Taupe Is in Rockwell Dishing Out Dazzling Plates With Local Ingredients

(SPOT.ph) For a venture named after a gray-brown color, Taupe Dining presents a wide spectrum of tastes and textures in every plate, with Filipino cuisine as its starting point. At their stunning (and all-taupe) home base in BGC they’re known for their tasting menu starring local ingredients (like katuray flowers and asin tibuok)—and they’ve brought that over to Rockwell, as they've taken over the Chef's Table at Balmori Suites and will be there until January next year.

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What to try at Taupe Dining at Balmori Suites, Rockwell

Open from Tuesdays to Sundays, for lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), afternoon café service (2 to 5 p.m.), and dinner (6 to 10 p.m.), the pop-up doesn’t have the all-taupe look of BGC, but has an identity all of its own. It’s housed in Balmori Suites’ sleek, sophisticated space, with furnishings by Kuysen and Paola Lenti—all of which complement the brand’s visual and make for a more casual, but still elegant, setting to dig into Chef Francis Tolentino’s food. 

You won’t find their signature tasting menus here—rather, what Taupe serves at the pop-up are bigger ala-carte plates that beautifully illustrate Tolentino’s penchant for bringing out the best of local flavors. The Brioche & Butter (P420), which Tolentino makes his own with honey and gamet (seaweed) in the rolls plus soy and miso infused into the butter, make for a fantastic start to any meal. Pair it with the Peach & Berries Salad (P750), which tickles taste buds with its vivid combo of Benguet local greens, fruit, candied walnuts, and the wildcard that is smoked fish floss.

Tolentino, of course, has an especially great handle with seafood, which we see in the Burnt Coconut Tuna Soup (P590)—a silky soup with plenty of umami and depth of flavor from burnt coconut and clam broth, topped with seared line-caught tuna from Davao. We see Taupe make pasta dishes their own, too, with must-try numbers like the Scallops & Oscietre Caviar Pasta (P1,400 )Taupe-fied with the use of Ilocos heirloom tomatoes; and the Black Truffle Pasta (P1,200) with their scratch-made casarecce pasta, Laguna kesong puti in the sauce, and a generous shaving of parm, prosciutto, and summer black truffle. Mains, like the Seabass (P2,400)—the fish poached and lent soul by Nueva Ecija onion soubise, salmon roe, caviar, and lychee—easily juggle quiet elegance, comfort, and nostalgia. Wines, courtesy of Philippine Wine Exchange, are available for pairing with their plates.

For the holiday season, Taupe at Balmori’s also got Christmas specials not to miss. The Lobster Pistachio Bisque Pasta (P4,200) is decidedly luxe with with its large hunk of South Cebu spiny lobster, presented whole for optimum grandeur. The shell also functions as a vessel of sorts to hold the pasta—that is, al-dente spaghetti cooked in a sauce of the lobster’s head and juices, and enriched with house pistachio milk (!)—while a potent spoonful of lobster bisque underneath reinforces the flavor essence of seafood. You’ve also got the Codfish with Grapes & Kamias Salsa (P2,100), where a hearty crab bisque and kamias salsa enliven a succulent hunk of smoked black cod.

It doesn’t get any more festive than the Porchetta with Black Truffle Rice (P2,650), which stars a thick hunk of roasted rolled pork belly with garlic chives, made especially alluring by red wine pork jus. Finish your holiday feast with the Bibingka Semifreddo (P360) that well captures the salty-sweetness and smoked-banana leaf note of the original; better yet, pair it with Single Origin’s cups of joe available at the pop-up.

Tolentino shares that the Rockwell crowd is distinct from that of BGC, preferring classics done well over novelty and returning multiple times like regulars. His approach at Balmori largely mirrors this without sacrificing Taupe’s core identity—it’s refreshing to see a different side to the venture. Don’t miss the pop-up open just until January 5, 2025.

Taupe's pop-up is at Balmori Suites, Hidalgo Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City. For reservations and inquiries, contact 0961-197-4987. You can also visit Taupe’s website.