#ChangeYourCravings at The Food Hive Food Park

The north's newest dining destination is about to change your cravings...

The Food Hive Food Park brings together some of the metro's finest and talented chefs and dynamic entrepreneurs in one cool spot along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City. Enjoy a comforting lunch, a light afternoon snack, cocktails, dinner and more without even having to transfer to another place, it's all here at The Food Hive...

Filipino, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and even Bulgarian cuisine and more all under one roof, all 620 square meters of pure, fresh, and creatively inventive cuisine at The Food Hive Food Park. Time to change your cravings at the newest dining destination up north in Quezon City...

The young chefs and owners of the different dining concepts at The Food Hive Food Park hosted our food crawl last Saturday, serving their signature dishes for an afternoon filled with rich and unique flavors. What sets The Food Hive apart from the other food parks is that it's chef-driven, highlighted by some of the metro's best chefs and creative young entrepreneurs offering diners both classic and modern cuisine in a casual yet vibrant al fresco setting. And each concept is distinct and unique, so having a number of dishes from each of the different concepts is the way to go at The Food Hive. Take Chef Nino Laus and his take on modern Japanese cuisine at Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi, or Chef Rosebud Benitez comforting potato bombs at Po-Bo, there's always something new and different to discover at The Food Hive. And there's more. From Chef Ed Buguia's inventive spin on classic comfort food at Blaze Flaming Sizzlers, tasty and innovative wings by Chef Luigi Muhlach's Wingfather and the Fry Mafia, rustic and comforting Italian cuisine and Asian-inspired noodle dishes at Chef Gem Tee's Pappare, Chef Plamen Yordanov's Bulgarian specialties at Yordanovi, to Chef Wado Siman's indulgent frozen creations at Cool Juans, The Food Hive has it all covered to satisfy any craving or appetite. You'll also find all the pork love you need at Bab and Boy's Smokeshack, savory and sweet treats at Bubble Wrap, hearty flavors from south of the border at La Carnita Modern Mexican Cantina, traditional local lamb dishes at the wittingly-named Goatcha, handcrafted cocktails and artisan craft beer at Pixel Stop, sinfully decadent frappes and teas at Mozzafrio, and fresh juices and teas at Juicifi. Read on and take a virtual tour of The Food Hive's tasty and flavorful offerings...     

Once inside the spacious al fresco interiors of The Food Hive, start your dining experience with a refreshing beverage from Juicifi with their line of iced lemonades, juices, teas, and coffee. Using the freshest fruits, teas, and coffee, you get pure freshness in a glass, Tall or Grande. Choose from Fresh Brewed Teas (P 75-Tall/P 95-Grande) like their signature house-brewed Iced Tea, Blueberry Tea, Green Apple Tea, Strawberry Tea, and Yakult Green Tea; Classic Lemonades (P 75-Tall/P 95-Grande) like Cucumber Basil with Lemongrass, Blueberry Lemonade, and Strawberry Lemonade; and Fresh Milk Beverages (P 75-Tall/P 95-Grande) such as Green Apple Fresh Milk and Strawberry Fresh Milk. And there's more. Juicifi's Cocoa Series (P 75-Tall/P 95-Grande) combines the richness of chocolate in a variety of unique beverages like the Cocoa Godzilla and Neslo or the bold notes of freshly brewed Coffee (P 75-Tall/P 95-Grande) with their Iced Cappuccino, Iced Latte Macchiatto, Iced Cafe Latte, Iced Cafe Mocha, and Iced Mochaccino. And when you feel like having a Soda Float (P 55-Tall/P 75-Grande) instead, Juicifi's got that too, with their Rootbeer Float, Sprite Float, and Royal Float.

You can also try something different like Juicifi's Brazilian Lemonade (L), a rich blend of fresh lemonade with condensed milk, or a soothing Honey Lemonade (R), a refreshing thirst-quencher that's perfect when paired with any of The Food Hive's different dishes.

