Naci Comfort Food at The Fort

I wrote about Naci Comfort Food and Dessert Bar in the summer of last year, that absolute must-visit restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan, which offers a wild fusion of all your favorite comfort food (read detailed experience here). At that time,  23-year-old owner Nadine Nocom already talked about relocating to The Fort, in the land of high-end restaurants and better exposure.

A year later, I found myself in their new home, invited by the gracious Nadine, to experience Naci at The Fort. Situated almost at the center of BGC, at Two Parkade, 7th Avenue corner 30th Street, Naci—with a new co-owner, model Natasha Villaroman—was reborn. Brand new, with a shorter name—now simply called “Naci Comfort Food.” It is now high-ceilinged and beaming with bright orange, yellow, and green colors. It’s summery, friendlier, and more inviting—open to customers even in lazy, sleepy BGC afternoons. 

My sister Jessica.

With the recent passing of Naci’s chef, the famous Ed Quimsom, the restaurant proudly continues to serve his recipes, carrying the beloved chef’s legacy for future generations of diners to come. Additionally, Naci’s overwhelmingly long menu was now trimmed down to just the customers' favorites and, of course, the restaurant’s best-sellers—so that’s less stress for an indecisive  foodie!

Nadine and Natasha dined with us, and offered old favorites and new surprises, so not only did they transport us back in time to our first—and delightfully unforgettable—Naci experience, but they also indulged us in their new recipes, now listed on a tablet menu. And they are all Cohen-friendly.

Jessica browsing though a wide selection of drinks in Naci's tablet menu.

And friendly co-owners Nadine and Natasha took time in answering some questions for us.

L-R: Nadine Nocom, Natasha Villaroman, and moi.

>>What's your main reason for transferring to BGC?

Nadine: A lot of our customers were actually asking if we had a branch at the Fort or Makati. They were also saying that parking was a bit difficult in Greenhills. So when Ayala offered us a space in a parkade at the Fort, we knew that it was meant to be.

Natasha: Ayala offered the space to us. And the location was better in terms of traffic, parking, and visibility.

>>How has it been like since you transferred to BGC?

Nadine: It's a bit challenging since it's a whole new different market from Greenhills, but so far we've seen a lot of good reactions especially from our customers from Greenhills saying that they love the vibrant new look, so it's great to see the positive reaction to our new look.

Natasha: Challenging, but we work much better! We're happy to see all the hard work we've put into this, especially that we rebranded the whole look of the old Naci.

>>What will the diners experience in BGC that they did not experience back in Greenhills?

Nadine: A much brighter and modern look but still retaining the sense of comfort through little touches we've incorporated. We also retained Chef Ed Quimson's recipes which we are very much proud of to continue his legacy.

Natasha: A much brighter, modern look. We offer the same good food created by Chef Ed Quimson, but we put up the notch a little bit in terms of ambiance and service, for a better dining experience.


>>Top 3 bestselling desserts?

N&N: : Pistachio Sansrival, Chocolate ganache, Red velvet cupcake

>>Top 3 bestselling entrees?

N&N: Peruvian chicken rice, cuchifrito rice bowl, grilled mahi-mahi

>>What's NACI's edge compared to other restaurants?

Nadine: We created dishes that are familiar and Chef Ed put his own twist on them. So our food in itself is unique from other restaurants out there. Not only that, we have a wide variety to offer from pizzas, pastas to desserts and drinks, even Cohen-friendly food. Aside from that, we wanted to incorporate "comfort" in our customer's entire dining experience. Thus, the bright and vibrant interior and cozy music to uplift the spirits and constantly training our staff to make everyone feel right at home at NACI.

Natasha: Nobody can argue with good comfort food. We offer international/fusion cuisine but our chefs were creative enough to put a twist to Filipino's ultimate staple food—rice. But our specialties are not all limited to rice dishes; we have thin crust pizzas, yummy desserts and pastries, unique pastas (like the adobo cannelloni or longganisa & green grapes), Cohen-friendly menu, and basically food that can be enjoyed for all ages. And what makes us more unique is our quirky and inviting ambiance, coupled with of course, good customer service!

>>Where did you get the inspiration for the tablet menu? 

N&N: We wanted something different. Initially we wanted to provide something for the guests to entertain them while waiting for the food. But we ended up with the tablet to view the menu, and where kids can play some games with it (unfortunately the file was so big there wasn't enough space for games!).

>>Upcoming exciting promos? 

N&N:  We'll be coming up with weekly brunch buffets, kids-eat-for-free specials, etc. For mother's day, we'll be offering a dessert buffet + unlimited coffee and tea.

For father's day, we'll be running a contest where we'll be giving out exciting prizes!

