A Late Lunch and Merienda at Casa Buenas in Newport World Resorts

A late lunch and early merienda? You're just in time for a sumptuous feast. At Casa Buenas in Newport World Resorts, the perfect spot for comforting local flavors...

Casa Buenas in Newport World Resorts takes you back in time with its nostalgic recreation of traditional local Filipino Spanish flavors infused with a contemporary spin in an elegant setting. Drawing inspiration from the timeless bahay na bato or ancestral Filipino home, Casa Buenas transports you to a different time and place. Late lunch and merienda? Come inside Casa Buenas...

Capiz fixtures, solihiya furniture, hand-carved hardwood floors and Machuca tiles weave colorful layers of warm wood tones, stone and glass becoming the perfect stage for a memorable feast (for more on Casa Buenas, see my post Come Home to Casa Buenas, Now Open at Resorts World Manila from five years ago).

Inside Casa Buenas, different stations named Sala or lounge area, Pamilya or communal table, Comedor or main dining area and the picture-perfect La Cupola or gazebo offer ideal spots for a festive reunion with family and friends or just an intimate affair. Matching the luxurious vibe of Casa Buenas is its lavish array of classic Filipino Spanish cuisine refined with Western and Eastern culinary techniques... 

...like the beautifully plated Grilled Pork and Tuna Ceviche (P 420), an intricate rendition of the local sinuglaw. Teasing first the eyes before the palate updated with a modern and contemporary touch, the popular local staple is elegantly reimagined while retaining its fresh, pure and clean notes. 

Imagine layers of fork-tender marinated US pork and fresh tuna on a thin and crisp slice of crusty bread topped with native vinegar gelee and citrus water with dabs of rich and creamy aioli on the plate. Each unique note from the different ingredients come together perfectly complementing the other for a balanced finish. 

One of the popular merienda options at Casa Buenas is the Pancit Luglog (P 570), a sumptuous noodle dish upgraded with a generous load of toppings including succulent octopus and shrimps, crushed pork chicharon and fried egg over soft rice noodles slathered in rich crab sauce. 

One look at the Pancit Luglog of Casa Buenas and suddenly all other versions pale in comparison just with the sheer amount of seafood and pork toppings. Evenly draped with the indulgent red crab sauce, the rice noodles bursts with a flavorful richness with each bite followed by the fresh briny sweetness of the octopus and plump shrimps and the delectable crunch of the pork chicharon. A fresh squeeze of lemon delicately tempers the unrestrained savory notes of the noodle dish for a refined and elegantly smooth finish. 

For the main course, the Lengua De Buey Cremosa (P 700) is one stew you just can't pass up. The comforting stew with buttery and fork-tender ox tongue simmered in a silky smooth and rich corn and cream sauce is pure unrestrained indulgence. 

Like butter, the tender cubes of ox tongue are the obvious star of the dish but its the opulent richness of the cream sauce that clearly takes this lengua next level. By far, the Lengua De Buey Cremosa has to be one of the best renditions of lengua in the metro. Hands down, this one's way up on my list of personal picks at Casa Buenas. 

How to cap a sumptuous late lunch and merienda at Casa Buenas? Why, the Buenas Cafe (P 285) of course. The playfully inventive blend of coffee espresso, tablea, condensed milk, full cream milk and ube syrup combine for a sweet, nutty and decadent ending to your Casa Buenas experience. Being late for lunch is no issue at all at Casa Buenas, it simply means you're late lunch comes with merienda. And that's a good thing...

Casa Buenas is located at the Ground Floor of the Newport Grand Wing at Hotel Okura, Newport World Resorts, Portwood Street, Newport City or call 0917 878 8312 or email at casa.buenas@rwmanila.com for inquiries and reservations.

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