Here, brunch is not a time slot — it’s a vibe
So says Rainbow Sanchez, a marketer who partnered with entrepreneur Wilson Co and nutritionist Xavier Calibo to found Dear Darling, a charming new brunch place along Katipunan Avenue near St. Ignatius and Blue Ridge.
First, the name. Dear Darling was named after the term of endearment Sanchez’s parents called each other. It felt less sappy than “Hi, Honey” or “Hello, Sweetheart,” but still catchy enough to be memorable.
Then there’s the look of the place, which matches the appeal of its moniker. “We were inspired by Wes Anderson movies,” notes Co, a creative businessman who also established Int.Bar/Ext.Cafe, barbershop Barber’s Tale MNL, and skateboard shop Kick Machine in Cubao Ex.
Sanchez is his fiancée, and the Wes Anderson fan who names The Grand Budapest Hotel as her favorite among his movies. “The whole palette (of the restaurant), we based it on Wes Anderson's color palettes.”
Pastel pink, orange and yellow give Dear Darling its sunny ambience, while an alcove with numbered mailboxes on the wall adds to the quirky detail and symmetry Anderson is known for. “And then we chose Art Deco because of the brass finishes,” Sanchez says. “The arches on the second floor — it took us four tries because it had to be symmetric.”
Calibo is a nutritionist who loves to make Dear Darling’s ingredients from scratch, from the rice milk in the Horchata to the jams and pasta. Together with Co, they started by making their own sausages for a sausage stand. Not only is it more cost-effective to make your own ingredients, Calibo says; it’s also a way to ensure that the quality of the food stays consistent.
Dear Darling is not just a brunch place; they also serve coffee drinks and comfort food like pasta dishes and fried chicken, and the upstairs is a bar that opens at 5 p.m. and keeps swinging till midnight. There they play house music and Top 40 hits — “music you can nod your head to,” says Co — and feature trivia nights and live acts like Tarsius on the weekends.
The menu is full of reasonably priced brunch favorites like Bacon and Eggs with Hash Brown (P330), Mixed Berries Waffles (P250) and a Steak Sandwich (P330). More unique are choices like the Croque Madame, a ham-and-cheese sandwich topped with melted cheese and a fried egg (P380), and the Caesar Sandwich, pan-seared chicken breast with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and Caesar dressing in ciabatta bread.
I had the Salmon Rillette Eggs Benedict (P330), while Scott had the Monte Cristo, ham and cheese sandwiched between two slices of French toast and served with strawberry jam on the side. As a brunch fan I could eat food like this all day, and one of the advantages of Dear Darling is that you’re not limited to pairing your food with a mimosa; thanks to Co’s experience with Int.Bar, Dear Darling’s cocktails and extensive drinks menu are truly exceptional. To line my stomach at that hour (11 a.m.) I first tried the house-made Horchata (P180) and it was perfect — creamy rice milk lightly spiced with cinnamon and sweetened by vanilla — so refreshing on ice.
Dear Darling’s owners are all music fans, which inspired them to print a record/CD-shaped drinks menu. Their signature cocktails are all named after popular songs, and listed as tracks on Side A and Side B. Scott tried #1, Dancing in the Moonlight, an effervescent mix of house-made limoncello, raspberry vodka, champagne acid and a purple sphere containing violet liquor. Co and Calibo love experimenting with such molecular techniques in their cocktails, like jellification and clarification, and creating infusions like bacon whisky.
I had a cocktail called All I Need, which is Dear Darling’s take on a red sangria, combining house-made mulled wine with Aperol, rum, and fruits like apples, oranges and blueberries. I have to say I like it even more than sangria, because the mulled wine gives it a sweeter, rounder, heftier flavor.
Scott tried their Orange Coffee, a frothy and refreshingly blended mix of espresso, orange pulp, syrup and egg white, topped with an orange wedge. Memories of orange Creamsicles with subtle coffee shadings made this a winner.
Since Dear Darling is located along Katips — with ample parking outside and in the basement level — it’s very close to where we live. I’m thrilled we now have a new neighborhood restaurant we can keep going back to for Sunday brunch, inventive cocktails, and feel like we’re in a Wes Anderson movie.
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Dear Darling is located at Citigold Plaza, 175 Katipunan Avenue, Bayanihan, Quezon City, and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 12 midnight Monday to Thursday and until 1 a.m. Friday to Sunday. Follow them at Dear Darling Restaurant on FB and @dear.darling.ph on Instagram and TikTok.
