Food-Stars: Of Pen and Paper at Elias, BGC Makati

Dinner with the in-laws was becoming a regular thing. Every week brings new food adventures & more quality time; which can't be anything but a good thing... sorta like hitting 2 birds with one stone. :) This particular Thursday night, our taste buds led us to a new place to try out, Elias at Bonifacio High Street Central.

Darn Electric Fan!

Elias at Bonifacio High Street Central

With a live band in the middle of the grounds, Bonifacio High Street Central was crawling with people. The rows of restaurants were filled with diners & patron, enjoying this refreshing cool night. At last, we were in front of the expanse of Elias. With the tagline "Turn of the Century Filipino Dining", we couldn't wait to put that to the test.

Antique table setting

Light fixtures

Side tables

Huge painting

As I entered, my first thought was, "Did I go back in time?" It was what I imagined ancestral homes during the Spanish regime would've looked like. Big, frilly & old fashioned were some of the words that came into mind. I was almost hoping to see Elias & the other characters from Rizal's Noli & El Fili to come alive and dine with us.

Bar

But Elias had one modern fixture they couldn't do without, the bar. The cabinets & wallpaper managed to keep in line with the frilly theme though.

Corn bits

While waiting for our orders to arrive, they served us a bowl of corn bits to nibble on. Honestly, I was a bit surprised with this. It looked a bit plain to me. I know the theme called for a Filipino snack but still... serving corn bits was a bit of a let down. I suggest serving something traditional yet exciting at the same time, like maybe adding sili to make it spicy.

Crispy Pata Don Maximo (Php 550)

No Filipino dining is complete without the all-favorite Crispy Pata. We ordered it Hot & Spicy (Don Maximo). The serving was much smaller than expected. It was as crunchy as it looked but was lacking in flavor. The meat was neither tough nor tender. FS Verdict? Not bad but could be better. Sorry to say this but Romulo's version is still the best one out there.

Selya (Php 300)

We had 2 orders of this dish. The squid was coated evenly & fried 'til crunchy. The sweet chili garlic left a tingling sensation in my mouth. FS Verdict? Quite yummy for a simple dish. Major gripe was that it looked more like an appetizer than a main course.

Right Side

Ka Plaridel (Php 310)

MIL was on a health kick so we ordered one from the seafood section. She chose this one based on the picture. What came out was.... disappointing. First, the picture was of a stuffed Pla-Pla but what they served us was a DIY stuffing. Yup, the onions & veggies were served on the side instead of inside. You could see MIL's face sinking upon seeing this. :( A definite never again dish for me.

Cordero (Php 395)

I'm thinking this was a deconstructed Lamb Adobo (much like Tres' Seafood Kare Kare). There was no sauce, which was surprising, and the cubes of kesong puti were something new... maybe too new. I was hesitant to try a piece, the dish was too unique; but with a deep breath, I pushed pass the fear and ate one. The lamb was tender and flavorful. FS Suggestion? Load up on the sauce and spoon in the kesong puti; they add the kick to an otherwise ordinary dish.

Taba ng Talangka (Php 275)

The winner for the night was the Taba ng Talangka Rice. Serving is good for 3 people but it was just so yummy that we had to have another. All the other tables were ordering the same rice, making it the bestseller of the night. You can taste the flavor of the talangka in every spoonful. Caution, this dish is highly addicting! :)