Beso Cucina Vinoteka
Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City
Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. (Monday to Saturday);
11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. (Sundays)

Paella, sangrias, and more. Click for more.

(SPOT.ph) Take a page from Spain's leisurely eating ritual and hit Beso Cucina Vinoteka, Manila's newest tapas hangout located at Bonifacio High Street Central in Taguig. Linger and laze in Beso's red and black-hued dining space and pair platters of pinchos and a serving of paella to go with your sangria. According to Beso's chef Carlo Miguel, these have been the crowd favorites since they opened mid-January.

“In Spain, there are places with good quality, well-priced wine and food, with lots of choices. We want to take that experience and bring it to Manila,” explains chef Carlo. “I also want to shake up the Spanish restaurant industry in Manila.”

The menu lists a variety of tapas plates, as well as salads, entrees and desserts. The Beso Paella (P580 for two to three; P980 for four to six people), an heirloom recipe from chef Carlo's family, is filled with everything—pork, chorizo, bacon, squid, mussels, and clams—served with moist, al dente rice kernels and flaunting robust flavors. The pinchos (starts at P80) gets an easy nod for those looking for filling nibbles to pair with their glass of sangria or wine: steeped in a Moorish marinade, the skewered meats are grilled, nicely charred and tender with spicy-stout flavors. The serving sizes are just enough that you can do as Spanish people do: order more than one plate so you can have a taste of everything.

What to drink? Red and white sangria, of course. Beso's daily happy hour lets you drink all the sangria you want for only P500 from 5 to 8 p.m. If you’re more of a wine drinker, wait for Beso’s enomatic machine which will feature fourteen kinds of wine.

Photos by Daniel Tan for Beso and by Trixie Zabal-Mendoza