Hey BBK All Day Café
2/F Main Building, SM City North EDSA, Quezon City
Facebook: www.facebook.com/heybbk
Open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Sunday
(SPOT.ph) The first thing you notice about Hey BBK is how bright it is—a stark contrast to its surroundings.
Located at the cinema floor of SM North EDSA, Hey BBK is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team, Rich and Maxine Sanz. If their names sound familiar, it’s because they’re also behind brands like Butternut Bakery, Bibingkinitan, and Ginza Gyu, to name a few.
Hey BBK is the couple’s first foray into a full-service restaurant. “This is basically the fruit of all our travels,” says Max.
“What we love in other countries is that the cafe culture is very much alive,” says Rich. “It’s really about appreciating specialty coffee—good beans, good baristas.”
“We wanted that to be reflected here, that love for coffee and encouraging other Filipinos to appreciate good coffee as well,” Rich adds.
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Despite being inspired by coffee shops abroad, Hey BBK retains a distinct Filipino flair, from its interiors down to its menu. “What ties everything together is our Filipino pride,” says Rich.
That Filipino pride is clear once you step into Hey BBK—think Japanese Zen remixed with traditional Filipino elements, such as locally sourced bricks, solihiya chairs, and rattan fencing. There are also tons of indoor plants for plantitos and plantitas, as well as a floor-to-ceiling mirror for Instagram selfies.
It’s warm and welcoming, bright, and cheery—a contrast to the dark cinemas that surround the restaurant. “We want to make everyone feel welcome in our space–from the food, to the experience,” says Max.
The food and drinks are also distinctly Filipino. Start off with the Crispy Kangkong Chips (P180), a sweet and salty appetizer that’s laced with an alamang and bagoong-maple glaze for that extra umami kick. It comes with a creamy garlic dip that helps balance out all of the flavors.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Filipino cafe without rice dishes. There’s the Truffle Bacsilog Bowl (P350), which comes with crispy bacon, butter mushroom garlic rice, a perfectly cooked sunny side up egg, caramelized onions, fried leeks, and a creamy truffle sauce. The truffle’s distinct flavor hits you first but it’s quickly balanced out by the saltiness of the bacon, the umami of the fried leeks and garlic rice, and the sweetness of the caramelized onions.
The Angus Pares Bowl (P330), meanwhile, is a fancier version of our favorite roadside pares. It’s a hearty bowl made up of tender beef, garlic chips, fried leeks, a boiled egg, and spring onions. The famous pares broth is absent from this version but one bite of the ginger garlic fried rice and you’ll immediately notice that they’ve incorporated that unique broth flavor into the rice.
A brunch staple, chicken and waffles, also gets a Filipino twist at Hey BBK. The Fried Chicken and Bibingka (P420) noticeably swaps out waffles for fluffy, buttery bibingka and you won’t miss it a bit. The fried chicken is ultra-crispy too, resulting in a nice contrast of textures and flavors–sweet and salty, fluffy and crunchy.
The Ube French Toast (P420) meanwhile was made for those who prefer their breakfast or brunch items to be on the sweeter side. Made with homemade ube brioche stuffed with whipped cream cheese and langka, this french toast is custardy on the inside with a nice crust on the outside.
As for drinks, the bestselling Peach Mango Fruit (P190) and Ube Latik Latte (P170) lean more on the sweeter side, with the former reminding you of that ever famous fast food dessert, this time with a more floral aftertaste, and the latter reminiscent of melted ube ice cream.
There’s pastry-inspired drinks too, such as the coconutty and cheesy Bibingka Latte (P170), which almost feels like a warm hug on a rainy day, and the Tres Leches Latte (P170), perfect for those who love their coffee on the milky side. For those who prefer their coffee black however, there’s the Espresso Lemon Soda (P150), a fizzy and citrusy drink that’ll make anyone feel refreshed.
With Rich and Max also being behind Butternut Bakery, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that desserts at Hey BBK come in the form of cakes.
There’s the Bibingka Cheesecake (P225/slice, P1800/whole), a tart and creamy dessert that comes with a nice salted egg crumble for a contrast of textures and the Pastillas Milk Cake (P160/slice, P1,200/whole), a tres leches-like confection that comes with sweet pastillas filling and a homemade pastillas right on top.
There’s a neon sign right by Hey BBK’s entrance that exclaims, “Brew, brunch, bond.” It’s a perfect summary of what this place has to offer: good coffee, good eats, and a good place to kick back and work or catch up with loved ones.
Photos by Vincent Coscolluela
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