NACI Comfort Food: New Look + Mother's Day Giveaway!

It was around this time of the year last 2012 when I first encountered NACI Comfort Food in Greenhills. After another year, I again revisited this comfort food and dessert destination. This time though, NACI Comfort Food has already moved to Bonifacio Global City, Taguig and has rebranded itself into a modern, trendier dining destination.

From wearing an earthy, homey and cozy interior, NACI Comfort Food in The Fort now sports a brighter and more colorful facade nicely complemented by its high red ceiling and colorful dining chairs. And while I'm generally more into dimly-lit restaurants with neutral color palette, I actually prefer this more updated, hip and refreshing new look.

Aside from NACI Comfort Food's new do, there's another thing that's new this time around. Joining Ms. Nadine Nocom in running the restaurant is new co-owner and model Ms. Natasha Villaroman. And it doesn't end here as another new thing at NACI Comfort Food is its added touch of techie modernity. Not only does the restaurant have an eye-catching LCD TV showing a slideshow of enticing dishes from NACI, but they also hand out tablets to diners who prefer browsing the menu interactively and with style.

Of course, I love swiping through the tablet. But being an old-timer at heart, I still used the printed menu which doubles as a placemat. The tablet's good though if you're curious at how the dishes and drinks look like as there are photos for every item on the menu.

Now, let me share the dishes we got to try that afternoon.

The Appetizers

NACI Comfort Food has about 8 meal starter items on their menu. And if you're like us who would want to try not just one or two, but a few more appetizers without breaking the budget, then it's best to order Nat's Appetizer Sampler (P520) where you can choose 4 of the best-selling appetizers which will come in smaller-than-regular portion each.

While the meal starters don't come in full size, every variant's still a great appetite whetter fit for up to 4 people. Our sampler platter had the following best-selling goodies:

Beef Taco Springroll (P280)
Crispy springrolls stuffed with beef taco filling and served with tomato salsa and sour cream

Cajun Mozzarella Balls (P280)
Crispy-fried mozzarella croquettes served with pimiento salsa and crispy fries (for full size)

Classic Salpicao (P380)
Sautéed beef tenderloin chunks, chili fingers and garlic in olive oil

Glazed Chicken Wings (P350)
Crispy-fried wings with Naci's secret glaze served with lemon cream dip and crispy fries (for full size)

I loved every item on our Nat's Appetizer Sampler. But if I have to pick favorites, I think my best bet would be the Mexican-Asian Beef Taco Springrolls, and the succulent and savory Classic Salpicao which I think would be perfect over garlic rice.

Soups and Salads

Normally, I'd skip the soup when dining out. Unless of course, I'm feeling a little under the weather or just suffering from the monthly PMS. However, since we didn't get to sample NACI Comfort Food's soup items before, we thought it would be good to try it now.

Tita Em's Chowder (P260)
Creamy and hearty chowder with shrimps, corn kernels and bacon served in a bread bowl

Enoki and Soba Broth (P240)
Seafood dashi broth with enoki, ajitsuke tamago (Japanese soft-boiled egg) and soba noodles

Onion Soup (P180)
Classic caramelized onion soup with French baguette slices and melted mozzarella cheese

These soup items come in personal sizes, but I think it can be shared by 2 even up to 3 light eaters without a problem. Among these comforting bowls of soup, my favorite was the Enoki and Soba Broth which was very light, refreshing and oozing with delicate seafood goodness. Tita Em's Chowder was good too and very hearty, although it was unlucky of us that they ran out of bread bowls for this serving. The Onion Soup would probably be my least favorite as although it tasted good, it was just too rich for my liking.

For salads, NACI Comfort Food offers 4 kinds on their menu, and we were fortunate enough to have sampled all of them.

Classic Caesar Salad (P200)
Crisp lettuce leaves tossed in classic Caesar dressing with croutons, bacon bits and Parmesan tuile

Smoked Salmon Salad (P280)
Mixed greens tossed in honey-lemon dill dressing with smoked salmon, onion rings, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan shavings

✓ Kani Mango Crunch (P260)
Assorted greens layered with kani, ripe mangoes, cucumbers, crispy wonton and vermicelli then drizzled with wasaby mayo

Tofu Green Salad (P220)
Mixed green salad with Chinese black vinegar, crispy tofu croutons and peppered calamari

With the salads, I can't believe that after a year, I'd still love the Kani Mango Crunch. I think it's the combination of refreshing Japanese flavors and a touch of wasabi that really got me hooked. The Classic Caesar Salad is a good contender too. Even if it's a very conventional variant, NACI Comfort Food did good in offering an enjoyable rendition.

Pizza and Pastas

One of the most popular comfort foods is a classic combo of pizza and pasta. And being in a restaurant named NACI Comfort Food, it just follows that its menu has a list of pizza and pasta variants somewhere.

Steak and Cheese Pizza (P540)
Thin-crust pizza with thin slices of beef tenderloin, fresh button mushrooms and cheese sauce

Nadine's Adobo Cannelloni (P360)
Classic adobo flakes rolled in pasta, topped with bechamel and laced with adobo sauce and mozzarella with focaccia bread on the side

Penne Al Fungi with White Shrimps (P360)
Penne tossed in basil mushroom cream with white shrimps and served with focaccia bread on the side

I love pizzas, so I really liked how light, crispy yet delicately savory the Steak and Cheese Pizza is. Nadine's Adobo Cannelloni which I already got to try last year, was still the same savory Filipino-themed pasta dish that garnered praises from our group. And then also comes the Penne Al Fungi with White Shrimps, a tasty cream-based pasta dish with perfectly-cooked shrimps and juicy mushrooms that I can't get enough of.

