A Little Bit of Spain in Bonifacio Global City

Donosti was a personal recommendation from a great friend who is a real “foody”, and is famous, or maybe infamous, for great recommendations, however he excelled himself with the recommendation of Donosti. It’s in the heart of BGC and conveniently located for those who live and work in BGC and close the CBD in Makati, however it can take in peak hours 30-45 minutes to get from Makati.

We booked for a Saturday night at 7pm and arrived early as the traffic was light from Makati and it took less than 15 minutes to get there. We were immediately impressed with the exterior of the restaurant and immediately shown to our table by the staff waiting at the restaurant door, where we were given a warm greeting by the Executive Chef Mr. Pablo Lopez Iglesias.

The restaurant has a lovely ambience which includes wonderful pictures of Spain. My wife was concerned the place was so quiet, as we were the only customers in there, like many people we always avoid eating in empty restaurants. She need not have worried as the place was, bar 1 table full by 7.30pm, I was strongly advice you book, particularly in the week when the place will be full of people which work in BGC having dinner meetings. Donosti can cope with large bookings of I would guess up to 16 and there were too large parties of locals enjoy BD celebrations when we were there.

We settled for the house white wine by the glass, which was an excellent uncorked Warwick Chard Chardonnay, like you would expect from any good restaurant we tasted it first. Whilst good it was rather expensive at over Php600 a glass, I will consider other options next I visit. Donesti has an excellent wine list and you can bring your own, if you wish, and they will charge you corkage.

We ordered Gambas Al Ajillo as our first tapas dish, it was delicious, the prawns were so fresh I swear they were caught that morning. The dish, as is customary was serviced sizzling hot, more unusually the waiter finished off the cooking for a minute or so in front of us, which we enjoyed. The dish was accompanied by homemade bread, which is great for dipping in the wonderful garlic sauce.

Gambas Al Ajillio Php 640

We followed this with our second tapas dish of Tortilla Brava, they present you with a lovely round portion which they separate into quarters in front of us. Tortilla Brava is one of my favorite Spanish dishes, having visited Spain on many times, none of them has been as good as the Tortilla Brava in Donosti. The texture is wonderful, the omelet succulent and the potatoes expertly cooked.

Tortilla Brava Php 235

We paused over the main course for some time, enjoying the ambience and vibe of the restaurant along with the great wine. The excellent waiter, Joseph was giving us a strong hint that 1 dish would be enough to share. The choices are good without being overwhelming, we decided to have fish and chose the Lapu Lapu Con Miel. Joseph was right to steer us to one dish as it was a large portion of Lapu Lapu, the taste was very fresh and beautifully cooked, served on a bed of creamy potato. The Lapu Lapu came with it’s skin, which was crispy and added to the overall enjoyment of the dish.

Lapu Lapu Con Miel Php 795

The hospitality didn’t end when we paid the bill as the Executive Chef sent over a beautiful desert, regrettably I didn’t ask what it was. This was a far cry from the dreadful service we were given last week in a more expensive restaurant who wouldn’t let us park in from of his restaurant. Unlike last week we will return to Donosti, very very soon.

For those of you who may not be familiar with 32nd Street, it’s the main road through BGC and there is no stopping outside, well not legally. There are several car parks nearby, but during the week they will be busy so allow some time.

Go and experience a little bit of Spain in BGC and be sure to tell Donosti you came after reading a review on expat.com.ph

Restaurant: Donosti Pintxos y Tapas

Address: Ground Floor, NAC Building, 32nd Street, between 7th – 9th, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Phone: +632 856 0206

Website: www.donosti.com.ph

Casual dining

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Stuart FIMI

Matt is British and 3rd generation Automotive Professional with 35 years’ experience in the Automotive Industry. Matt has worked in Senior Management positions in the UK and Asia, having been based on Asia since 2003. Passionate about anything Automotive and a fellow of the Institute of the Motor Industry. Matt enjoys dining and entertaining, he is on the Board of Trustees of the Cheese Club of the Philippines.