Big Bad Wolf
G/F, Fairways Tower, 5th Ave corner McKinley Road
Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Tel. 502-0515
Open Mondays to Saturdays, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

A "secret" foodie haunt revealed. Click for more.

Rumor has it you had to be in the know to know about this place. The clandestine location has something to do with that; this restaurant-cum-bar hides in a low-profile space at the back of a residential high-rise in Fort Bonifacio, unseen and completely undiscoverable unless purposely sought out. But a secret as juicy as this doesn't stay one for long, not in Manila's hangout-hungry, i-found-it-first foodie circles, anyway.

Spawned by folks from the partying set (two of the owners are club DJs), Big Bad Wolf adopts the look of an up-market Brooklyn loft and the sensibility of an art gallery: high, "unfinished" ceilings marked by exposed beams, tall glass walls lining one side, a collection of quirky, hipster-ish paintings on another. An eclectic mix of mismatched furniture—some wooden, some red, some cushioned, some bare-backed—brings the all-white space to life. Kitschy toys and random knickknacks (a skateboard, a vintage turntable, old records, a catcher's mitt, a satchel, a tennis racket) are on display on a shelf at the back of the room.

The chef, only lovingly introduced as "Chef Kato" once worked in the now-defunct Le Souffle Kitchen at the Fort. The food is kept playful, bordering on gourmet: goat cheese and chorizo rolls (P240), fresh tuna wraps with wasabi mayo (P220), potato skin with Boursin dip (P120), santol-smoked pork belly with dirty rice (P300). The bacon-wrapped dates (P280) are a cult hit among the carb-cutting crowd, the kind that could be habit-forming (be warned!).

If you're not counting calories, try Big Bad Wolf's poached egg carbonara (P270), which plays up the classic pasta recipe sans cream and with egg, pancetta, parmesan, and some truffle oil. Particularly likable, too, are the pesto-rubbed chicken (P350), grilled until succulent, served on top of spicy Big Bad Wolf rice; and the Rib-Eye (P590, 150 grams), a hefty plate of juicy, off-the-bone meat served with shiitake mushrooms.  

Standouts from the bar include the Sueños (P170), the bastard child of a mojito and a vodka blush made with a refreshing cranberry-currant mix, and the Strawberry Kiss (P135), a dessert drink that fuses vodka with strawberry syrup and Mudslide. Get-happy deals happen all week: P35 on local beers from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays to Thursdays, plus buy-one-get-one on the featured drink of the day all the way 'til Saturday.

Photos from the Big Bad Wolf Facebook page and by Kris Alcantara