Allow me to start by quoting Rob W: “What a special place the Manila Social Club is.” I’m not going to call it a restaurant. There’s a reason Chef Bjorn DelaCruz and his family dubbed this fantastic Filipino spot a “social club,” because it’s much more than that. Yes, you can get absolutely delicious food here, but it’s also an extension of their home. It’s a place where the neighborhood can gather and eat and drink (fantastic bourbon cocktails courtesy of Buffalo Trace) and hang out…and on Monday night they invited out the best of Brooklyn Yelp to do just that. Samuel, Toki and the rest of the staff do a seamless job of blending hospitality with hip-hop sensibilities, and unlike Kanye, they are lettin’ EVERYONE in their family business. Read on for more of the fun, including the reviews and the photos!
From the moment he walked in, Bruce M was won over by “their hospitality and warmth,” as well as “their playlist filled with current not so commercial Hip Hop.” It all set the tone for a lively night, along with the lotus chips and mango salsa. Megan S “couldn’t believe how delicious those lotus chips were – and they were everywhere I turned!” But that was only the first bite of the night…
Matteo R is a seafood lover, so for him “the winner of the night was the Kinilaw: Filipino-style ceviche with tuna, dragon fruit, coconut milk, and trout roe. Fresh, delicious, and perfectly balanced.” Conversely, Carlos C was all about the lumpia. “Oh the lumpia, man. (I need a moment.) So good, oh gawd…crispy, crunchy, salty, sweet, foodgasmic.”
It wouldn’t have been a party without Buffalo Trace though! And what a party it was; Kenny C asks, “You know those Yelp events that you’ll tell people about for years? This was one of them…the food we ate was worth its weight in deliciousness. Does that sentence even make sense? Who knows, because I’m still pretty tipsy from the delicious Buffalo Trace cocktails they made for us.” Well, with four stellar options for imbibing that tasty, tasty bourbon, we can’t blame him really.
Overall, it was such a fun evening. It may have been Monique R‘s first time out, but she fell in love: “From the food, to the decor that was modeled after their grandmas home in the Philippines, to the amazingly tight knit family crew, this was a place I want to be ALL THE TIME.” We definitely can’t disagree.
Remember to check out the photos from Melanie Fidler and the reviews. And of course, another huge thanks goes out to Samuel, Bjorn, Toki and the rest of their family for welcoming us in for a night we’re not going to forget. Head over there and join the fun! I’ll be at the bar eating that perfectly cooked duck breast…
Cheers,
Peter D & The Yelp NYC Team
