BITE Contemporary Cuisine
Glory Building, 7427 Yakal Street, San Antonio, Makati City
Tel. No. 0917-830-9516
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
(SPOT.ph) If you came to BITE Contemporary Cuisine for a fuss-free meal, then there’s a problem. Right off the bat, BITE gives their customers a crippling quandary: what to order? Chef Jam Melchor’s clever reimagining of classic cuisine will have you infinitely intrigued and you’ll end up ordering more than what your stomach can handle-just because one or two dishes won’t be able to sate your curiosity.
Take note of the cute chairs.
Pampanga Catfish, Romaine, Parmegiano, Mizuna Salad
The month-old, two-storey space on Yakal Street used to be Villa Cafe, a restaurant co-owned by Melchor. BITE, though, from its black and white color palette to the mug-shaped chairs to the corner deli, right down to the little male statue that holds umbrellas, is entirely his vision. "This is food that I like," he says, "sustainable, fresh, and healthy." That last point is debatable, though, especially after seeing the pair of giant, sinfully succulent logs he calls Roasted Marrow Bones (P298). Ingredients are locally sourced-beef from Kitayama, salt from Ritual’s Bea Misa and Ministry of Mushroom’s Marco Lobregat-but it’s what Melchor does with them that makes this restaurant worth it.
If sin could be food, this is it.
Kuhol Chowder
The menu is only a single page, front and back, though there are two separate sheets for bar chow and drinks. There are immediate standouts like Bacon Wrappled Apple Scallops (P250), Aklanon Oysters (P298/half dozen), Crabmeat Risotto (P195), Catfish Salad (P195)-dishes that don’t require too much imagination to understand. Look closer into the menu to get a measure of Melchor’s quirky culinary personality. Kuhol or suso replace clams in chowder, putting an earthy finish instead of a slight brine to the soup, and serving it, as per tradition, in a bread bowl akin to a large, hollowed-out pandesal.
Just a little peek...
Tadyang Kare-kare
The Kaldereta (P350), meanwhile, is slow-cooked, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked inside crackling puff pastry. The chunks of beef are generous and fork-tender, large slices of bell peppers adding a bitter dimension to the dish’s savoriness. Another favorite is the Crispy Tadyang Kare-kare (P295). The stew reaches only half the bowl, creating a mouthwatering sight of fresh bokchoy, eggplant, beans, and crispy browned pieces of tadyang. Melchor uses macadamia nuts to furnish his sauce, creating a milder nutty taste that highlights the salty rich beef.
Desserts are still in the experimental phase, confesses Melchor. But at this level, BITE is already a place that gastronauts will find satisfying. What more when cakes are available on the menu?