With a refreshing beverage by your side, time to sample some of The Food Hive's savory dishes in a big way with a slab of old-fashioned ribs from Bab and Boy's Smokeshack. At the amusingly-named Bab and Boy's Smokeshack, you'll find their succulent pork back ribs, delicately smoked for hours for that fall-off-the-bone goodness. Tender, juicy, and bursting with rich flavors, you need to get down and dirty to properly enjoy Bab and Boy's Smokeshack's signature ribs, so go ahead, use your hands. Draped with their homemade sweet, tart, and smoky barbecue sauce, it's a meal in itself. Depending on your appetite, have your Bab and Boy's Smokeshack ribs in Single (P 220 with rice and one side), Buddy (P 350 with a half-slab and two sides, serves two), Shack Attack (P 700 with a full slab and two sides, serves four) or the Deli Buster (P 720 with a full slab in four flavors and three sides, serves four).

Bab and Boy's Smokeshack's Deli Buster (P 720) is the best way to acquaint yourself with their signature ribs glazed in different sauces like Original, Garlic, Chili, and Hickory BBQ. The Deli Buster comes with three sides and you can choose from Java Rice, Macaroni and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, and Mixed Vegetables (P 50 per side for additional orders).  Each sauce offers distinct flavors, but it's the fall-off-the-bone ribs that really drives home the pure and honest flavors of pork, a culmination of long hours of smoking under low fire. The charred ends deliver robust smoky notes, capped by the juicy pork for a satisfying meal at The Food Hive.

Chef Ed Buguia lets you explore the iconic pork sisig with his rich variations at Blaze Flaming Sizzlers, like the Sizzling Bulalo Sisig, with tender and crisp pork mask, torched cabbage and corn, and roasted bone marrow slathered with their signature gravy. At Blaze Flaming Sizzlers, the signature gravy is poured on the sizzling cast-iron skillet and lit for that dramatic fiery entrance. It's sisig taken to the next level. The blue flame releases that fragrant aroma, and it's time to dig in...

The soft and crunchy pork mask add texture to the dish, capped by the savory gravy. But it's the bone marrow that absolutely takes this dish over the top, with its buttery richness capping an indulgent sisig makeover. The torched corn and cabbage completes the dish with its fresh and subtle sweet notes for balance. And Chef Ed Buguia has more sisig creations to whet your appetite. Sisig with cheese and chicken skin? Absolutely. At Blaze Flaming Sizzlers, you'll find other savory and sizzling options including their Sizzling Steak and Rice, Sizzling Burger Steak with Cheese Core and Corn Mash, Fried Chicken with Cheese and Corn Mash, and Sizzling Lengua with Gravy.

One of the unique dining concepts at The Food Hive is Goatcha, with its suggestive name identifying it as the place for local lamb and native goat meat dishes. Goatcha offers familiar local dishes using fresh goat meat, from Sinampalukan, Papaitan, Goat Sisig, Adobo, Goat Pares, Mutton Curry, Salt and Pepper Cabrito, Lamb Chops with Garlic Rosemary, to their Chevon Burgers. The only premium gourmet dining concept specializing in native and fresh goat meat, Goatcha also advocates a healthy and natural farm-to-table approach with each of their dishes. Goat meat is known for its many health benefits, including a potent source for Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) that aids in easing inflammatory conditions, and with its lean meat, a healthy option at The Food Hive. Start with their sour, tart and spicy Kilawin (P 185 with Rice/P 160-Half/P 285-Full), with fresh and raw goat meat marinated in calamansi and chili served with thin slices of cucumbers. The gamey notes of the fresh goat meat are tempered by the bold flavors of the calamansi and chili, rounded out by the refreshing hints of the cucumber slices. One bite triggers fond memories of childhood summers in Pampanga when my grandfather used to prepare a similar dish, one of the many regional rites of passage dishes that form part of growing up.

