A taste of Aracama

I had an opportunity to join OpenRice PH: Eat's a Date last Friday at ARACAMA Filipino Cuisine. Together with my OpenRice buddies, Einer, Zeti, and Mickey, we went to this classy restaurant at The Fort where the Embassy was used to be. Aracama is a two-floor classy Filipino Cuisine restaurant with a contemporary touch. It was named after the former Junior Master Chef judge, Chef Fernando Aracama, whom also a part-owner of this restaurant together with the TV host, Tim Yap.

 Looks elegant on the outside and they provide a comfortable waiting area.

High ceiling on their first floor.

 Their leaf-designed wallpapers are relaxing. Having green / nature accent is a plus factor on the ambiance of the restaurant. They also use simple brown recycled paper as their table cover, which I can say, match the interiors of the place. Their lighting is also good, a feeling of tranquility, however it is not ideal for food photos. 

Bar #1. This is on the first floor of the restaurant which welcomes every customer since it's just across the door. It is quite small compare to Bar #2 and Bar #3.

The interiors are modern but they still offer that classy Filipino setting like their wooden tables and chairs. It's really spacious here.

Bar #2. It's on the second floor. A more presentable bar compare to the first. Well lit, just enough to set the mood of a bar while chatting with friends. In addition, it's also well ventilated, not too warm and not too cold for a restaurant.

Above are some pictures of the tables perfect for meetings or even just a simple get together with friends.

I really admire restaurants that offer a nature accent on their place. There's a feeling of tranquility having these plants.

Bar #3. This will be my choice of bar. It has a cozy feeling when you're there. Though this part of the restaurant is not air-conditioned, ceiling fans are there to the rescue (besides the cold weather nowadays, I believe it's not that warm during night time). Good place to hang out after a long day at work!

Oops. It's their Ladies Comfort Room. Clean and smells good! :p

A couple of small plants / bonsai are found on the table. Cute!

Malunggay Mozzarella Dip ( P195.00 ) - Spinach & vitamin fortified creamy, cheesy brulee & crostinis  for scooping. 

Wait, what? Malunggay and spinach? Err. I'm confused. Anyway, The dip was creamy, however the taste of malunggay and cheese was not that distinguishable. It didn't gave any bitter flavor. Personally, I enjoyed it even if it lacked a little magic or the wow factor.

Fish Balls ( P175.00 ) - Street food treat, made from scratch served with three dips, double dipping is encouraged.

Not your ordinary fish ball. According to the waiter, the dips are (1) sweet & sour, (2) salted vinegar, (3) spicy sweet & sour / sweet soy sauce. The third one's my favorite, almost all of us actually, though I'm not quite sure if it's really called sweet & spicy dip since I can barely taste the spiciness on that dip. Now you can eat fish balls that guarantees you clean!

Manok sa Tanglad ( P380.00 ) - Lemongrass chicken BBQ with sweet-sour garlic dip & cucumber-cilantro ensalado.

The chicken was tender however it didn't please me regarding its taste. It's bland. I can't even sense the aroma of lemongrass. Good thing the dip gave hope for this dish. A slice of chicken, a strip of atchara, and drizzle it with the cucumber dip will be a good way to add some flavor to this dish.

Binagoongang Baboy ( P 375.00 ) - Pork belly simmered in tomatoes, shrimp paste with green mango relish.

I liked the delectable taste of the sauce drizzled on the pork. The salty-sweet taste was perfectly blended. The mango relish added that sour kick that makes this dish good! As we all know, pork belly contains a bunch of fat, so don't expect all of the cutlets would be meat.

Kalo Kalo ( P110.00 ) - Negrense style fried rice in garlic achuete oil.

Savory fried rice, indeed! It was delicious and it went well with our viands for the night.

Miso Sea Bass ( P990.00 ) - Chef's signature dish of Yore, grilled fillet of white miso marinated sea bass.

This dish fascinates me. Whooping 990 pesos for this two slices of fish! Honestly, I'm not familiar on this kind of fish that's why I don't know why it's whooping expensive. Succulent and flavorful. A bit oily but tender. The fish was cooked well since it's not dry, instead it was juicy - full of flavor goodness.

Dulce Gatas + Bunuelos ( P230.00 ) - Caramelized gooey dulce de leche with warm fried pastries.

A can of yema! Maybe? The milk was caramelized for about two hours they said. It tasted like gooey yummy yema, and it can stand alone! As I tasted the oily pastry, I think the batter wasn't mixed well. It looks like a cream puff on the plate. Still, I love that dulce de leche! 

Attendace! :)

Service: The service was great! Waiters were roaming around and ready to be called. Polite, indeed. They also have enough knowledge on the food they serve; they are ready to answer your questions regarding on the food. They were always carrying that good vibes smile. However, their WIFI connection was really poor and I even didn't had a chance on connecting the internet. 

Aracama Filipino Cuisine

Unit C, The Fort Entertainment Center
5th Ave. corner 26th St., Bonifacio Global City
Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines

Telephone: +632 519-6815
Mobile: +63917 861-2702
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 11am to 2pm (Lunch) and 5pm to 12mn/2am (Dinner)

OpenRice PH Facebook: OpenRice Philippines