Bench Cafe at Greenbelt 3

I was invited to an opening of Bench Cafe in Makati by a PR friend and I was surprised that Bench, A very well known apparel shop in the Philippine has its own cafe/ restaurant. Honestly, I asked my nephew about this place if he’s familiar with the place since he’s updated to such kind of place. He told me yes and he had seen one but that’s in High street in the fort, but haven’t tried. So, the invite for the launching I guess is for their second branch since My nephew told me that he had seen a Bench Cafe in BGC. I’m kinda curious and I wanna see place and try on what they have.

Went there and my nephew was right, learned that the first Bench cafe in BGC is celebrating its first year anniversary and it also announces its expansion through a second branch, which is now open in Greenbelt 3. Wow.

A partnership between FOODEE Global Concepts, one of Manila’s largest multi-brand food groups run by father and son tandem Rikki and Eric Dee, and Suyen Corporation, headed by Chairman Ben Chan, President Virgilio Lim and Vice-President for business development Bryan Lim, Bench Café is now turning into a full-fledged restaurant with the opening of its second branch. With over three decades of experience under its belt, the FOODEE group created a restaurant concept that was uniquely Bench, applying Suyen’s retail philosophies to what — in just a year — became a successful culinary venture.

The COO of FOODEE Global Concepts Eric Dee shares, “Bench Café brings traditions from all over the islands to create flavors that are distinctively Filipino, in a style that is uniquely Bench, and that is casual but sophisticated, simple but substantial, local but global — all at good price points. We are proud and happy to continue to partner with Suyen Corporation in Bench Café’s expansion and bringing its unique flavors to more Filipinos as we open our second restaurant in Greenbelt 3.”

Bench Café celebrates classic Filipino dishes by giving them a global, sophisticated twist, much like what the brand does with their retail endeavours. The restaurant’s growing popularity is owed to a unique dining concept that delivers a sensory experience through its well-designed and inviting interiors, and a mouth-watering selection of interesting and satisfying dishes.

About the Menu –

Baked Caramelised Custard with Macapuno

The menu are Filipino favourites with elements of traditional and modern Pinoy cooking, and fusion meals that adopts culinary traditions from different cultures. This, combined with its commitment to using only high-quality local ingredients, has made Bench Café a go-to restaurant for office workers looking for a delicious and satisfying lunch, families and kids bonding over food on weekends and companies celebrating milestones for special events.

I personally agree on this, I notice that the majority of the local food served were done in a different way. I may say, Fusion? I really love this food challenge.

Here are the must-try:

The Crispy Lumpia Cones with Tinapa Mousse and Salsa

The Sisig Lettuce Cups with Calamansi Foam, the Crispy Lumpia Cones with Tinapa Mousse and Salsa, the Tsoknut Ice Cream Sandwich (toa

sted ensaymada filled with tsoknut ice cream), and the Flan B (leche flan with macapuno).

They do also have a bento style combo meals like the B6 (Dancing Fish, Kaldereta, Crispy Dilis, Bench Salsa, plain rice), the B8 (Lechon Kawali, Laing, Atsara, Bench Salsa, plain rice), and the B12 (Pork BBQ, Gising-Gising, Green Mango Salad, Bench Salsa, plain rice). The café also features other Pinoy dining table staples such as street food, rice, silog, merienda, halo-halo, and kapeng barako.

Anyway, Bench Café is located at the second floor of the newly opened Bench flagship store at 9 th  Ave. cor. Lane O, Bonifacio High Street, BGC, and at 2/F of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center Makati. For more updates, follow Bench Café on Facebook and @benchcafeph on Instagram.