Beso Cucina Vinoteka in Bonifacio Highstreet Central

This year, my friends and I are turning 31! I'm still in major denial that I'm no longer in my 20s and I'm getting inch by inch closer to the big 4-0! Oh nooooo?!?! Well, age is indeed just a number and what matters is you are still young at heart. Agree?

Last January, we celebrated Estee's birthday by having an intimate dinner just us girls. We had it at the newly opened Beso Cucina Vinoteka at the Bonifacio Highstreet Central. Aside from ramen, more and more Spanish restaurants are opening left and right. I'm not complaining though as I loveeee good paella and a wide array of tapas.

Estee's birthday celebration began with a carafe of Red Sangria to toast for a fun and fab year ahead for my dear friend. I'm no drinker but I liked the sweet and mild taste of the sangria.

To go with our drink, we had a couple of tapas to get our meal started. Estee ordered the Gambas (Php. 380) and I have to say that this had to be the biggest gambas shrimp that I've even had in my life. Normally, shrimps in gambas are so tiny that you just have to pop it inside your mouth and it won't take more than 5 dainty bites to mush it all down. I was quite impressed by the size of the shrimps served at Beso Cucina Vinoteka. It definitely made the Php. 300+ price tag worth it. The shrimps were fresh and had a very good bite into it. Yum!

We also had the Jamon, Chicken and Manchego Croquetas with Aioli Sauce (Php. 410). Oh, this was love at first bite. I've had a number of Spanish tapas before but this one was just so good. I guess it had all the best things -- chicken, ham and cheese + garlic cream sauce. It was a surefire winner.


Of course, what's a visit to a Spanish restaurant without having paella. We had the Squid Ink Paella (Php. 580 / Php. 1,280) and I was thanking my lucky stars that I was with the right set of people. Normally, one would shy away at the thought of eating really black rice that would stain one's teeth and lips. I'm glad that my high school friends love Paella Negra (Squid Ink) as much as I do and we unanimously agreed to try this one that evening. Cooked with chorizo, bacon, squid and prawns, I just noticed though that the paella was a tad too oily than normal. I kinda like my paella not too wet not too crusty. It should be slightly firmer than a risotto. What we had that evening though was just too soggy. *sigh*

It's a good thing, the main dishes that Estee ordered totally made up for the disastrous paella. We all love the Grilled US Angus Rib Eye with Mustard Butter and Potatoes ala Pobre (Php. 1,480). I can imagine that this is something Paul will love too. Unfortunately, he wasn't with us that evening as he allowed me to have an all-girls night out with my friends. Yep, he's cool that way but too bad coz he missed out on a good steak dish. I guess I have to take him to Beso soon. The meat was very juicy and tender. I love the garlic chips on top as it made the steak even more fragrant. We were busy enjoying the meat that we somehow forgot about the potato sidings all together. Oops!

We also had the Crispy Skin Salmon Fillet with Cauliflower Puree (Php. 520). Being girls, we easily get guilty whenever we eat something sinful. To balance it out, we had some fish! This was no ordinary fish as the salmon fillet was so yummy! I also love the cauliflower puree mixed with zucchini, raisins and pine nuts. I'm no fan of raisins but I didn't mind eating it together with the puree. Having this made me remember my health-conscious colleagues who would have cauliflower rice every single day. Talk about determination!

Estee also ordered the Mushroom, Spinach and Feta Cheese Flat Bread (Php. 340). A vegetarian-friendly dish which was really aromatic and flavorful. I just had a small piece as I was busy devouring the salmon which was conveniently parked in front of me.

It was a fun dinner as not only was it a chance for us to celebrate another milestone for Estee but we were able to catch up with one another too. I really love my high school friends very very very much!

Beso Cucina Vinoteka is located at the 2nd level, Bonifacio Highstreet Central, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. Call them at 621-2554 or 0917-8195831.