You'll Come for the Desserts and Stay for the Cocktails at District 8
The Cerveza Chocolate Cake is eight layers of rich chocolate goodness.
District 8 Manila
Unit 202, G-Strip, Greenhills Shopping Center, Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills, San Juan City
Contact: 426-9808
Open daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
(SPOT.ph) “When you enter District 8, we want you to feel like you’re in a different place. You’re transported to a different dimension,” says co-owner Francis Zamora.
It does feel like that when you step inside this new gastropub in Greenhills.
Baby Squid Al Ajillo
Tuna Tartare
The menu is a good mix of different international influences, and are a notch higher than your usual pulutan. Chef Patrick Ortega works with Chef Kel Zaguirre to make mouthwatering dishes that would go well with anyone’s choice of drinks. The Wagyu Cubes Al Ajillo (P490), which
Paella y
Cacio y Pepe
From the entrees, the Paella y Callos (P350/solo, P650/sharing) is a must-try. The
Fried Chicken Taco Rice
Another surprise favorite is the Fried Chicken Taco Rice (P470), which looks huge when served but is actually easy to finish off. The fried chicken is very crunchy on the outside and goes well with the chili con carne, cheese, salsa, and butter corn rice.
Jack Daniels Sticky Toffee Pudding
Cerveza Negra Chocolate Cake
The desserts on District 8’s menu are all spiked with alcohol. Chef Patrick explains that the flavors of the liquor are retained by only adding them into the recipe at the end. The Jack Daniels Sticky Toffee Pudding (P260) is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a nice contrast to the strong but refined alcohol flavor in the moist sponge cake. The Cerveza Negra Chocolate Cake (P280), which is an eight layer chocolate cake with chantilly and sea salt, feels like it’s made of two cakes in itself. The upper half of the cake is thick and rich, while the bottom half is moist and spongy and features the sweet alcohol taste.
From left to right: Big Game, Supremo, Vice Charmer
Finally, no visit to District 8 would be complete without tasting the special cocktails (all P200) created by mixologists Mike de la Paz and Ron Catabay and named after each of the eight owners. The Supremo, named after co-owner Daniel Padilla, has white rum, orange juice, honey syrup, Bacardi gold, and grenadine, and is sure to be a favorite for those who like a hefty kick in their drinks. The orange juice and syrups all balance out the strong alcohol taste. Similarly, the Big Game, for co-owner James Yap, has a robust and straightforward vodka flavor. The ingredients are vodka, pineapple juice, and melon liqueur, with some syrup to taste, but the overall effect is still straight up vodka with maybe a splash of pineapple. The Vice Charmer, based on co-owner Vice Ganda, is a pleasant fizzy drink with a nice blue
They may have only been open for less than a month, but District 8 already features
Photos by Ian Santos