CHECK IT OUT: Nectar in Makati

Nectar
Ground Floor Concorde Building, corner of Salcedo and Benavidez Streets,
Legaspi Village, Makati City
Tel. No. 478-2941
Open from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 5 - 10 p.m. (Monday to Friday);
5 p.m. - 2 a.m. (Saturdays)

Wine and dine at this new Legaspi Village haunt. Click for more.

(SPOT.ph) Nectar in Legaspi Village, Makati is the newest vino joint to join the throng of wine bars which have sprouted all over beer-obsessed Manila. The area is known more for its corporate offices, but Nectar, with its cream-colored walls, orange plush chairs and booth seats, and an over-all casual, unpretentious vibe, has become more of a neighborhood haunt for folks hankering for Friday night eats, and maybe a glass of wine.

Nectar's enomatic wine machine allows for sampling by the glass and vino options may go for as low as less than P100 for a glass while a good bottle can be bought for less than P450. Expect to find close to 100 bottles on rotation at a given time. According to owner Robi Joseph whose family also distributes wines and spirits, "We just want people to get to know wine and what wine can do for food."

Surprisingly, the popular nibbles here aren't cheese platters. The Italian-Mediterranean menu lists pasta plates, lamb dishes and burgers, but if you must choose only a few dishes, make sure to order Nectar's signature La Mancha Burger (P605) and the Spanaconchitas (P295). The spanaconchitas are triangle pastries that flaunt savory bites of creamy spinach and cheese filling with bits of chorizo, hugged in fried filo pastry wrap and served with a refreshing yogurt dip. The La Mancha burger is definitely for big eaters: it's a hefty 200-gram patty of minced New Zealand striploin sandwiched with Gruyere cheese, sundried tomatoes, bell peppers, and crowned with beef flakes. Don't be shy about asking servers which wines you should try with your burger, they are more than eager to offer you a crisp white for your small plates or a Merlot with your meat and urge you to take a quiz which determines your wine personality.

Photos courtesy of Nectar