By Nico Erle Ciriaco
FROM Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Naci Café Lounge has retraced its steps to its original site in Greenhills, still offering good food that is both comforting and robust in flavor—the way its consultant, Chef Ed Quimson, always envisioned it to be.
Start the gustatory journey with Smoked Salmon Salad, a hefty plate of mixed greens tossed with honey lemon oil dressing, garnished with morsels of smoked salmon, onion rings, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan shavings. From there, you can opt to follow it up with the Beef Caldereta Lasagna, a pasta dish with layers of homemade lasagna with beef caldereta filling and topped with mozarella cheese that’s served with focaccia bread.
Naci has kept all of its bestsellers in the move, but also added new and exciting dishes. Red-meat lovers would delight in its Bistek Lechon Kawali, a platter of pork belly fried crispy twice and served with classic bistek sauce and garlic rice. Or, if you’re into seafood, you may want to sample the Grilled Mahi-mahi, a fillet dish topped with dill cream, served with buttered veggies and parsley rice.
Its sister establishment, NC Ramen, has opened for business right beside Naci, and offers a whole range of Japanese dishes highlighting its specialty dishes of ramen and gyoza. You can also choose from a wide array of Nippon staples, like sashimi, sushi, maki and temaki, selected donburi, such as katsudon, tori katsu curry, beef tenderloin, tonkatsu, tori karaage and yasai tempura. The restaurant has 12 kinds of ramen to choose from.
For more varieties, diners can cross order from either Naci Café Lounge or NC Ramen. “This venture came as a natural progression. Aside from being a food lover, Naci Nocom, the owner of these two restaurants, used to own Cosmo Bar that also offered food selections. So when I met Chef Ed during my stint as cohost to Issa Litton on a show, he helped streamline the cuisine that Naci wanted,” Managing Director Lovely Rivero said.
The actress revealed that she enrolled in a basic culinary course at the Academy for International Culinary Arts (she did well in pasta dishes) for her to fully understand the rigors of the kitchen and restaurant business.
Consistently good food, good ambiance, chillout music, superb cocktails and beers, as well as fine service, are what make diners feel right at home at Naci Café Lounge. To also cater to night owls and early birds, both restaurants have created an “Early Chow” menu, a selection of Filipino breakfast favorites that include ramen and gyoza.
This is perfect for a last-stop meal before heading home after a nightout partying or a delightful breakfast before going to work. Aside from this, Naci Café Lounge also has put together a bar chow menu, a selection of delectable appetizers that can be enjoyed with your preferred cocktails or drink while indulging in good music and the cozy ambiance.
“We also have monthly specials to perk up the menu. We are also open to functions, company meetings, as well as intimate events, where we streamline the setting to your specifications,” outlet Manager Nathan Nocom said.
Naci Café Lounge (www.facebook.com/cafenaci) and NC Ramen fuse the best of comfort-food dining and take it to a whole new level. Visit them at the Fox Square Building on Connecticut Street in Greenhills.