Goatcha's Cabrito Caldereta (P 195 with Rice/P 170 Half/P 295 Full), with tender chunks of goat meat covered in a thick tomato-based sauce with just a whisper of heat pairs well with a steaming bowl of white rice (P 30) for another complete meat at The Food Hive. Fork-tender with just a hint of the familiar gamey notes, the Cabrito Caldereta is another unique dish from this specialty dining concept. Cap your meal on a high note with Goatch's indulgent Duck Egg Flan (P 60) for that perfect finish. 

Sushi, yakitori and highballs? Game on. Continue your tour of culinary mash-up at The Food Hive with award-winning Chef Nino Laus at Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi and his creative reinterpretation of modern Japanese cuisine. From starters to mains, desserts, and cocktails, Chef Nino Laus combines freshness and authenticity with a bold, modern, and daring approach to flavors with his impressive creations at Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi. Start with Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi's plump and succulent Oyster Motoyaki (P 195), with baked oysters topped with chili-garlic mayo and cauliflower puree, with the delicate and briny sweetness of the oysters complemented by the creamy mayo and sweet puree...

...and the signature Hamaru Soft-Shell Crab Roll (P 430) topped with crab meat, tasty bites guaranteed to get you in the proper Japanese groove.

Chef Nino Laus offers a wide variety of Yakitori, like the Tsukume Shiso (P 120), a pair of skewered chicken meatballs with fried chicken skin and battered shiso leaf served with a creamy egg yolk as your dipping sauce. The smooth and creamy richness of the egg adds a unique flavor to the chicken skewer, definitely different and new. It's these bold and innovative flavors that make Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi such a pleasure to dine in, where traditional flavors are reinvented with new and exciting touches. Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi also offers all the traditional assortment of chicken yakitori, including Negima (chicken thigh with scallions), Tebasaki (chicken wings), Yotsuni (chicken wings with wasabi), Bonjiri (chicken tail), Hatsu (chicken heart), Sunagimo (chicken gizzard), Reba (chicken liver), and Kawa (chicken skin).  Pair your yakitori with Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi's extensive selection of Japanese whisky, sake, and beer...perfect.

Not to be missed is Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi's Black Sakura (P 195), another unique dish created by Chef Nino Laus, with crunchy chicharon bulaklak coated in squid ink and laid on creamy uni oyster sauce, best paired with their signature Highballs, like the classic Suntory Kakubin (P 240).

And you just have to try one of Chef Nino Laus' creative and tasty mash-ups like the appetizing Nori Taco (P 275), small bite-sized tacos of salmon and nori deep-fried in tempura batter. The contrasting textures make each bite so refreshing, with the creamy salmon and nori weaving its own distinct notes. Inari Gunkan Maki, Aburi Sushi, Kushiyaki, and even Wagyu Steak, turning Japanese at Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi is easy. Dine al fresco, or go inside the air-conditioned and spacious two-level interiors of Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi for another round of yakitori, sushi, and highballs (for more on Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi, see my next post, #HamaruLetsGo: A Night-Out at Hamaru Yakitori & Sushi). 

You can have the usual nachos, or try something different like La Carnita Modern Mexican Cantina's Grilled Nachos Ala Bomba (P 195), with thin and crisp nachos grilled for that perfect crunch. That's right, the nachos are grilled and not baked or fried for clean flavors. The grilled nachos are just perfectly crunchy, and it's next to impossible to stop after one bite. It's also the first-ever grilled nachos in the metro, just one more reason to check out The Food Hive. The Nachos Ala Bomba are then topped with richly seasoned Mexican-style beef, Cheddar and Mozzarella, and their signature La Carnita Cheese Sauce right at your table. It's that added ritual, with the servers laying the special cheese sauce on the nachos that add to your dining experience. The dish is served with your choice of La Carnita Modern Mexican Cantina's signature dips, the tart Tomato-Cucumber Salsa, the creamy Cilantro Sauce, the spicy green Chili Verde, and the equally spicy red Chili el Bomba.  You just can't say no to nachos. And cheese. So just go with the flow and grab another crunchy piece...

