Eats all here in Uptown’s vertical city

MANILA, Philippines – As cities grow and urban populations expand, there’s an urgent need to find ways to house communities of people and allow them to move around a certain location with ease.

In Metro Manila where lands have grown scarce, expanding cities horizontally has become close to impossible. And so mega developers are now going back to the drawing board to create “vertical cities” to host vast amounts of people within a limited space.

However, vertical cities are far more complex than building skyscrapers and simply expanding on it. You have to think of ways to allow people to enjoy their own private space but still be able to interact, celebrate milestones, or exchange ideas with the rest of the community. You have to factor in how to best integrate lush spaces to give them ample breathing room, while also bringing them closer to a variety of essentials, such as schools, hospitals, and leisure spots. There should be shops and office buildings too, and people should be able to access vital transport nodes and other key institutions, all within their reach.

More importantly, beyond being a mere dense cluster of concrete towers that share a common space, a vertical city should be designed with its residents and locators in mind.

That’s exactly the kind of character Uptown Bonifacio, Megaworld Corporation’s 15.4-hectare township in Taguig City, has come into as it shapes up fast to be the local archetype of a vertical city.

In a place where you have so many people under one roof—50,000 workers, 60,000 mall goers, and about 3,000 residents—you definitely need to have good platforms of connection to allow people to move from one corner of the township to the next. In this regard, Uptown Bonifacio represents Megaworld’s commitment to making vertical cities flourish.

In this township, everything—its residential towers, office buildings, and even the malls (Uptown Mall and Uptown Parade)—are fully interconnected through an elaborate network of bridges, underground passages, and elevated walkways that provide adequate spaces to live, work, and play. Soon, residents and office workers can also connect to the rest of the metro in an instant via a skytrain and a subway.

There’s also an expansive pocket garden found at the deck of Uptown Mall, which serves as the jump off point for people—whether it’s the residents who call the township their home, office workers, or mall goers who make the community buzz with excitement—to explore the different facets of the township. There’s even a chapel and other nooks where people can enjoy a quiet time and meditate.

Home of the ‘firsts’

At the heart of the township is Uptown Mall, which houses everything the residents and office workers need—retail outlets, fashion boutiques, groceries, drugstores, appliance store, medical facilities, gym and most importantly, world-class dining outlets.

Known as home to a formidable collection of “firsts” on the Philippine dining scene, the newly-crowned “Shopping Center of the Year” awardee is where one can find America’s Texas Roadhouse and Denny’s (at Uptown Parade), Japan’s Hello Kitty Café, Australia’s Harry’s, and Japan’s Tendon Kohaku, Singapore’s Olivia & Co., the Michelin-star Tim Ho Wan and Salvatore Cuomo’s maiden stores in the country.

Joining the roster are three new restaurants—Menya Kokoro, General’s Lechon and Q House—that are sure to whet the appetite of food-loving Pinoys.

Menya Kokoro

Soupless ramen, anyone? MenyaKokoro, which started the “soupless ramen” (mazesoba) craze in Tokyo, teases the taste buds of noodle-loving Pinoys with the opening of its first outlet in the country. Although Menya Kokoro uses soba noodles (not actually ramen), it combines the typical rich flavors of ramen—minus the broth. This is the culinary creation of chef Takuma Ishikawa, who opened his first shop in Tokyo in 2013. Ishikawa invented his own kokoro (minced-meat recipe, which is used in most of his noodle bowls). The menu may be simple, but there’s a lot to choose from. And since it was my first time to try mazesoba, I ordered the most expensive item on the menu: Zenbu Mazesoba (P470), which has elements most similar to a typical bowl of ramen with the addition of menma (bamboo shoots). As soon as I got my order, the waitstaff instructed me to mix everything well to make sure that I get all the toppings in each bite. The mixture is packed with so much flavor that I got “umay” after a few spoonfuls so I added a few drops of Japanese grain vinegar infused with konbu (seaweed) that’s readily available on each table. Not only does it add acidity and depth to the dish, it’s also a good way to cleanse the palate. At Menya Kokoro, the servings are big. So if you’re dining with friends, order different bowls and share. That way, you get to try everything without hurting your pocket.

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(Menya Kokoro is on the third level, al fresco area. For reservations,?call (0919) 001-9392.)

Let’s meat at General’s Lechon

How do you like your lechon? Let Brian Justin Ong of General’s Lechon count the ways. “At General’s Lechon, customers can choose from four variants: the Original, Garlic, Chili- Garlic and Curry,” enthused Ong who started the business with his wife Lynette in 2006.

Ong’s family hails from San Carlos City in Negros Occidental. And just like Cebu, Negros takes pride in its roasted suckling pig, which is a cross between Cebu lechon, which is a bit salty, Bacolod lechon with a hint of sourness, and the Manila lechon, which is best enjoyed with liver sauce. “My wife is the reason why I decided to put up General’s Lechon,” shared Ong. “While we were still dating, I brought Lynette to San Carlos where she had her first taste of the town’s famed roasted pig. She kept talking about it when we got back to Manila. And so on her birthday, I brought to Manila one of the best lechoneros in San Carlos. The guests talked about the lechon long after the party’s over.” In 2006, Ong opened a takeout lechon counter at the Petron gas station in Dasmariñas Village, right across from DusitThani Hotel. “The response was overwhelming,” said Ong. “Early this year, we decided to take General’s Lechon to a whole new level with the opening of our first and only food stall at Uptown Food Hall.”

We had our fill of the moist, tender and best- selling Garlic Lechon (the only variant available in the Food Hall), lechon paksiw, lechon sisig that goes well with ice-cold soda or a bottle of beer; and the garlic longganisa that Ong made himself..

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(General’s Lechon is at the Food Hall, fourth floor, Uptown Mall.)

Q House: Quirky can be delicious

Quirks Novelties and Curiosities, my go-to shop for unique, fun and—yes—quirky gift items, ventured into the food business with the opening of Q House. In this quirky cafe, the stars are its milkshakes, frozen yogurts and flatbreads. The menu plays around with pairs, whether it’s sweet and salty, hot and cold, healthy or indulgent. I personally love the yogurt with sweet banana fritters and the Brownie Points Milkshake, which has a chocolate-fudge brownie milkshake topped with a moist brownie.

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(Q House is on the fourth floor of Uptown Mall.)

Melt: Sweet dreams are made of cheese

If you’re the type of foodie who thinks everything tastes better with cheese, then head off to Melt, the gourmet “grilled cheesery” that never ceases to melt the heart of epicures.

Melt, which opened its first restaurant at Uptown Mall, serves every possible rendition of cheese there is—from a wide variety of melted cheeses to homemade cheesecakes for dessert. At Melt, the grilled cheese sandwiches are huge and come with an equally hefty serving of crisp kamote chips and specialty sauces on the side. Melt had me at Bacon Mac & Grilled Cheese. Spilling out like a tease, the melted cheese oozes from the bread and spreads over to the maple-glazed bacon strips, fried to perfection. Owned and operated by chef James Torres and his wife Chessie, the cheesery is IG-ready, too. The staff knows that your iPhone eats first so everything that comes out of the kitchen is not only delicious, but looks good, too! So grab that selfie stick under your table, set the timer and say cheese!

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(Melt Grilled Cheesery is on the third level of Uptown Mall. For reservations, call or SMS (0917) 892-4377.)