As featured in BEST OF TAGUIG: 10 Most Awesome NEW Restaurants in BGC & Taguig 2014!
TODD ENGLISH FOOD HALL is officially Manila’s first Celebrity Chef Restaurant opening at the SM Aura Premier! It is also the first restaurant that sets the trend for the Food Hall concept in Manila.
A Food Hall is a communal dining space with well-curated stalls or food stations. It is NOT a buffet, because you can order from one or any of the stations. It is NOT a food court, because the food is typically handmade, with a cohesive theme.
Todd English Food Hall is all about quality of food with provenance, and a mix of cuisine that is eclectic and inspired across 9 food stations.
Here’s what you need to know about Todd English Food Hall in Manila…
TODD ENGLISH FOOD HALL
5/F SkyPark, SM Aura Premiere, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Operating hours: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Monday to Sunday
Email: toddenglishfoodhallmnl@gmail.com
Twitter: @TEFoodHallMNL
Facebook: FoodHall ToddEnglish
Instagram: @toddenglishfoodhallmnl
Telephone: +632 621 4002
Todd English Food Hall Manila is a 900sqm communal dining area that is a replica of the New York flagship branch, but locally designed by Ivy Almario.
TIP: Best to find seats in the high ceiling area, near the center by the Cupcake Wheel. 🙂
You can also sit in the low ceiling dining area for added privacy, or at the mezzanine area for private functions.
Check out the TODD ENGLISH FOOD HALL MENU: Front Menu | Back Menu
#1: SALAD & CHARCUTTERIE STATION
The first station is where you can order fresh salads and different salamis, pancetta, or chorizos.
The staff are really young and excited to be part of culinary history unfolding in Manila.
Simple Salad (P285). Fresh Mixed Greens, Grilled Corn, Cherry Tomato, Shallot Vinaigrette & Olive Oil.
The greens were fresh and served with a simple sauce and priced very well at less than P300.
#2: SUSHI BAR STATION
You can have the signature sushi rolls prepared by their Master Sushi Chef. See Sushi Rolls Menu.
#3: RAW BAR STATION
You can order raw seafood — Tuna Sashimi, Salmon Sashimi, Chilled Prawn, Oysters, or Clams on a per piece basis or as a combination platter. See Raw Bar Menu.
#4: ASIAN STATION
The Asian station serves handmade pork, chicken, or shrimp dumplings. It also prepares some of the communal dishes in the food hall.
The service staff is genuinely nice and eager to help.
✮ Tuna Tartar (P280). Marinated Sushi Grade Tuna, Crispy Maramalde Shrimp Finished with Scallion Cream.
I love this fresh tuna with shrimp inside, wrapped in cucumber. It’s bigger than a bite-sized portion but still enjoyable to eat especially when you combine all the flavors.
Asada Taco with Pear Salsa (P320). Tender Strip Loin Steak with Fresh Pear Pico de Gallo finished with Cilantro Creme.
This was a good appetizer, which is like a mini-burrito in taco form.
#5: FLATBREAD PIZZA STATION
This is the most popular station in the food hall because of the unique signature toppings available.
Todd English insists on serving flat breads hot right out of the oven and eating them right away.
✮ Fig & Prosciutto (P530). Fig Jam, Gorgonzola, Rose Mary, Prosciutto, Scallions.
This is my favorite because of the unique combination of sweet fig and salty prosciutto with gorgonzola cheese.
✮ Chorizo & Shrimp (P650). Piqlo Sauce, Manchego Cheese, Chorizo, Sexy Scallions.
A good combination also — homemade chorizo with shrimps and tomato sauce.
Crispy Eggplant Spinach (P460). Talegio, Caramelized Onion, Baby Spinach Salad.
This is the pizza of choice for Vegetarians.
✮ Truffle Fungi Flat Bread (P700). Truffle Vinaigrette, Mixed Mushrooms, Fontina, Parsley.
Love this one because you can really taste that they did not scrimp on the truffle and mushroom.
#6: PASTA STATION
It was great to see Chef William Todd English himself in action in the kitchen.
I admire him for having the courage to open this restaurant in Manila first, while all the other celebrity chefs are still contemplating whether to open or not.
Singapore or Hong Kong does not need another celebrity chef resto and clearly, the Philippines is seen as the next growth area for such concepts (Nobu and Allan Ducasse are also set to open in Manila).
The pastas are freshly prepared and each one is handmade in the food hall.
✮ Veal Agnolotti (P590).
This was super yummy with very soft baby cow’s meat and a pillowy homemade pasta. Order this!
Roasted Pumpkin Tortelli (P390).