* * * 

The dining experience was still pleasant, and the customer service delightful! And now, my rating of the new dishes served to us:

APPETIZERS:

Cajun Mozzarella Balls -  5/5 stars

Crispy fried mozzarella croquettes served with pimiento salsa and crispy fries - 280.00

Classic Salpicao - 4/5 stars

Sauteed beef tenderloin in olive oil with chili fingers and garlic - 380.00

SALADS:

I give them all 5/5 stars!

Tofu Green Salad

Mixed green salad with Chinese black vinegar, crisp tofu croutons and peppered calamari  - 220.00

Smoked Salmon Salad

Mixed greens tossed in honey lemon dill dressing with smoked salmon, onion rings, cherry tomatoes and parmesan shavings - 280.00

Kani Mango Crunch (my favorite!)

Layers of assorted greens, kani, ripe mangoes, cucumber with crispy wonton and vermicelli drizzled with wasabi mayo -  260.00

Classic Caesar Salad

Crisp lettuce tossed in classic Caesar dressing with croutons, bacon bits and parmesan tuile  - 200.00

CLOCKWISE: Tofu Green Salad; Smoked Salmon Salad;  Kani Mango Crunch; and Classic Caesar Salad 

ENTREES:

Penne al Fungi with White Shrimps 5/5 stars
Penne tossed in basil mushroom cream with white shrimps served with focaccia bread - 360.00

Grilled Mahi Mahi 5/5 stars

Grilled mahi mahi fillet topped with dill cream and cherry tomatoes served with parsley rice 380.00

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken  2/5 stars (BBQ sauce too strong)

Their BBQ marinated fillet of chicken served with java rice and buttered vegetables 320.00

Steak and Cheese Pizza 2.5/5 (delightfully thin and crispy, but lacks that scrumptious tasty happy-inducing pizza feeling)

Thin slices of beef tenderloin, cheese sauce and fresh button mushrooms -  540.00

CLOCKWISE: Penne al Fungi with White Shrimps; Grilled Mahi Mahi; BBQ marinated fillet of chicken served with java rice and buttered vegetables; and Steak and Cheese Pizza.

RICE SPECIALTIES:

Peruvian Chicken Rice (4/5 stars)

Slow cooked baked rice with chunks of chicken, sauteed capsicums topped with aioli  - 420.00

Shrimp Jambalaya Rice (4/5 stars)

Slow coooked baked rice with curry, coconut cream and shrimps topped with fried eggplant, tomatoes and raisins 480.00

L-R: Peruvian Chicken Rice; Shrimp Jambalaya Rice

DESSERT - CAKES:

Red Velvet Cake - The Southern Sweetheart (2/5 stars; dry and easily crumbles, a bit bland)

Classic Red Velvet cake smothered with their tangy vanilla cream cheese frosting

Pistachio Sansrival - Crispy Comfort (4/5 stars)

Layers of crispy meringue and rich pistachio buttercream loaded with roasted pistachio nuts

Chocolate Ganache Cake (4.5/5 stars; moist, rich, deep dark chocolate!)

Melt-in-your-mouth Premium Dark Belgian Chocolate Ganache sandwiched between generous layers of moist dark chocolate sponge

DESSERT - PREMIUM CUPCAKES

Caramel Cream Cupcake - (4.5/5 stars; heavenly light and rich and melts in your mouth)

Light chiffon cupcake with a surprise caramel filling topped with vanilla cream and caramel fudge  - 75.00

Red Velvet Cupcake (5/5 stars; way better than the cake. This is the real red velvet experience)

American cream cheese frosting on top of a dense, red cupcake with a hint of cocoa  - 75.00

Chocolate Ganache Cupcake (2.5/5 stars; the cake is better)

Premium Dark Belgian Chocolate on top of a dark chocolate cupcake

Black and White Cupcake (5/5 stars; my favorite!)

Premium Dark Belgian Chocolate Ganache on top of vanilla cupcake  - 90.00

CLOCKWISE: Caramel Cream Cupcake; Red Velvet Cupcake; Chocolate Ganache Cupcake;
and Black and White Cupcake.

***

So when you visit BGC, make sure to drop by NACI and get a taste of both home-cooked meals and the exotic in one comfortable and pleasant dining experience. Very much recommended for family dining!

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I would like to thank Nadine Nocom for the invitation, and the entire Naci staff for the wonderful dining experience.

NACI Comfort Food
Unit 3 Two Parkade 7th Avenue, 1634 Fort Bonifacio
Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm, Fri - Sat: 11:00 am - 1:00 am, Sun: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm.
Contact #: 847-NACI (6224) / 09175234315
Website: http://nacicomfortfood.com
Twitter and Instagram: @nacicomfortfood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaciComfortFood