Greenfield District: Reinventing a city center

The city is an organism, a biological creature. The metaphor has long fascinated sociologists, economists and urban planners. And indeed, a city does seem to follow the metabolic laws of living forms. Think about it: They are born and built from imagination. They thrive, grow and eventually will age. Thereafter, they will tend to slow down. Just as all living things are hampered by the handicaps that come with aging, it is inevitable that cities will also eventually function less efficiently as they mature and expand beyond their original blueprints and boundaries.  For urban planners, property owners and even city residents therefore, the line of thought that advocates reinvention and evolution as key factors to keeping urban spaces relevant, functional and up-to-date to address changing needs is immensely important. Planning should not merely consider aesthetics and current necessities. Rather, it is more important to look forward and plan ahead so that each urban space will enjoy a longer life span. The need becomes more apparent as prime areas become even less available in a constantly growing conurbation such as Metro Manila.

Thus, the redevelopment of the area in Mandaluyong that was once generally referred to as EDSA Central into a “smart and connected” community called Greenfield District is good news. The development is master-planned to consist of an intelligent mix of residential towers, office and shopping buildings and a range of restaurants and bars. Add this to the intrinsic advantage of a central location in Mandaluyong with a direct access to EDSA, and it will be easy to understand why the area is set to become a preferred residential address and meeting spot of residents of nearby established communities as well as office workers who would like to unwind after a hard day’s work in the business centers of Makati, Ortigas and even Quezon City.

A growing number of dining options at the hub

As a place where people congregate, the dining strip at Greenfield is fittingly called The Hub. It is a nice alternative for casual dining with its mix of both new and familiar restaurants. We explored it recently and were pleased to see that the prevailing atmosphere there was more relaxed than in other dining places. A wide, green field across the street and a refreshing light breeze made outdoor dining a tempting option especially on balmy evenings, and vehicle owners need not be frazzled because street side parking is readily available.

 â€œWe are the only ones with the flexibility to offer open spaces in the area,” said Rene C. Arnobit, assistant vice president and head of retail division of Greenfield Development Corporation, pointing out the nearby lush 7,000 sqm. open park. He shares that about 40 percent of the entire Greenfield development will consist of pocket parks, tree-lined streets and refreshing open spaces of greenery. He adds, “The Hub is the first restaurant strip in the area and we are looking forward to serving a new upscale market.”  While we were able to fit in only four outlets during that particular visit, it was a nice experience overall

Hearty comfort food, camaraderie and bottles of wine at Blackwood bistro

We were glad to see a familiar face, chef Jun Jun de Ocampo, who opened a Blackwood Bistro outlet at The Hub. “The area is a pleasant surprise for us who knew the place as the old EDSA Central,” he says. “And when we saw the nice mix of restaurants, the move seemed just right. The rapid rise in the number of our restaurant patrons is inspiring so that apart from our clientele who have migrated from other Blackwood Bistro locations, expats from Ortigas and Makati now hang out here.”

Tasty food and a wine inventory that includes good quality bottles selling at P800 to P900 each are two reasons for the restaurant’s popularity. A lunch buffet for P295 and happy hour with 500ml mugs of beer for just P60 a mug are a couple more.  

But apart from our top favorites (crab and mango salad and crab’s claws), chef Jun Jun tells us that Blackwood Bistro also has something new. “There’s a call for comfort food so I’ve changed the menu to include global comfort food and a wider mix of cuisines.” He is quick to point out, however, that the cooking is not a fusion of techniques or flavors because he is “particular about protecting integrity and heritage.” Among the new food items at Blackwood Bistro are pork shank adobo, the new Reuben sandwich made with homemade corned beef, a jamon Serrano and arugula pizza and others. These merit more dining trips to the restaurant in the near future.

Satisfying bowls of noodles at Ramen bar

With its current popularity nowadays, an outlet serving ramen has to be part of any dining strip. And fortunately for aficionados who find their way there, Ramen Bar is that outlet at The Hub. “What sets us apart from other restaurants serving ramen is that we are able to maintain quality,” says Mae Dhey Montealto, commissary head. “We make our own noodles and simmer our chasyu (pork slices) slowly so that they are flavorful and tender.” The broths used in the ramen variants, too, are simmered for many hours so that they are rich and intensely flavorful.

On this visit, we had what the restaurant simply calls RBS 1 or Ramen Bar Special Number 1, soy infused tonkotsu (pork bone soup) ramen topped with naruto (fish sticks), nori (seaweed), negi (spring onion), chasyu (pork slices) and kakuni (braised pork belly.) But as always, our most favorite topping was the tamago, a perfect soft boiled egg with its round yolk like a happy sun in that bowl of soup.  

Filipino dishes take on a new form at Kanin club

We all love Filipino food, but why choose to eat Filipino fare when you can have this at home? At Kanin Club, the hometown classics are special because they take on an unusual form. If you are hankering for the sarap-asim of sinigang but are not too keen on soup, try the sinigang na sinangag, where the pork and vegetables are served fried, lightly breaded and crisp and the rice is flavored with the tart goodness of tamarind.

We are especially partial to the restaurant’s crispy pata, crispy dinuguan and practically all the meat selections. And after the gorging, we like to pretend to be virtuous by ending the meal with a nice, palate cleansing ampalaya salad.

Satisfy Crepe Cravings at Café Breton

Certainly, the crepes are the top pick at Café Breton and whether you prefer savory or sweet, there will be a tasty choice for you at this restaurant. But should you want something more filling, you can choose to have pasta or sandwiches. Café Breton at The Hub is open at seven in the morning and serves breakfast all day.

Order the Hamburcrepe, a burger patty on a bed of spinach, sautéed mushrooms and tomato provencale. Finish off with a dessert crepe of cherries jubilee with cherry preserve, caramel ice cream, caramel syrup and a cinnamon rum flambé.

Refreshing drinks from Y-tree milk tea hub

The most popular milk tea flavors at Y-Tree Milk Tea Hub are wintermelon, caramel, honeydew strawberry and peppermint. Opt to add pearl jelly to add interesting texture to your drink. If you’re not a big fan of milk, you can have a lychee coco drink or green kiwi tea.

Y-Tree Milk Tea Hub is a cool, cozy, friendly and affordable place where you can sit with friends, or catch up on the news through internet. The outlet also serves pasta, cakes and savory bread.