This was good too, with mashed squash inside the pasta. A good choice for vegetarians.
#7: THE GRILL & OCEAN GRILL STATION
The station is a bit concealed. This is where all the grilled meats are prepared.
T.E. Slider (P390). Freshly home Ground 4 cutmeat burger pattie, Tomato, Iceberg Lettuce, Mustard Relish, T.E. Sauce on a toasted home made Brioche Bun.
The mini-burgers were also very good, with a sous-vide-then-seared burger patty and toasted sweet brioche buns.
I love the Food Hall theatre setup, where you can see the chefs prepare your food.
✮ Miso Glaze Salmon (P510). Pan Crisped Salmon, Miso Glaze, Salsa Verde & Arugula Salad.
A different take on salmon with an Asian-inspired flavor.
#8: WINE & TAPAS BAR STATION
This station is still a work in progress and they hope to serve tapas…
…and a well-curated selection of wines and drinks.
TODD ENGLISH RETAIL STORE
The Todd English retail store offers imported products from New york.
Love the ginger candies. You can also buy Todd English cook books.
This is one of the best items in the store — A Beer Making Kit! All the things you need to brew your own beer. I would love to have one of these! 🙂
Make sure to buy the Beer Making Book to complete your beer experiments.
Check out the different kinds of sea salts…
…and Mexican spices.
THE DESSERT & BREAD BAR STATION
The Cupcake Wheel is the centerpiece attraction in the dessert station.
The dessert options are still a work in progress and not as yummy looking as you’d want them to be.
Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake with Milo.
People raved about this special chocolate Milo overload mini-cake, which was served during the media launch of Todd English. 🙂
From Left to Right: Rikki Dee, Oliver Todd English (Son of William), Anton Diaz, Chef William Todd English, RJ Ledesma, and Eric Dee (son of Rikki) — the man who convinced Todd to bring the Food Hall franchise in Manila — and soon, Olives in City of Dreams.
I love the food hall concept with a menu that is priced well at P200-P600/dish, depending on what you like. It is perfect for the family-style dining of Filipinos, where we like to try and share everything. Total budget is about P500/head.
It’s designed like Spiral with Theatre Food stations, but you have the freedom to order ala carte from any station you like, and you have the freedom to choose where to sit in a communal ambiance, depending on your mood and the occasion, just like in a college cafeteria.
The food is yummy because it is prepared fresh, and they have signature flavor combinations that Manila has never seen before. Order the flat breads, homemade pasta, and the grilled meats. I need to go back to try the other stations once they are fully operational.
And don’t forget to check out the imported gourmet items and culinary kits in the retail store.
Congratulations to Todd English and Rikki Dee’s group for this historic opening of the Todd English New York Food Hall in Manila!
TODD ENGLISH FOOD HALL
5/F SkyPark, SM Aura Premiere, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Operating hours: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Monday to Sunday
Email: toddenglishfoodhallmnl@gmail.com
Twitter: @TEFoodHallMNL
Facebook: FoodHall ToddEnglish
Instagram: @toddenglishfoodhallmnl
Telephone: +632 621 4002
Related Blog Posts:
- Patty Laurel | Todd English Food Hall
- EATS Now or Never | Todd English Food Hall opens at SM Aura
- Cheryl Tiu | Dinner with Todd English—the first celebrity chef to open a restaurant in the Philippines
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: Our meal is courtesy of Chef Todd English and Ricky Dee. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here.
P.S. They say the main reason why William and Oliver Todd English decided to open in Manila is because the father and son bachelors fell in love with the beauty of the Filipina. 🙂
Thank you to Chef Todd English for setting the bar for Celebrity Chef restaurants in Manila!
Whatever you want to call it, it’s still a buffet. There are buffet places in the world where you can pay a few hundred USD and they serve foie and wagyu etc, but unless a dish is made by a chef specifically for a diner and an order is taken by a waiter at a table , it is a buffet restaurant.
Let’s just start there because any venture that is built upon a falsehood is doomed eventually. People will see it for what it really is, no matter what turn of phrase you give it.
Looks like a great buffet and those who like great buffet restaurants are sure to be pleased.
Hi Marty! Have you tried dining in Todd English? A waiter actually hands you a menu that has the dishes from all the different “sections/stations”. He takes your order and then heads over to the corresponding station to have your food cooked.
Hi Anton! They don’t make their own desserts? The cakes look like they’re all from Purple Oven.
I’ve been complaining for maybe a decade about how we average-sized women have been subsidizing the 300-lb. set in buffets. This is the equalizer that I’ve been waiting for. Food hall pala ang tawag dun.
I think this would be great in Macau or Las Vegas.