NACI Specialties and Entrées

We were already having food overload that afternoon, but we were then served with the superstar dishes at NACI. Apparently, our lunch has just officially begun at this point.

Shrimp Jambalaya Rice (P480)
Slow-cooked baked rice with curry, coconut cream and shrimps topped with fried eggplant, tomatoes and raisins

Peruvian Chicken Rice (P420)
Slow-cooked baked rice with chunks of chicken and sautéed capsicums then topped with aioli

✓ Grilled Mahi Mahi (P380)
Grilled mahi mahi fillet topped with dill cream and cherry tomatoes, and served with parsley rice

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken (P320)
Naci's BBQ-marinated chicken fillet served with java rice and buttered vegetables

As a big carb person, I still felt the same love I had for the Peruvian Chicken Rice even after a year. I like how it's a cross between a paella and a risotto. The Shrimp Jambalaya Rice didn't impress as much though as it wasn't as tasty as I expected. However, I found a new favorite among the entrées. It's the Grilled Mahi Mahi which tasted amazing! The fillet was cooked to a perfect tenderness, with a beautiful grilled flavor that went perfectly with the dill cream. On the other hand, the Oven Baked BBQ Chicken was good, but the sauce was a little too sweet for my liking.

Desserts and Drinks

Back in Greenhills, NACI has called itself NACI Comfort Food & Dessert Bar. And while they've dropped the "dessert bar" part from their name, they still carry the sweet treats they were known for.

✓ Chocolate Ganache Cake (P165), Red Velvet Cake (P130), Pistachio Sansrival (P120)

Cakes have been one of my most fave comfort foods, and among NACI's offerings, I have to say the Chocolate Ganache Cake is the one you shouldn't miss, most especially if you're a fellow chocoholic. The Pistachio Sansrival was good too as it wasn't too sweet and had an enjoyable combination of soft, chewy and nutty textures. And although the Red Velvet Cake is what I was excited to try, it was unfortunately my least favorite. It was dry and didn't have as much cream cheese as I would've wanted.

✓ Red Velvet Cupcake (P75), ✓ Caramel Cream Cupcake (P75),
Chocolate Ganache Cupcake (P90), Black and White Cupcake (P90)

It was a different story with the cupcakes though as the Red Velvet Cupcake topped my favorites list. The base cake was just so moist and there was enough cream cheese to make the whole cupcake oh-so-delicious! The Caramel Cream Cupcake was a pleasant surprise too. I didn't expect it to be really good but its chiffon cake is super soft and fluffy, the perfect case for a sweet and salty caramel filling. The Black and White Cupcake which used to be my favorite, is still as good, but it was overshadowed by the previous 2 cupcakes I mentioned. As for the Chocolate Ganache Cupcake, I feel like the cake version is a lot better.

Tamarind Iced Tea (P120), Grape Shake (P165), Mocha Java Chip (P225), Strawberry Kiss (P235)

NACI Comfort Food also offers a wide variety of drinks, from fresh juices, iced teas, milkshakes, coffee blends and more. Our group had fun choosing pretty drinks photogenic enough to be posted on our blogs. Haha! Don't worry, everything tasted great.

THE VERDICT

Visiting the new and freshly-rebranded NACI Comfort Food is truly a nice experience as we got to relive the good food but in a more modern, trendier and hipper ambiance perfect for a comfort food destination. Personally, I like this new change and I'm sure a lot of patrons, especially the younger crowd would love this new feel too. While price is a little bit steep, I think it's worth taking a trip to NACI once in a while as this comfort food destination carries the legacy of the late Chef Ed Quimson who served as executive chef for the restaurant. Diners on a strict diet are also very welcome at NACI Comfort Food as they're even Cohen-friendly.

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 3/5
Overall Value - 4/5

NACI Comfort Food, Fort Bonifacio
Unit 3 Two Parkade 7th Avenue,
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 847-NACI (6224)
Official Website
Facebook Page
Twitter

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Since it's almost Mother's Day, NACI Comfort Food will be holding a Mother's Day Dessert Buffet on May 12, 2013 (Sunday) for only P349 per head. This doesn't only include unlimited desserts, but also free-flowing coffee and tea. But the surprise doesn't end here, in partnership with NACI Comfort Food, I'm holding a short, 2-day giveaway in time for Mother's Day! One lucky winner will score 3 passes for NACI's Dessert Buffet.

Prize: (1) winner of 3 passes to NACI's All-Day Dessert Buffet this May 12, 2013

PLEASE READ!
Guidelines to enter the giveaway raffle:

1. Be a Metro Manila resident or someone (even not within Metro Manila) who can actually use the prize.
2. Winners will have to visit NACI Comfort Food this May 12, 2013 (Sunday) to enjoy your All-Day Mother's Day Dessert Buffet.
3. Follow the Rafflecopter mechanics below to join.
4. Make sure you do all the first 8 mandatory steps to be eligible.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The giveaway raffle will run from today until 5PM of May 11, 2013. The winner will be drawn, announced and contacted by no later than 6:30PM of May 11 (Saturday). So join now and treat the most special woman in your life to NACI Comfort Food's All-Day Dessert Buffet this Mother's Day! (Non-moms are welcome too.)

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by NACI Comfort Food.