Tovic Salvador

BGC eats: Taupe gives new meaning to purposeful dining

Article (news)

Vlad Bunoan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750313387712Taupe Interiors.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Taupe Dining focuses on elevating local ingredients to create unique dishes. <em>Handout </em></span></span></span></div><p>If you haven’t yet made your way to Taupe Dining, now is an ideal time to do so. </p><p>For a limited three-month run until August 31, this handsome Bonifacio Global City restaurant by chef Francis Tolentino is part of Gastronome Giving, Globe Platinum’s fine-dining initiative in partnership with the Fine Dining Club Philippines that transforms every reservation into meals and livelihood support for families facing involuntary hunger via the Hapag Movement. Taupe joins Kasa Palma in Poblacion and Goxo in Salcedo Village as the only Metro Manila participants in this collaboration.</p><p>Even more fittingly, this charitable campaign coincides with the launch of Elements, Taupe’s third conceptually driven tasting menu. Offered in either eight- or ten-course formats (P6,500 and P7,800 respectively, plus service charge), the experience feels generous from the start — ultimately unfolding into a 12-course journey once you include the amuse-bouche, palate cleanser, and petit fours.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:633px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750313318089Taupe Chef.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Chef Francis Tolentino presents each dish as a ‘delicious flirtation of flavors, stylishly served to perfection.’ <em>Handout </em></span></span></span></div><p>Taupe is discreetly nestled at the base of The Maridien Tower 2 on 26th Street. Inside, the cool grey-brown interiors — the shade that gives the restaurant its name — provide a clean, minimalist backdrop that highlights Tolentino’s beautifully plated, color-rich dishes. Service is polished yet personal, with staff introducing and explaining the dishes before stepping back to let the food speak for itself. Several courses required tableside interaction, handled with grace and precision that enhanced, rather than interrupted, the flow of the meal.</p><p>Tolentino, who previously showcased his borderless culinary style at Almacén and Unit 27, continues to blur geographical boundaries here while elevating local ingredients through global techniques. With Elements, he takes inspiration from the natural forces of fire, air, water, and earth — not just in terms of what transforms the ingredients in the kitchen, but in how the diner perceives and experiences each bite.</p><div><strong>Whimsical start</strong></div><p>The experience begins with a welcome drink — mine was Juventud, a pink salabat soda touched with burnt tarragon, spiced guava jam, dalandan, and gumamela — which sets the tone for the unconventional pair of amuse-bouche that follow.</p><p>The Guyabano Cloud is a sweet potato tart topped with a soursop espuma that’s as playful as it is refined. Alongside it is a glistening lemongrass brioche, topped with custard butter and river prawn — each bite echoing the chef’s approach of highlighting humble local ingredients with modern finesse.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175031328819120250619060640_TAUPE 1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Guyabano Cloud and Prawn Butter Brioche with the Juventud welcome drink at the back. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>Things get bolder with the Blue Crab Ice Cream Sandwich, served atop a crab shell nestled in flowers — a visually arresting plate. Due to my crab allergy, the kitchen thoughtfully swapped in bottarga in place of crab, layered with cold smoked roe, Osetra caviar, and mango gel between two crisp sheets of dehydrated chicken skin. It’s a clever dish that balances salt, umami, and a touch of sweetness with remarkable restraint.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175031325515120250619060640_TAUPE 2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Blue Crab Ice Cream Sandwich. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>That sense of whimsy carried into a dramatic plate of wet-aged hamachi cubes, served ceviche-style and showered tableside with calamansi “snow.” A dab of avocado purée added softness to the tart brightness, while fresh longan reinforced the freshness. The next course, a fruit salad in form but fine-dining in execution, combined brined wintermelon noodles, kaong, pear, and peach granita, offset with gin-infused salmon roe and onion butter. It was equal parts refreshing and complex.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175031322671112.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Wet-Aged Hamachi and Winter Melon Salad. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>Turning point</strong></div><p>For me, the menu began to show real heft with the arrival of the scallop course. A firm and subtly sweet Hokkaido scallop, smoked and cured, was paired with a luscious cappuccino of Japanese corn, with shrimp-head fat enriching the broth’s umami. If the menu allowed à la carte orders, I’d have easily requested a second helping.