Uptown Bonifacio: The hottest, hippest new place in the city

Guess where everybody is going these days? Where new franchise restaurants awaited for decades by well-traveled Filipinos are opening their first outlets in the Philippines?  

If you’re like me who loves the concept of American diners with their fluffy pancakes drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped with slices of banana, those thick milkshakes and breakfast skillets that you can have any time of the day, those hearty hamburgers, philly sandwiches, and steaks with a side of eggs — then you know Denny’s.    

My first visit to a Denny’s was in New York many years ago and later in LA on a road trip through the West Coast with friends. I loved that the servings can be shared and that you can have breakfast fare for lunch or dinner. And as many American restaurants found their way to the Philippines, I’ve always wondered why Denny’s hasn’t — until now.

Because Denny’s just opened its first outlet in the Philippines and for its location they chose the hottest, hippest new place in the city — Uptown Bonifacio, the 15.4-hectare township by top developer Megaworld Corporation.

Uptown Bonifacio brings new life to the heart of Fort Bonifacio, the fastest-growing and most impressive new address in the Philippines, with an array of firsts including restaurants and stores and a Vegas-style dancing fountain outside the mall. Watching water spouting out and dancing to music, lights and fire is really relaxing.

Uptown Mall anchors Uptown Bonifacio as it redefines the way people live, work and play by putting everything they need within reach to give city dwellers more joy and quality time rather than stress.

The five-level lifestyle mall is the “play” component in this master-planned township. It is also the new venue of choice for lifestyle events and launches. Apart from the mall, there’s Uptown Parade, which has a bevy of sought-after restaurants. 

A first in Fort Bonifacio are the mall’s five cinemas that run 24 hours on weekends and put leisure time at your convenience. Now you remove the stress of trying to catch the last full show after you’re done with your weekend errands. Or if you want to avoid traffic altogether, try catching the latest local or Hollywood movie in at 2 a.m. These are five luxurious theaters with the latest in screen and sound technology, including a VIP Cinema featuring leather recliners and a butler who brings all the popcorn and drinks you want to your seat so you don’t miss a single scene.

Want to let your hair down and party till morning? Head to the biggest superclub in the Philippines, The Palace, with Valkyrie Nightclub and Pool Club — two of the six sections of the superclub — and we really mean super club! The parties are legendary with international DJs taking the party to a level never seen before in the city.  

The Palace earned a spot (No. 61) in DJ Mag’s 2016 Top 100 Clubs in the world, citing the year before seeing “pretty much everyone in the commercial dance-sphere grace the decks, from Steve Aoki and Alesso to Martin Garrix and Kaskade all rocking out alongside body-popping robots and CO2 explosions in true Vegas style.”

Filipinos love to eat and no other question is more often asked than “Saan tayo kakain?” Uptown Mall can answer that question in so many ways.

Apart from Denny’s, international outlets have opened their flagship restaurants at Uptown Mall alongside well-loved homegrown concepts.

Texas Roadhouse, founded in Indiana, is on the fourth floor. Known for its hand-cut steaks, fall-off-the-bone ribs, sides and freshly baked bread, it provides large portions so diners get more bang for their buck. It also serves sandwiches such as pulled pork, barbecue chicken and burgers. It has brought to the Philippines, too, its tradition of friendly service and jukebox fun.

Morganfield’s on the second floor is also an American diner offering the biggest and juiciest pork ribs. Their heavyweight hero, Sticky Bones, is prime pork rib slowly baked and smoked for hours in coal and hickory wood then grilled to perfection. It also offers Iberico Baby Back ribs from Spain. Morganfield’s also offers various types of dining areas, from the breezy al fresco area to the bar and the casual long tables and benches.

Moe’s Southwest Grill at the fourth level of Uptown Mall is one of America’s favorite Tex-Mex chains known for using fresh ingredients in their meaty burritos like the Homewrecker or the loaded Steak Tacos, which both use grass-fed Australian steak. For the health conscious there’s the vegetarian burrito bowl, and free chips and salsa with every order.

Buffalo Wild Wings on the fourth level is another American fave for its hand-spun wings drenched and coated with up to 21 varieties of flavorful sauces.

Peperoni Pizzeria on the third floor opens its first branch in the Philippines. Their flagship wood-fired pizzas include flavors like Frutti de Mare, an ideal option for seafood lovers, classic Pepperoni and Cheese staple the Diavola, Prosciutto Crudo di Parma and Bacon Miel. At Peperoni Pizzeria they have a quirky saying that goes “All We Knead is Love” and the restaurant’s motto accurately sums up the experience.

Crossing the Pacific are the top Asian restos from Japan and Hong Kong.

The Michelin-star restaurant Tim Ho Wan on the upper ground floor offers a supper menu and is open until 3 a.m., perfect for clubbers and people working late. Ever get those cravings when restos are normally closed? With Tim Ho Wan at Uptown Mall, you can get fried pork buns at 3 a.m.! Founded in 2009, the world-famous dimsum empire created by Mak Kwai-Pui started as a humble hole-in- the-wall eatery in Hong Kong. It was so good that it was awarded its Michelin Star the same year it was launched.

