I got in touch with one of the owner Neil Paras, we communicated via SMS after a referral from a friend that is also a friend to the owner of the resto. My resto visit was supposed to be Thursday, but we mixed up our sched and we both agree that I’ll visit the resto on a Wednesday because I’m already in Manila and I’m near Global City. After a taxi ride, I got a hard time looking for that building, but then I saw that the building is really located in the corner of 5th ave and Mckinley, I went around the building and saw the Big Bad Wolf! (More story below)
At first I thought that the restaurant is like wine depot or something, because the first thing that caught my eye after entering the Big Bad Wolf is their wine bar on the left, but then I looked at the right and saw some tables, chairs, paintings, book rack and sofas, then I met Neil Paras and I was shocked to see how you he is, then I met his two other co-owners of the resto Mac Cunanan and Ponch Del Rosario. All three guys are so young and now they manage and put up a big resto. I asked Ponch why they named it Big Bad Wolf, he just said that they didn’t got a nice name to give for the resto, but the word Big Bad Wolf is quite catchy and will give curiosity to people. I think I took the bite and here I am inside Big Bad Wolf.
I asked Neil how they started and how did they meet, then he told me that they met since they were kids, up to high school and college, and the idea started during those Counter Strike network gaming in college days, would you believe that ? awesome! Gaming and FPS bring smart people together and transform them into entrepreneurs! Galeng!
Panoramic view inside Big Bad Wolf restaurant (large pic here)
It was a long chat with the Big Bad Wolf trio and it was fun to meet them in person and I found out that the restaurant is not just a venue for eating, but also a venue for having fun! I noticed that they have board games kept under the tables near the sofa, There’s a Monopoloy card game, Boggle, Snake and Ladders, Pictory Man and Othello game. Niel told me that they want the resto to be a venue for friends who want to meet up, relax and play some board games. It was a fun idea that they added that featured attraction in Big Bad Wolf, I like it very much because I like games and having fun, so I told Niel that on my next visit, I’ll donate some of the unopened board games that I have at home, I have this pinoy made board game and I just don’t have the time to study it and play it with the family. There’s also another feature of the resto, it is also a home for artists, the wall serves as a mini gallery for aspiring painters, illustrators, photographers and visual artists. They display some paintings up for sale and according to Niel that they offer the resto a gallery to start up artists who want to expose their art to the public and also have a gallery that will run for a month, people can buy and reserve the artworks on display. After this conversation, Niel invited me to join and put up some artworks for display and for sale, I told him that I just collect comic book and toys, and then he said that the book, toy and vintage item shelves will be opened for me.. oh wow! Then I told him that I have a network of toy art designers, this will be helpful for them, maybe I’ll organize a mini event here in the future featuring our local underground artists.
During the conversation, Ponch and Mac told me to order food, because my agenda there is to check out the resto and try out their food, then Neil told me that I can order anything that I want, but then I told them that I don’t want to order many food and I might not even finish them all and not enjoy it due to a heavy tummy, I told them that they suggest and prepare the best and specialty food of Big Bad Wolf. That’s a challenge for them and then they showed me their menu and I saw the prices of each meal and found out that the price is very affordable for a new resto.
here are the food of Big Bad Wolf
Fresh Tuna Wraps with Wasabi Mayo
Php 220
Serve as your light appetizer, Inside that veggie is a fresh tuna, its like eating a sushi but the in different style, when you eat this with the wasabi mayo, you won't feel any wasabi scent running through your nose.
Bacon-wrapped Dates
Php 280
Another light appetizer, but this time with meaty bacon wrapping a dates inside
Poached Egg Carbonara
Pancetta, Poached Egg, Parmesa Flakes, Butter, Truffle Oil
Php 270
This is one lovely pasta for me. I love poached eggs in the morning and for my snacks in the afternoon, but this poached egg on top of the carbonara pasta is a marriage of morning, snacks and lunch. The poched egg add a creamy fill on the carbonara sauce.
