When searching for where to eat in BGC, the term “destination restaurants” comes up a lot. This means that the food must be killer, the vibe is close to perfect, and the space is worth sitting an hour at. If you want all these, check out Downtown and Halsted. Stylized as DWNTOWN & HALSTED, this edgy bar-restaurant was conceptualized by Perry Quimbo (Piedra, Dillingers, Prohibition, Bugsy’s, Red Rabbit).
Dinner was booked through BigDish’s app, and we had an instant discount off our meal. In case you’re not yet familiar, BigDish is a brand-new way of offering dining deals and discounts. There’s no membership fee required. Just reserve online (through the website or mobile app) and get discounts off your bill depending on the number of people, date and time, and the restaurant chosen. Once booking is done, a confirmation code will show up and this should be presented to the restaurant at the time of visit. No hassle!
Review of Downtown and Halsted (Bonifacio Global City, Taguig)
Ambiance:
Downtown and Halsted is envisioned as an avenue where artists could showcase their work, hence it’s flush with Deviant art, urban photographs, sketches, and other artwork featured throughout the place. Adding these pop-art vibes on the walls brings in unconventional style and evokes the feel of the street. These pieces on nondescript backdrops create a cohesive interior concept with urban flair.
Overall, I love the theme and the spacious layout. Each booth provides privacy for every group, resulting in less chaotic seating and creating more intimate and functional zones. However, I just can’t imagine how the setup could accommodate larger groups of diners. You can be spotted sitting on the bar stools or on the comfy quilted restaurant booth seating.
Food:
We had Baby Calamari with Salted Egg Aioli (PhP 190) as our first starter dish. It consisted of bite-sized squid in crispy batter, basically everything you’d want in a weeknight seafood dish. These baby calamari came out stunningly golden-brown and still so tender and light inside. The salted egg aioli wasn’t too flavorful but it wasn’t bad. A nice squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of salt would make it better.
The Buffalo Tenders (PhP 290) were full-on crisp, crackly, ever-so-slightly greasy, perfectly juicy and succulent. Its accompanying dip was a great complement to the sauce-coated, tangy, vinegary buffalo perfection in every lick-lipping, finger-dripping bite. It’s enough to warm up your palate for the next to come.
Their Housemade Chili Topped Potato Skins (PhP 150) were definitely a winner. It was so good that we kept talking about how we could replicate the recipe and make it at home ourselves! The earthy and slightly salty taste of the potato skin was delightful, and the chunky chili con carne packed a good deal of spice. This appetizer (for sharing) was well executed, no doubt.
Downtown and Halsted’s Skewer Platter had sweet and savory profiles consisting of Lengua (PhP 250), Chicken (PhP 150), and Pork (PhP 150). These skewers delivered a good blend between tenderness and depth of flavor, with no sauce required.
Probably our favorite main course, the insanely delicious Braised Barbecued Short Ribs (PhP 750) possessed a flesh that was tender and fatty but not overwhelmingly so. It’s one of the most comforting of comfort foods, with mashed potatoes served alongside it. Full of beefy flavor, the braised barbecued short ribs were far from dry. Adding points of interest were the crisp veggies on top. A must-order!
The Crispy Pork Knuckles (PhP 580) were wonderfully crispy, yet fatty, with melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The meat had a pleasant firm texture, and it was paired well with the vinegar sauce, which gave each forkful of pork a tartness that really worked. It’s a dignified centerpiece for just about any table, something your taste buds will treasure for a while.
Price for Value:
Sitting alongside Locavore, Frank & Dean, and Bugsy’s Bar & Bistro in Burgos Circle, Downtown & Halsted in BGC dishes up the kind of trendy cuisine with tasty presentations that hit the comfort-food sweet spot we have. It serves designer cocktails, wines, with a good selection of single malts, bourbon, a huge dose of good music and fun, too. Prices are reasonable for the given value, and they’re not shockingly high, to be fair. Book a reservation now through BigDish (link here) to get discounts up to 50%!
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
Sounds like you had such a yummy experience. I love the pictures also. I wonder if they have any vegetarian dishes? If so, I will totally have to add this spot to my list.
Looks amazing. Isn’t it interesting how they can make a chicken tender look so amazingly good? Chili on potato skins sounds pretty amazing also. This is defiantly a place I can see us stopping in. Can’t wait to check out the BigDish app. Thanks for the review and app tip.
What a wonderful place to eat some very tasty food. Your photos really make everything look quite delicious. I’m now craving that crispy pork knuckle and braised short rib. They look so good!
I love the decor of this place, very ‘street’ style and retro! It definitely looks like an inviting place…I wonder if I could find any vegan options there?!?
What an amazing find! I’m totally digging that decor. I could seriously spend hours enjoying it along with that awesome skewer platter.
Holy crap the food looks delicious, I wonder if they would have vegetarian options. This year a few friends and I plan on traveling to South Asian and traveling up to 7 countries including the Philippines. I absolutely love the décor of this restaurant and I don’t think I have seen anything like it. I saved your blog post and will definitely use it for reference when we start planning for our vacation.
What a fun and trendy place to enjoy a meal. The food looks amazing!! I think the best part of this place is the decor and painting on the wall. Loving the bright colors, a great way to make a statement.
I love that you can now book your dinner via apps like this. All those dishes are so mouth watering. I can’t believe how well put together and beautiful this place is. Philippines has really changed so much!
Yum! Love the look of this place, very industrial. But salted egg aioli on calamari, I’m sold! Hope to visit when we go home to P.I. Those knuckles and chili topped potato skins sounded great too. Officially missing the Philippines now.