Complete your Mexican flavors with their Carnitas Quesadillas (P 160), a grilled flour tortilla stuffed with Cheddar, Mozzarella, caramelized onions, and a choice of carnitas served with shredded lettuce, Cucumber Salsa, creamy Cilantro Sauce and spicy Chili El Bomba Sauce. The Carnitas Quesadillas are the perfect light snack paired with an ice-cold beer. It's nice to add another spot to your list of all-time Mexican favorites, and La Carnita Modern Mexican Cantina fits the bill with their line of Soft Tacos, Crispy Tacos, Burrito Wraps, and Quesadillas.

Pasta in a cone? Why not. Pappare offers rustic Italian cuisine and some inventive linguine and spagheti pasta dishes infused with bold Asian flavors for a new experience. Think of it as Little Italy and Chinatown converging at the heart of Quezon City right here at The Food Hive. And when they serve your pasta in a cone, you just know it's different. And special. Just let Chef Gem Tee take you on a flavorful fusion of flavors with her original and playfully creative culinary style...

Pappare's Panini de Porchetta (P 235), a soft and lightly crisp "hot-branded" brioche bun with nutty Pappare pesto topped with a hefty and thick slab of juicy and crunchy porchetta, arugula, and balsamic caramelized onions, is one of those must-try dishes at The Food Hive. The almost one inch thick pork belly is masterfully executed, with its juicy meat contrasting with its crisp and crunch crackling for textural contrasts in every bite. The sweet balsamic caramelized onions adds another flavorful layer, with the arugula and pesto rounding out the flavors. 

A slice of Pappare's Panini di Porchetta reveals just how thick the pork belly is, with its mildly sweet notes kicked-up by the delectable crispness of the crackling for another comforting meal at The Food Hive. Wash it all down with their special Drunk Confucius (P 150), their spin on the classic limoncello with wine, gin, lemon and dried plum or champoy.

But Chef Gem Tee has even more surprises up her sleeves. At Pappare, you'll find a variety of pasta dishes, including Asian-inspired flavors like the Mee Gamberi Goreng (P 250), with plump shrimps, fishcakes, and earthy shiitake mushrooms topped with special sauce, egg, and crispy shallots for another comforting option. The hand-pulled noodles deliver just the right amount of firmness, followed by the briny notes of the fresh shrimps, the delicate sweetness of the fish cakes, the nutty shiitake mushrooms and crispy shallots. And it's best enjoyed hot, fresh from the kitchen.

At Pappare, you can enjoy your pasta dishes in handy and convenient cardboard cones with its own stand or simply eat and go. Other pasta dishes include the Reginette alla Pesto, Bleu Carbonara, Meatball Colazione, and Dan Dan Mian, each one a satisfying and comforting option at Pappare.

The wittingly-named CRABonara (P 250) with al dente noodles draped in rich and creamy carbonara sauce, Pappare bacon, crab claw meat, crab fat, and 63 degree egg is another must-try dish guaranteed to satisfy any pasta craving. The flavorful spin on the Italian carbonara offers a whole new flavor experience with the delicate notes of the fresh crab meat and crab fat punctuated by the bold flavors of the homemade bacon tempered by the richness of the egg. A pasta dish just makes any day so much better, and this is just one of the many flavorful surprises at The Food Hive.  

Craft beer, cocktails, and bar games, The Food Hive has that too. You can enjoy a round of artisan beer and hand-crafted cocktails at The Food Hive's very own bar, Pixel Stop.  Drawing inspiration from video games loved for generations, Pixel Stop is a video game-themed bar that also offers gaming consoles by the bar where you can cash in your extra life with another round of cocktails, like the refreshing Adventure Island, Adventure Time, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong, and other original cocktails. Take the Donkey Kong, a smooth blend of Bacardi Gold, muscovado syrup, coconut water, apple cider vinegar, beer, and bitters clearly illustrates Pixel Stop's refreshing approach to cocktails. Cool cocktails and a cool vibe up at the second level of The Food Hive. Now how cool is that...