Tomato Soup
Php 110
Tasty tomato soup, the best way to eat this is to dip that toast bread into the tomato soup. This can be your side soup during the meal or your tomato shower for your taste buds while eating other meals.
Santol-Smoked Pork Belly
Pork Belly, Dirty Rice, Honey-Raspberry Sauce
Php 300
This is the best food ever! A great food discovery and this should be placed in a giant billboard. The Santol-Smoked Pork Belly is a must try here in Big Bad Wolf. Its like magic, after eating that pork belly, you automatically smell and digest a santol like flavor and after taste. If you will visit this resto, you must try this! I'm sure you'll walk away with a smiley face after eating.
Smoked Salmon and Waffle
Smokedd Salmon, Waffles, Tomato-Jalapeno Cream
Php 270
The resto is opened starting at 3pm, you can try this Smoked Salmon and Wafle as your snacks in the afternoon,and while you finish chatting in Facebook or downloading a torrent (the resto has WIFI access!) you can order a heavy meal in companion of your food adventure.
Malongo coffee
Syempre! I need a hot coffee to digest all of my food in my tummy, Neil told me to choose one kind of Malongo coffee set here in the box. Each coffee has its own strong or mild coffee taste. I tried the La Tierra coffee and the taste is just fine and not too strong.
Big Bad Wolf is just starting up and they shared to me that the new addition of food was added because they started opening the resto at 3pm, its a schedule for snack time so there are some set of meal that are light and healthy. They told me that some of their customers are people who finished their gym workout or running practice. In the future, if the flow of customer is okay, they might open early and offer breakfast soon. I find the set of food they prepared to me are very unique, tasty, very original and its easy to brand it that you can only eat this in Big Bad Wolf. At night the resto was visited by some office people who want to relax, dine in, drink and have fun, as Miki told me, one of their friend, the the place is evil (or bad) as the name Big Bad Wolf will glue you to its seat and enjoy the company of good food and your friends.
I hope that next time they can have more set of meals, I find the carbonara pasta lack some sauce, but I know that the sauce might depend on the poached egg, but I'm very new to it and haven't enjoyed it much, I'm a pasta lover and encountering an old recipe with a new style will trick my mind and also my taste buds, maybe if I'll order it I'l request to add more carbonara sauce.
My wife told me if the place is KID FRIENDLY, I told her that the resto is very kid friendly, we can visit the resto next time and bring our one year old kid to dine with us there, my boy loves pasta, so I might order the Chorizo Spaghetti on my next visit. I guess going there in the afternoon and dinner time is okay for people who dine in with their kids. I'm not sure the ambiance of the resto at around night time and late night, I'm sure the young and old adults are active in dining and drinking, I'm sure its a safe place to visit and I'm glad that the building has a big parking space.
Thanks to the Big Bad Wolf trio for inviting me to try their food and discover another resto that is worth visiting.
VISIT Big Bad Wolf
Grnd flr. Fairways Tower, 5th ave cor. Mckinley, Bonifacio Global City, 1202 Manila, Philippines
Tel: 8225833
Email: bigbadwolfph@gmail.com
Open - Mon-Sat 3PM-2AM
http://twitter.com/bigbadwolfph
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Bad-Wolf-PH/125412520885161?sk=info
here are some photos :
this might be the tallest black board...formerly a freedom wall, but the owners decided to turn th e blackboard as an announcement board for promos
I noticed that the seats are in different designs, even the sofas are not uniformed. The owners told me that some of the sofas and chairs are from their homes and others were bought online and from garage sales.
the gallery wall.....those photo art on the wall are for sale
I dreamed of owning that red chair that I saw in About a Chair store in Makati
The board games.....customers can play while eating or just chilling in the sofa area
Big Bad Wolf.... notice the different style of chairs? so cute!
the shelves display some vintage stuff
slim bottle as a mini menu
the wine bar
Here's a rare hat stand, I only see this in the movies
Outside Big Bad Wolf
Check out the buy one take one bottle promo
There are othe restaurants near Big Bad Wolf
our messy table :)
and my coffee!
the menu!
