Hidden in the shadow of The Victor in Bridgetowne, Bocca is a surprising food destination for its refined ambience and global flavors.
This started out as a home business of cakes and pastries by home baker, Otty Lumagui. During the pandemic, orders became few and far between because people became more health-conscious from being stuck at home without any exercise.
But if life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. In this case, the pandemic gave Lumagui access to premium beef at rock-bottom prices, so she made foie gras burgers.
During the pandemic, she saw an International Burger Day promo where a supplier slashed prices on Wagyu and Angus burger patties, perhaps because they needed to be sold before their expiration date. She decided to buy some, made them into burgers topped with foie gras, paired them with truffle fries and tried selling the package for P500 for a kit. At first, even her husband was hesitant to sell something so expensive during the cash crunch of the lockdown.
All it took was one message to the village Viber group for Lumagui to get inundated with a hundred orders. There were repeat orders with customers giving these kits to friends and family outside the village. Word quickly spread to foodies starved for fine food that they found a way to order directly from the Lumaguis.
Bocca didn’t start out as a restaurant. It was initially a co-working space for Lumagui’s husband Richard to hold meetings. But since food is a constant requirement for gatherings, the husband-and-wife team decided to put up a full-blown restaurant.
Lumagui really just wanted a burger joint spinning off from the foie gras gras burger delivery service. However, they needed something more upscale because of the nature of the business meetings they were going to have there.
A welcome surprise
I didn’t expect a restaurant with cosmopolitan interiors to be one of the first locators in Bridgetowne. On one end is the dining area with the requisite meeting rooms tastefully decorated with paintings. This side is spacious enough to host seminars and workshops.
On the other end is a well-appointed bar that can remain open until late as they close off the restaurant.
In charge of the kitchen is Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Edgar Grafilo. Even though he looks rather young, the menu's global flavors show off his years of experience opening restaurants in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East for the Marriott International group.
Here are some select entrees from Bocca's menu:
Bocca is located on the ground floor of GBF Center 1 and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.