But it gets better. Have a taste of craft Belgian-style beer at Pixel Stop with Bel Ale Gold, a dark-hued amber ale with 5% ABV. Traditionally brewed with premium ingredients, Bel Ale Gold is smooth and easy with a pleasant kick without the overly bitter hoppy notes. Full-bodied and robust yet velvety smooth, you'll want another. One more round and it's good vibes all the way...

Or try something different like the Bel Ale Kriek, a cherry-flavored Belgian-style craft beer that's tart with just a whisper of mild sweetness. The vibrant color of the Bel Ale Kriek is a visual cue to its sharp and bright sour notes, the perfect afternoon tipple at The Food Hive's Pixel Stop. The craft beers also pair well with the dishes served at The Food Hive's different dining concepts.

Every food park's got to have some spuds, as Chef Rosebud Benitez and Po-Bo takes our love for potatoes with yet another exciting and new twist. Baked, mashed, fried, who doesn't love a hearty serving of old-fashioned spuds? Po-Bo, short for "potato bombs" is another comforting dining experience at The Food Hive. Chef Rosebud Benitez mashes, breads, and deep-fries the potato before covering it with a generous assortment of toppings from savory ground beef, sweet corn kernels, caramelized onions, and cheese. Lots of cheese.  Start with some of Po-Bo's Gourmet Fries (P 160), like the Kimchi Fries, Nacho Fries, Pizza Fries, and the Sisig Fries...

...or go for the signature potato bomb, the Po-Bo Po-Bae (P 130), breaded and deep-fried mashed potatoes topped with beef, caramelized onions, sweet corn kernels and egg covered in a thick cheese sauce. It's the complete food pyramid in a box, and all for just a little more than a hundred bucks. Comforting and satisfying, it's a full meal in itself, perfect on the go. Chef Rosebud Benitez is doing spuds right...at The Food Hive's Po-Bo.

And you can find wings too at The Food Hive. Chef Luigi Muhlach of Wingfather and the Fry Mafia share their interpretation of chicken and wings with original and tasty expressions of culinary creativity, like their Corleone Boy Bawang Crusted Wings (P 230) with the familiar garlicky notes of Boy Bawang adding a distinct local flavor...

...the traditional Maple Buffalo Wings (P 190) served with Blue Cheese Dip...

...and the unbelievably rich Capone Crab Fat Aligue Wings (P 230), crispy wings coated in crab fat served with Kesong Puti Aioli. Boy Bawang and aligue, who knew. And it works. Chef Luigi Muhlach redefines the popular staple with bold flavor combinations for a totally new take on wings. Tender and juicy inside and crisp on the outside, these are wings you can't refuse. They also offer Black Pepper Wings with Smoked Bourbon Barbecue Sauce (P 190) and Bacon-Wrapped Wings with Condensada Mayo Sauce (P 230) for even more tasty options. Not to be missed are their equally inventive appetizers, like the Molotov (P 150), fried lumpia wrapped green chili stuffed with ground beef and Mozzarella; the Grenade Launcher (P 140), breaded three-cheese macaroni balls with truffle paste; and the De Plato (P 190), Chef Luigi Muhlach's deep-fried chicharon.

But save room for another first in the metro. You can't find authentic Bulgarian cuisine anywhere in the metro except at The Food Hive. And Chef Plamen Yordanov always makes sure you get the real thing at Yordanovi. Eastern European cuisine can be hard to find, but it's rich influences by Turkish spices from the east makes it comfortingly familiar. Start with the refreshing Zucchini Salad, thinly sliced zucchini breaded and deep-fried draped in a creamy sauce is light and flavorful, with the crisp outer layer contrasting with the soft and mildly sweet zucchini. Simple and uncomplicated, it's pure and honest flavors made with fresh ingredients, recreated by Chef Plamen Yordanov. And the home-style dishes combine for yet another satisfying meal at The Food Hive.

