An Insider’s Introduction to the BGC Food Tour

(SPOT.ph) BGC is obviously in a state of flux.

A few years ago, I remember occasionally driving by what is now Market! Market! to visit their "farmer's market"-a bunch of tables under tents selling vegetables in a dusty construction zone. The star? A stall selling pork barbecue called Ineng's.

Nowadays, Ineng's is a full blown business-a busy stall in the open air food area of Market! Market!-and a minnow in a sea of restaurants occupying the nooks and crannies of "The Fort" (sorry, they'd rather be called BGC! Hehe!).

This is, of course, a good thing-I think good dining options are a mark of a robust city. And if we are supposed to be ramping up our infrastructure to accommodate the tourist trade, it goes without saying that the food scene should be vibrant.

It's this idea that we buy into as the backbone of the first ever BGC Food Tour.

JJ with the "food tourists" at 2nd’s

A joint project between Bonifacio Art Foundation and myself, the concept is to highlight the various dining options that the city has to offer in a way that is fun, casual and irreverent-right up my alley.

Every Saturday for the next four Saturdays starting this Saturday, June 29, I will be leading food tours on board the official Bonifacio Hoho bus ("hop on-hop off").

With Nolita co-owner Patrick Santos

The tour starts at 3 p.m. and happens at a very leisurely pace for the next two-and-a-half to three hours or so. We will be visiting various restaurants within BGC, preferably those indigenous to the area, or who started out here. Every tour will include four locations where you can have a snack and meet the owner or chef (or both!) who in turn will explain what their establishment is all about. We want you to establish connections with the restaurants-because they really are great additions to BGC life.

Sonja Ocampo of Sonja’s Cupcakes (in striped shirt) chats with the crowd

Last Monday, I took the first batch-people from the media-on a test run. If I do say so myself, it looks like they had a great time ... and I think, so will you!

Joining is simple-buy Php1,500 worth from stores in the High Street area and present it to the concierge and get two tickets for a breezy afternoon of eating and meeting new people. It doesn’t get better than that!

Hope to see you on board the HoHo bus! Kain na!

Photos from the Bonifacio Global City Facebook page