Ippudo on the ground has become a fave of Filipinos for its rich Hakata-style ramen. Its menu includes Shiromaru Motoaji, Ippudo’s classic ramen with a milky pork bone broth served with ultra-thin noodles, slices of pork loin, bean sprouts, kikurage and spring onions.

Paper Moon Café on the second floor is a cake boutique and café from Tokyo combining French baking and meticulous Japanese skills. What makes it different from other creperies is the Original Mille Crepe, a work of art literally meaning “a thousand crepes” and often referred to as the Crepe Cake, the trademark of the café. The Original Mille Crepe has no less than twenty refined, paper-thin crepes, layered with delectable light pastry cream, all topped and finished with golden, caramelized crust. 

Flatiron on the ground floor is a brand-new concept by 1771 Group of Restaurants. Inspired by New York’s bistros, Flatiron infuses comfort food with the modern and fast-paced lifestyle of New York. The 1771 Group of restaurants has over 25 years of restaurant experience with a popular lineup of dining establishments like Chateau 1771, Cafe 1771 and Sentro 1771. With Flatiron, it expands to urban comfort cuisine in their first ever New York-style concept. Flatiron features modern interiors and dishes a beef brisket slow-cooked for six hours.

El Corazon on the second floor offers fiesta favorites by chef Florabel Co-Yatco, who re-envisions vibrant Spanish cuisine with her ability to bring fine dining a little touch of home. The new menu includes Girona or bulaklak ng kalabasa stuffed with kesong puti on tomato sauce, the Bernardo, which is a beef tenderloin salpicao and pan de sal.

Fely J’s on the third floor treats diners to home-style meals made with love with such dishes as Temple Crab, Dilis-cious Rice, Tilapia with Sweet Plum Sauce and their best-selling take on a classic Filipino favorite, Lola Ising’s Adobo. The warmth is reflected in the interior of the restaurant itself with nostalgic black and white photos that make guests feel as if they too are members of Fely J’s family.

Melt on the second floor offers guests a unique journey with different types of cheese with recipes like the Mushroom Truffle Pasta, the Tomato Soup, the Bacon Mac and Grilled Cheesy, the Big Buff and the Classic Melt.

At Uptown Parade, there are more dining destinations. Salvatore Cuomo on the ground floor features one of Asia’s most famous celebrity chefs and this is his first outlet in the Philippines. The Italian-Japanese chef is known for his World Champion Pizzas including creations like DOC or Denominazione di Origine Controllata, is made exclusively with imported Italian ingredients and baked in wood burning ovens. The restaurant also features an in-house café by world champion barista Paul Bassett.

Naxional South American Diner on the second floor features dishes that bring the heart of South America to the Philippines. Try their Camaroes Grelhados and Moqueca from Brazil, the Peruvian Ceviche, the best-selling Paella from Spain, or the Mexican dish Carnitas Flautas and you are sure to crave for more traditional family dishes from across this beautiful continent.

Palate on the second floor is an upscale French Mediterranean restaurant showcasing local and international ingredients by chef Kaye Torres, who trained in Four Seasons Hotel and The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges.

Pampas Latino Bar and Bistro on the ground floor lets you feast on delicacies and exotic grilled meat dishes from Peri, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

Sweet Ecstasy on the second floor is for those looking for a hearty meal such as burgers and wings combos.

Retail stores include luxury brands such as London’s No. 1 men’s shoes retailer Base London; BucketFeet from Chicago, which sells artist-designed sneakers and shoes. Also here are faves such as the first Adidas Originals in the Philippines, and soon to open are to open are every fashionista’s go-to stores such as H&M, the first in Fort Bonifacio, Topshop, Fred Perry and Uniqlo.  

Everyday needs are part of the conveniences that Uptown Mall offers. In the basement level of the mall are Rustan’s Supermarket, Robinsons Appliances, National Book Store, Bruno’s Barbers, Union Bank.

The “live” component is located in the epicenter of Uptown Bonifacio, where luxury living comes to life with Uptown Parksuites, one of three residential condominiums in the development.

Being in the right address also means you’re near your family needs — secondary schools such as International School Manila, British School Manila and Manila Japanese School. An important part of one’s location is being near health facilities and St. Luke’s Medical Center is the best to provide this.

For the “work” component, Uptown Bonifacio is host to some of the most modern and advanced office towers in the country, including the 25-story Alliance Global Tower, the headquarters of Alliance Global Inc., the holding company of Dr. Andrew L. Tan and mother company of Megaworld Corporation.

Both in its commercial and residential buildings, Uptown Bonifacio boasts award-wining innovative architecture and design. Uptown Tower 3 won Best Office Architectural Design in the 4th Annual  Philippine Property Awards, while Uptown Tower 1 won Outstanding Developer for Office in the 2016 Property & Real Estate Awards organized by the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI).

Megaworld is investing P65 billion into the development of Uptown Bonifacio in the next 10 to 20 years as it brings to life its vision. It’s a leader not only in building office towers and residential condominiums or townships, but also in providing great working environments for top BPOs and living spaces for a better life. 

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Follow the author on Instagram and Twitter @iamtanyalara. Check out her travel blog at www.findingmyway.net.