NACI Comfort Food at Bonifacio Global City

If there’s one thing we all (yes, including you!) have in common, it’s our love for pure, unadulterated comfort food. The difference lies on where we find that sense of satisfaction. It could be your nanay’s home-cooked meals, or simply from a restaurant that means business when it comes to comfort food (no pun intended). And we recently discovered one that takes it seriously, they had to add it to their name – NACI Comfort Food.

NACI Comfort Food is a family-owned restaurant located at Bonifacio Global City. We were invited to have a taste of some of their dishes, including their Kid-friendly Meals. Though they’re hours away from our home, we thought it’ll be a perfect time to revisit BGC. The restaurant was initially located at Greenhills, and they later on moved to BGC.

We got to meet Nadine (daughter of Lovely Rivero) and Natasha. They told us a little bit about their restaurant. We initially thought the name was an abbreviation or something, but we later found out that the name “Naci” actually means “rice” in Kapampangan. The menu, however, at NACI Comfort Food is not merely inspired by Kapampangan cuisine, but a fusion of various flavors. Some of the dishes at Naci Comfort Food were even concoctions of the late Chef Ed Quimson. They also have a Cohen-friendly menu. As soon as you enter the restaurant, you’d be welcomed by how cozy the ambiance is inside. The vibrant colors of the chairs, how the tables were arranged, the high ceiling, the interior design and the food quotes on their walls – everything gives you that relaxing feeling, which is the perfect way to start off a comforting meal. It’s the ideal setting after a stressful day, I say. 😉

NACI Comfort Food has this menu on tablets, something I’ve seen in other restaurants. I still prefer to peruse a printed menu, but it’s a nice touch.

Let’s get on with the food we enjoyed that night, shall we? All the dishes were good for sharing (with nanay and Ken). There was a fixed menu for our dinner and, boy, we were full and satisfied after the meal. Starting off with the appetizers, we were served their Truffled Cream of Mushroom soup (Php 295). It has this earthy taste brought about by the puree of fresh wild mushrooms, and there’s cream and truffle oil drizzled on top. I’m beginning to really enjoy the taste of truffle oil, and this time was no exception – a hearty soup full of flavor.

Next up was this small basket of Parmesan Fries with Truffled Mayo Dip (Php 190). They were nice and crunchy and had the right amount of saltiness. The dip complemented the fries very well.

When this big serving of Sisig Foie Gras Wraps arrived at our table, I was instantly intrigued by the flavor combination. I mean, c’mon – foie gras and sisig – who wouldn’t be excited to taste this?

Though I liked this very much, especially with the green mango sauce, there wasn’t enough foie gras in it to satiate my curiosity. It did add an interesting texture and taste.

After the apps, we were then served their Kid-friendly meals, starting with the Crispy Chicken Tenders (Php 320) that they serve with Cajun fries. They were very tender, with a nice crisp outside. The dip that came with it though was a little too salty for our taste. Ken and I agreed that we could eat a whole serving (each) of these chicken tenders all by ourselves. 😀

Next from their kiddie menu are these Barbecue Sliders (Php 285), which were very tasty. There’s a nice balance of sweet and salty that I’m sure kids would love.

They also have this Fish and Chips (Php 285) that are made with Mahi Mahi fish and not the regular Cream Dory that’s usually used for this dish. The fish fillets were flakier and pretty yummy.

When you talk about comfort food for kids, spaghetti easily comes to mind, so it was just logical to have this Spaghetti with Meatballs (Php 340) on NACI Comfort Food’s kid-friendly menu. It’s served with chunky meatballs that had a yummy bite to it.

Needless to say, these Kid-friendly Meals will actually appeal to both adults and kids. Now, let’s move on to the entrees. Yes, we had more food coming! 😀

NACI Comfort Food also caters for health buffs with this Vegetarian Burger (Php 420). The patty is made with wild mushroom and herbs, then topped with cheddar cheese, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts. It’s served in between toasted buns and taro chips. It was quite good for something vegetarian.

The Mongolian Furai Rice Bowl (Php 380) is made with sauteed shrimps, squid, adobo peanuts, and veggies. The rice is flavored with their special Mongolian Barbecue sauce. The toppings are crispy chicken strips, which makes this a whole meal by itself. You have the option to order this spicy too! 🙂

All the food were coming out of their kitchen like they wanted to intentionally stuff us full in minutes. The last entree  to arrive at our table was this Korean Beef Stew. I was quite excited to taste this, and it didn’t disappoint. The beef was juicy, with that almost melts-in-your-mouth feel. The sauce was a little sweet yet delightful. I can eat 2 cups of rice with this on a slow day. 😀

And, finally, DESSERTS! I had high expectations, of course. I mean, for me, no restaurant that specializes in comfort food should take desserts for granted. Am I right? 😛

First up was their Banana Cream Cheese Turon. It was good, but nothing really surprising since we love turon. The cream cheese did add another layer of flavor.

We also were served these samplers of Little Hills Handcrafted Ice Cream in 4 flavors – from top to bottom: Honey Dew (reminded us of Tutti Fruitti), Pistachio (pronounced flavor of the nuts), Banana Walnut, and Strawberry (simple and light).

The first 2 desserts were good, but we fell in love with their Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie. This was THE perfect ending to a lovely dinner. The contrast of temperatures – from the cold vanilla ice cream on top and the warm chocolate chip cookie – and the textures – from the nuts, the creaminess of the ice cream and the crumbly cookie – all came together to give us such a sinful dessert (heavenly, as Ken describes it). For a restaurant that claims to serve straightforwardly delicious comfort food, I expected nothing less. 😉

They weren’t kidding when they named their restaurant NACI Comfort Food. They take it seriously around here. We think they’re menu is on the pricey side, but they’re definitely highly recommended next time you’re looking for a place to dine out with friends or your family. 🙂

NACI Comfort Food

Two Parkade, 7th Avenue corner 30th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig (errr Makati City) Website: www.nacicomfortfood.com Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

NACI Comfort Food’s Menu: