The Black Pig in Commercenter is a find for drinkers and pub lovers alike - too bad I live in Quezon City and don't have the chance of visiting more often. Black Pig exudes a welcoming energy, with lush leather accent chairs mixed and matched with dining chairs, wooden tables with a light varnish, exposing the wood's grainy finish, and bar counter tiling in geometric gray and black; a mish-mash of workman lamps and drop lights in amber add to homeyness to the place, even if the space uses the restaurant backdrop of the moment, a bare industrial look with waxed gray cement floors and black-colored exposed ceilings.
One eats for consumption, craft, or to experience art. I dare say Black Pig makes a go for both craft and art; the former, by making its own bread, serving microbrewered beer, and using rustic plates, bowls, and mugs, the latter, with food, broken down and recomposed into different shapes and textures drawn on the plate in measured touches, though not venturing as far as molecular.
We came for coffee and afternoon nibbles at four on a Sunday, but gave in when told we could order at five.
The food is fairly good, but sometimes there's just too little of it. Our parmesan tortellini with a green sauce emphasized a squash sauce, squizzed out of bottles, and more squash in triangle shapes cooked to delicious firmness. The homemade pasta dough was on the thick side, something one addresses by rolling it thinner or cooking it longer. There were only five small pieces; it's more an appetizer than a pasta entree.
The Asian seabass (the menu should emphasize it's Asian, not Chilean, seabass) came with two well pan-fried fillets, alugbati leaves, steamed mussels, and ruby-red beetroot. The verjus sauce was runny, sidelined by everything else on the plate, a wasted effort. The fish isn't memorable.
We chose two desserts - the chocolate praline, recommended by the waiter - and an apple millefeuille with vanilla ice cream. The vanilla ice cream, ironically, had too much fresh vanilla bean, overpowering the ice cream's custard base. The millefeuille, which layered soft apple cooked in syrup and spices and glops of sweet tasting cheese curd, was very nice and worth ordering every time one visits.
The praline suffered with use of old ingredients. The ganache, glistening with cream and rich in hazelnut chocolatey flavor, could not hide the rancidness at the bottom of the bar, which is a layering of chocolate fondant mousse, biscuit, and hazelnut praline. The hazelnuts should have been thrown out.
I'm truly certain we didn't experience all that The Black Pig has to offer, from their good wine selection, flights of beer and microbrews on tap, Spanish charcuterie, and cheese, as we tried everything else around it. But perhaps we can push them to do more - or do less - and do it better. In the meantime, nothing stops us from visiting and enjoying it for as long as it's around.
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