My boyfriend Josh and I recently celebrated our 1st year anniversary together last March 21, 2014. He was supposed to surprise me with a dinner date but I requested if we could celebrate it the next day instead because I had to man my panini stall at Mercato Central. He sweetly obliged and we decided to just have lunch on the day of our anniversary. After doing some last minute research, we decided to have lunch at The Girl + The Bull located at BF Homes, Paranaque. The restaurant is owned by a young adorable couple from Ateneo and UP. I only got to meet (i’m assuming) The Girl as The Bull was in the kitchen working his magic.

We arrived just a few minutes after their kitchen closed. Apparently, they are closed from 3:00-6:00 pm.  We were really hungry from the long drive across Manila and kind of half begged them to make an exception for us (we told them it was our anniversary)! Their kind waitress talked to the chef and owner and they let us in! YAY.

The restaurant is located in a beautiful rustic building in white. I believe the entire building is a bed and breakfast. The restaurant was equally stunning. The whole place was clad in black and white pieces, ghost chairs, vibrant photographs and beautiful art work. It was a feast for the eyes; every area was instagram worthy. <3

The owner (the girl) told me that these were prints that she gave her boyfriend (the bull) as presents. <3

we chose this pretty spot right near the window

I read a few blogs reviews to kind of research on what to order but I found out that they changed their menu lineup recently. I really wanted to try the grilled cheese with tomato soup and the pasta but their absence from the menu didn’t dishearten me. Their staff was composed of college students. Our server’s from DLSU. They were all very nice, accommodating, and I loved that they were able to give us suggestions on what to order. My pet peeve is when servers answer me with “they’re all very good” when I asked for suggestions on what to order. Here’s what we ended up ordering:

House Fries, Truffle Salt, Parmensan, Malt Vinegar 180

The fries were fried to a crisp. The parmesan was fresh and the truffle oil was legit! Haha, I’m a huge fan of truffle oil; some restaurant slap the word “truffle” on their dishes and there have been times when I wasn’t able to detect a drop of truffle in their dishes. This came with malt vinegar in a small bottle with a spritzer. It was an interesting experience but I would also have wanted to try their cumin mayonnaise which was on their old menu. </3

Pork Belly Confit, Potato Puree, Roasted Garlic, Pear, Evoo, Balsami Glaze 395 – my order

This plate is a work of art! The interplay of the different elements of the dish was interesting. My only complaint is that I wish that the pork had a little bit less fat. I also think that the pork could be more juicy; it wasn’t tough though. It’s also not very filling (omg, i have a huge appetite.. I shall go hide now…).

Hanging Tender, Quail Egg, Kimchi Fried Rice 495 – Josh’s order

The beef initially arrived medium rare and Josh found it a bit difficult to chew. We requested for it to be cooked to medium and they kindly obliged. The serving was reasonable and I was able to take a few bites from this (because I was still hungry from my order HEHE). The kimchi wasn’t too strong which is good because not everyone likes kimchi. The quail egg + kimchi rice + steak went perfectly together.

House Iced Tea 

the housed iced tea was really refreshing!

Homemade Twix Bar with sea salt 160

I think this dessert was really the star of the entire meal. It was SO YUMMY and beautifully plated I almost did not want to touch it. The price was also very reasonable because the serving was quite huge. I would have been fine with a piece of this but the order came in four pieces! It tasted like a homemade gourmet twix bar. AHHH. I would drive across town again just for this! :)

<3

the menu

Overall

Josh and  I enjoyed the twix dessert the most followed by the steak and kimchi fried rice. Their iced tea is also a must try! The restaurant was worth the long drive from Manila. The whole place and food really spoiled our senses. Do make a reservation because they can only accommodate a few people at a time.

I’m glad this is the first restaurant that we tried in the BF homes area whole place is a melting pot of different cuisines!! I saw at least 5 korean restaurants, 3 thai restaurants, 3 Japanese restaurants and SO MUCH MORE! I can’t wait to go back!!! :)

xoxo,