Stockton Place in Makati

COCONUTS HOT SPOT — The first solo venture of youthful chef Celine de los Angeles, formerly of The Goose Station, this pricey restaurant in Legaspi Village is hip and cozy, with a small, well-curated Western menu. On a recent Thursday evening, we made repeated attempts to snag a table and finally got one for a 9:30pm seating. We arrived promptly, sat at the bar and downed a bottle of Sileni’s Pinot Gris from New Zealand (2011) before we were led to our table 30 minutes later. The restaurant was packed, mostly with young people who all looked like they just got out of the office.

THE LOOK: Named after a street in San Francisco where a restaurant of de los Angeles’ idol chef Daniel Humm is located, the façade is very unassuming with a few al fresco tables. Upon entering, you’ll see a bar to your left and a blackboard with a handwritten menu to your right. The walls, painted a severe coat of white paint, goes well with the Euro modern black and white floor tiles. We estimate the seating capacity to be 40 people maximum. Since the place was packed on our visit, it was hard to hear ourselves talk, and we felt a bit warm especially after our drinks, so the restaurant needs to sort out their room temperature because there’s nothing more unglamorous than sweating while eating.

THE GRUB: We had a great starter: A sweet potato tortellini with butter sauce, sprinkled with crunchy prosciutto crisps, which we insisted on sharing between the three of us because it was too rich. We were amazed at how the chef made such good pasta out of sweet potato. Our second dish was a juicy, light-brown seared scallop, which you can skip and replace with their gorgeous caramelized tomato torte. But the star of our dinner was the rib eye steak, which was juicy, tender and pink on the inside, just the way we like it. It was paired with humongous fried potatoes and a bottle of Chateau Tour Leognan (2009). On our next visit, we would like to try the foie gras salad and the crispy pork belly.

SWEET ENDING: We picked the lemon parfait with meringue and lemon curd. I’ve heard complaints about it not being lemony enough, but I found it just right, especially with a cup of Illy brewed coffee.

OUR NOTES:
Cost: About PHP9,000+ for three people; our bottle of wine cost PHP3,000.
Cleanliness: The table was clean when we were seated and the waiter listened to our request of bringing out the dishes one by one.
Service: Prompt and attentive. 
Sound level: Almost like eating at a Chinese restaurant; we could hear the chatter and laughter of people a few tables away.
Lighting: Perfect, not too bright nor too dark.

227 Salcedo corner Gamboa Streets, Legaspi Village, Makati City; +63 2 8449530, +63 917 8561419. Mon-Sat 6-10pm.

Photo: Tessie Fajardo



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