6.062 Bone Marrow

6.062

8 (Sun) March 2015

Bone Marrow

0.5

at Todd English Food Hall (SM Aura)

-Bonifacio Global City, Taguig-

with TL

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In Manila’s most unusual building…
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…SM Aura shopping mall.

Todd English Food Hall is an American restaurant.  Beyond burgers and steaks, many of the menu items per se may not be historically American–pasta, pizza, taco, sushi–but the salmagundi selection reflects a distinctly American melting pot philosophy of food.  Part of celebrity chef Todd English’s worldwide restaurant empire, the only one in the Philippines.  Extremely popular, judging by the lines to get a table–currently ranked #19 of 377 in Taguig City on TripAdvisor.

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The interior design includes open kitchen stations in various corners of the establishment, each dedicated to preparing different things, like a food court, but the customers are seated at tables, where servers take the orders and serve the dishes.
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Real pasta, but only for show–made weeks earlier, now inedible.

I had dinner at Todd English’s Kingfish Hall–which was shut down a few years ago following eviction proceedings for unpaid rents–in Quincy Market, Boston, MA, on the evening before DJ was born.

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Very tempted to try the seared foie gras sushi.
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Not too bad in price, most dishes under 1000 and around 500 pesos.

The food, not too bad overall.  In general, the dishes were thoughtfully conceived, competently prepared, artfully presented.  Quality ingredients.  Enjoyable meal.

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T.E. Caesar Salad (2.5)
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Way too much dressing and cheese, making an otherwise “perfect” egg seem heavy.
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Lobster Taco (2.0)–chopped+breaded+deep-fried, the taste/texture of the lobster was lost; needed more salsa and/or sour cream and/or anything fresh (more than the dinky garniture) to give it more lift,
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Charred Octopus (3.25)–with chick peas and chorizo, an interesting melange of briny, creamy, nutty, smoky flavors; my favorite dish of the spread.
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Aglio Olio Spaghetti with Baby Lobster (1.0)–the fresh pasta came somewhat overcooked and clumped together; “baby lobsters” = langostinos.

The Bone Marrow, not so great.  This being my first experience trying the stuff, I didn’t know what to expect.  Turned out to be whitish clumps of fatty tissue.  Seasoned, topped with bread crumbs and minced parsley, still tasted like fatty tissue.  Like all so-called delicacies, it’s inherently/objectively kinda gross.  Now that I’ve tried it, never again.

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My least favorite dish of the spread.

4 thoughts on “6.062 Bone Marrow”

  1. too bad you didn’t like the bone marrow. i personally love it…it is very fatty, agreed, but it also has a very rich, meaty flavor to it. Almost like beef butter with a slight tang of iron. Ok…rereading what i wrote, it makes sense that a lot of people don’t like it 😛
    I’ve seen a lot of restaurants serve it with toast points on the side or something, so you can use it as more of a spread instead of just eating a glob of fat. maybe you would like it better that way?

    Reply

  2. funny that you always respond with anything related to organs!

    I did some concentrated tasting to see if i could detect deeper flavors, but it just tasted like fat, no meatiness.

    yes, of course it would’ve been better on toast, but again, it’s just fat. i’d rather eat butter.

    but if i come across it again in some other form, i’ll maybe try it again.

    Reply

  3. I would definitely give it another try, esp as “Nancy” says with some fresh baked or toasted bread as a counterpoint. Loaded with flavor, shouldn’t be just a gooey bland mess. Maybe that animal didn’t have good nutrition or didn’t take care of its bones well or something, resulting in weak marrow

    Reply

  4. interesting point–even while the beef itself goes under intense scrutiny–e.g., wagyu, hanwoo, marbling, Angus, certified, etc.–the organs don’t really get any attention, although you’re absolutely right that a good cow would also produce good organs.

    now i’m really curious to try it again…

    Reply

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