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175031314105220250619060640_TAUPE 4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Hokkaido Scallops &amp; Corn. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>Then came a delightful, smoky surprise: Iberico pork pluma skewered on a stick of sugarcane, still smoldering as it arrived at the table. A salsa of fermented pear sat atop the pork, while pansit-pansitan and a delicate edible flower added a local flourish. The servers even encouraged us to chew on the sugarcane, reminding diners that elegance and fun can co-exist.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175031311195320250619060640_TAUPE 5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Smoked Iberico Skewers. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>Where most palate cleansers feel like obligatory intermissions, Taupe’s version — named 24K Magic — felt like a course all its own. This over-the-top gulaman, which features fermented guava gel, lime pandan syrup, and actual edible gold dust, embodied Tolentino’s flair for turning even the simplest ideas into showpieces.</p><p>The final two savory courses leaned into traditional fine-dining form. A duo of dry-aged duck slices — already rich and flavorful — was accompanied by two sauces: one inspired by the coconut-ash flavors of Mindanao’s pianggang, the other a classic truffle jus. A quenelle of braised duck encased in queso de bola gel added textural contrast — and a clever nod to duck two-ways.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:958px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175031307253120250619060640_TAUPE 6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Dry-Aged Duck. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span> The dry-aged A5 Wagyu ribeye that followed, though predictably rich and well-executed, felt slightly overcomplicated with its squid ink pasta blanket. The kadyos purée and beef tendon demi-glace offered subtlety, but the pasta weighed heavier than necessary.</div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:958px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175031302396920250619060640_TAUPE 7.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A5 Wagyu Balbacua. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><div><strong>Sweet ending</strong></div><p>Fortunately, Tolentino’s light playfulness returned with the dessert courses. His reimagined brazo de Mercedes used passion fruit and calamansi to balance a traditional vanilla custard, while the Italian meringue was scorched tableside with fragrant Japanese binchotan charcoal. The second dessert, a pistachio and chocolate entremet, layered pistachio butter and black sesame dark chocolate over sponge, with a final flourish: a dramatic dip in liquid nitrogen before serving, resulting in a chilled, smooth bite.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:958px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17503129858911.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Burnt Brazo and Chocolate &amp; Pistachio Entremet. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span> But the petit fours may have stolen the dessert show. Each one was a haute reinterpretation of Filipino palengke snacks. The turon was recast as a smoked banana mousse tucked into a crisp banana shell and topped with caviar. The bibingka transformed into a cold semifreddo of salted egg and coconut custard. The hopia featured red and green mung bean ganache between pinipig tuilles. And the carioca appeared as a delicate sphere with a filling of ube and rosenip compote.</div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:958px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1750312522252TAUPE 9.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Pinoy Petit Fours. <em>Vlad Bunoan, ABS-CBN News</em> </span></span></span></div><p>Globe Platinum diners receive a complimentary final drink with the desserts: a Filipino-inspired take on Thai milk tea, served in a glass lined with house-made Choc-Nut, for a nostalgic but elevated ending.</p><p>Ultimately, Taupe’s Elements menu manages to do more than impress with technique or dazzle with plating. It offers a rare balance of precision, narrative, and purpose. Whether you come for the culinary theater, the inventive use of Filipino ingredients, or simply to support a worthy cause, you leave Taupe feeling not just full — but fulfilled.</p>

<p>Chef Francis Tolentino’s third tasting menu at Taupe Dining blends theatrical flair and inventive Filipino-inspired flavors with a charitable partnership through Globe Platinum’s Gastronome Giving.</p>

Chef Francis Tolentino’s third tasting menu at Taupe Dining blends theatrical flair and inventive Filipino-inspired flavors with a charitable partnership through Globe Platinum’s Gastronome Giving.