Yordanovi's Kebapche (P 169), the Bulgarian version of the kebab served with three scoops of richly spiced Bulgarian-style mashed potatoes, is another satisfying option with excellent value at The Food Hive. The savory richness of the meat is enhanced by the blend of eastern spices, with a light smoky hint from the grill completing the flavors. Other must try Bulgarian dishes include the Vreteno, a buttered and deep-fried chicken fillet stuffed with dill pickles, ham and cheese and served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, and the Bulgarian Meatballs with Eggplant, Zucchini, and Okra. That day, Chef Plamen Yordanov made us try a new dish soon to be added to the menu, a delicately grilled dry-aged pork with red onions and peppers and grilled pork liver with onions. Can't wait for these dishes to be up on Yordanov's menu.  

And if you're still hungry for more, no worries. All you need is a bubble wrap waffle from Bubble Wrap, with bubble-shaped waffles stuffed with both sweet and savory fillings for a light meal or snack. The uniquely shaped waffles are the perfect base to hold practically anything delicious, like their Crispy Breaded Chicken draped in creamy Mozzarella and Cheddar for that chicken and waffle combo. Be sure to check out their Hungarian and Frankfurter Sausage wrapped in soft and lightly crisp egg waffles topped with fried egg, nori, and bonito flakes...

...or the sweet Bubble Wrap Original (P 100) and Matcha (P 110), guaranteed to satisfy any sweet tooth. Ice cream, pretzels, chocolate syrup, white chocolate chips, and wafer sticks wrapped in a waffle, what's not to love?  Packed in convenient hand-held cones, you can enjoy your Bubble Wrap anywhere you go.

By late afternoon, it was a good time to cool off with Mozafrio Frappes & Milk Tea's desserts you can drink, including their lavish Freak Frappes and milk teas. Crowned with assorted toppings, including Tapioca Pearls, Nata de Coco, Coffee Jelly, Creme de Menthe, Cotton Candy, Brownies, Chocolate, Oreo Cookies, Tostado Mamon, Wafer Sticks, Whipped Cream and Ice Cream, you can create your own customized frappe with everything you love. Biting through your frappe may not be the usual frappe, but I like it.

Each glass is meticulously and ornately arranged, and it tastes as good as it looks. Mozafrio's selection of signature Frappes (P 115 Regular Frappe/P 165 Freak Frappe) include the Juanita, a Java chip blend; the Vittoria, a vanilla latte blend; the Odanda's with cookies and cream, the Digna with dark chocolate, the Margarita with sweet mangoes and Grahams, the La Paz with buko pandan and cream, the Senorita Sofia with strawberries and cream, the Solana with salted caramel, and the Carita de Macaria with coffee and matcha. Mozafrio also offers Milk Teas (P 100) in Original Blend, Assam Tea Blend, Jasmine Green Tea and Matcha with Strawberry, Coffee, Wintermelon, Chocolate, Caramel and Taro flavors. Desserts you can drink? Yes, please...

End your feast at The Food Hive with some sinfully decadent ice cream treats from Chef Wado Siman's Cool Juans, offering a line of freshly prepared ice cream in some really wild and unique flavors. His "sobrang cool" offerings include (clockwise from top) the Charcool (P 180), a refreshing chocolate and ash ice cream blend served with marshmallows; the Skrambolan (P 180), Chef Wado Siman's cool spin on the "iskrambol" with ice cream, polvoron, chocolate sauce, candy sprinkles, milk powder, and mini-mallows; and the Kuwatro Kantos (P 180), inspired by the gin pomelo with ice cream, pomelo, cereal, and a shot of gin. Have it in a soft Hokkaido bun or in a liquid nitrogen bath, Chef Wado Siman's lavish creations brings back so much childhood memories, refreshed in a new and fun way. With summer just around the corner, expect the lines at Cool Juans to grow at The Food Hive. 

A bowl of cookies, candies, and marshmallows from Cool Juans is then served, poured with liquid nitrogen, and enjoyed for a memorable afternoon at The Food Hive. If you're ready to change your cravings, head north to The Food Hive. It's the next big thing this side of the metro...

The Food Hive is located at 80 Visayas Avenue, Brgy. Vasra, Diliman, Quezon City and open from 11:00 am to 12 midnight. You can also visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/TheFoodHivePhilippines/ for more information and updates.

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