybe it wasn't her fault. Maybe the owners really are nuts in this place or have the worst accountant in the world. So I waited to see how she would handle it. (And I had plenty of time to wait, it was almost another 10 minutes before they returned with the credit card). While waiting I imagined what should have happened:The manager personally returns with the credit card, apologizes profusely, then explains that she's removed the souffle (or beverages, or both) from the bill to make up for the misunderstanding and as an act of goodwill since no one would ever expect a restaurant this high end in this area of Manila to not accept a BDO card. She would invite us to come back again while reminding us to please remember to bring cash next time so we wouldn't be inconvenienced. She would then give me her business card and tell us to ask for her next time so we would have no problems. Total cost to the restaurant:P50 (the food cost of the souffle) and 2 minutes of the managers time.But of course that's not what happened.10 minutes later, the waiter returned and wordlessly dropped off the bill for me to sign, collected the signed receipts and walked away. Of course the bill was the full amount. P2,000 for one appetizer, 2 entrees, 1 dessert and 2 Cokes.Am I overreacting? Honestly I don't think so. Looking around the restaurant it was filled almost entirely with foreigners. This is a top-end establishment with very high prices (P3,000 for a bottle of Jose Cuervo btw). They have a New York style design and clearly cater to expats and the wealthy. Yet this is the kind of customer service they provide? I could have gotten 10 times better service from TGI Fridays down the street.I hope the management corrects these problems. Its too bad I won't be there to see if they do.